OLD-FASHIONED GARDEN FLOWERS. 273 



have suspected its perennial quality; but notwithstanding the 

 warm climate of South America (whence it hails), it has proved 

 both hardy and perennial in this country. Excessive moisture 

 is its greatest enemy. 



Its bright purplish- crimson flowers are daisy-shaped and large, 

 the centre being a fine golden yellow on strong young plants 

 the flowers will be 3in. across. Moreover, they are numerously 

 produced on stems 3ft. high, in branching cymes, and last a long 

 time in perfection; "With favourable weather an individual bloom 

 will stand above a week, and the plant provides itself with 

 abundance of buds for succession. I never yet saw a specimen 

 that developed half its buds, but this brings me to notice one of 

 its faults (for it has more than one), viz., it is too late in 

 blooming ; at any rate, in Yorkshire we rarely get more than 

 three weeks' enjoyment of its flowers, when, but for severe frosts, 

 it appears capable of blooming for two months. To some extent 

 this may be remedied, as will be shown when I refer to its 

 culture. The radical leaves are over a foot long, stem leaves 

 much smaller, very dark holly green of leather-like substance, 

 the edges very unevenly shaped, the general form of the leaf 

 being something like the cos lettuce. 



The cut blooms are indeed fine and cannot well be inappro- 

 priately used. This brings me to fault No. 2. The flower stems 

 are very hollow and dry, nearly as much so as the hemlock or kex, 

 and I have found that when flowers have been cut, either from 

 the moisture collecting in the stem, or some such cause, rot sets 

 in lower down, and soon the branches of bloom head over. I 

 tried cutting to a joint where the cavity was stopped, but the 

 pith when so exposed soon gave way, so that latterly I have 

 ceased to cut the flowers, unless the occasion was worth the 

 risk. A specimen not cut from did not suffer from stem rot. I, 

 therefore, blamed the cutting. There may, however, be other 

 causes ; at any rate, there is the fact of fine flowers in their 



Erime falling over, and it is worth one's while to try to find out 

 fom what cause it happens, and if my theory is not the true one, 

 it may prove useful as a hint. 



It likes a deep and rich soil, and well deserves to have it; if left 

 out all the winter, a piece of glass should be put over the crown, 

 because it has the fault (No. 3) of rotting in the centre, as I 

 believe from water being conducted down its spout-like stems ; 

 but even under the most neglected conditions it stands our 

 winters, and the rootlets send up a number of small growths in 

 spring. These may make plants, but will not be reliable for 

 bloom the following autumn ; the damage should be prevented if 

 possible. Another plan, by which two points are gained, is to 

 grow young plants in good-sized pots and winter them, plunged 

 in cold frames, not failing to give plenty of air. In April 

 these, if compared with others in the open garden, will be found 



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