96 THE UNHEATED GREENHOUSE 



Astilbe japonica, popularly known as Spiraea, is a true 

 garden perennial, which flowers out of doors early in summer, 

 and is valuable from doing well in shady places, but it is so 

 universally grown as a greenhouse plant that this fact is 

 generally forgotten. A. chinensis, which is quite distinct from 

 the Japanese species, with which it must not be confused, 

 flowers rather later in the open air, but answers well under 

 pot culture. Its taller growth and branching, feathery flower- 

 spikes make it a most desirable addition to the greenhouse. 

 The handsome but tender foliage, as well as the pretty delicate 

 flowers of the various species of Epimedium also, are never 

 seen to better advantage than under glass, where they are 

 secure from rough weather. 



There are a good many well-known garden plants which 

 may usefully be employed in the same way for the cold 

 greenhouse. Orobus vernus is valuable for pots early in the 

 year, when its clusters of blue-purple Pea-flowers are very 

 spring-like and welcome. Several varieties of it exist, and it 

 is easily raised from seed. O. variegatus, which flowers later, 

 may also be tried. 



The large-flowered Forget-me-not (Myosotis dissitiflora) is 

 a gem of the first water, and may very successfully be grown 

 in pots or in zinc troughs about 4 in. wide as an edging for 

 groups of plants to hide unsightly pots. These troughs may 

 be made of any size and shape, and have been found extremely 

 useful filled with growing plants of this Forget-me-not or 

 of white Rock-cress (Arabis albida) in church decoration, 

 especially for windows, being less perishable as well as less 

 formal than many of the designs used for the purpose. 

 Shelter in early spring is peculiarly acceptable to this Forget- 

 me-not, as the first flowers are often injured by frost. It is a 

 good plan to grow some spare plants in an outside border, 

 that they may scatter their seeds, and to use these strong 

 self-sown seedlings, which answer far better than cuttings, for 



