440 



ANTHEMIS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



APONOGETON. 



ANTHEMIS (Rock Camomile). Vigor- 

 Otis perennials and rock plants, Of the 

 kinds in cultivation A. Aizoon is a dwarf 

 silvery rock-plant, 2 to 4 in. high, with 

 Daisy-like flowers. A. Kitaibeli is pretty 

 in the mixed border, with large, pale, 

 lemon-coloured, Marguerite-like flowers. 

 A. tinctoria is similar, and both are 

 excellent for cutting, growing very freely 

 in ordinary soil. The double-flowered 

 form of the Corn Camomile (A. arvensis} 

 is sometimes cultivated among annual 

 plants. A. Bicbersteini forms dense 

 carpets of silvery leaves with large and 

 handsome yellow blossoms one on a stem. 

 A. Macedonica is a neat species with 



Anthemis Macedonica. 



white flowers, excellent as a rock-garden 

 plant. There is also a variety called 

 A. nobilis. 



ANTHERICUM (St. Brunds Lily}. 

 Bulbous plants of the Lily family, contain- 

 ing a few species hardy in this country. 

 These are the European kinds, among the 

 most beautiful ofhardyflowers. A.Hookeri 

 (syn. Chrysobactron} is a distinct New 

 Zealand plant, 15 to 20 in. high, with 

 bright yellow flowers, in long spikes in 

 early summer. It grows best in moist 

 deep soils. A. Liliago (St. Bernard's 

 Lily) is about 2 ft. high, with white 

 flowers in early summer. A. ramosum 

 has flower stems about 2 ft. high, much 

 branched, and small white flowers. A. 

 Liliastrum (St. Bruno's Lily) is a grace- 

 ful alpine meadow plant in deep free 

 sandy soil, in early summer throwing up 

 spikes of snowy-white Lily-like blossoms. 

 In dry soils a covering with rotten manure 

 helps it, and in early spring the plants 

 should be protected from slugs and cater- 

 pillars. Division of the roots in autumn, 

 or it may be raised from seed. The 

 major variety of the St. Bruno's Lily 

 has much larger flowers (2 in. across) 

 coming up from the root, these opening 

 before the flowers on the spike. It grows 



3 ft. high in good soil, and is a fine border 

 plant. 



ANTIRRHINUM (Snapdragon}. A 

 numerous family of rock plants and peren- 

 nial herbs, mostly hardy and many 

 of them from mountainous regions, 

 but none so popular in gardens as the 

 handsome Snapdragon (A. majus) which 

 like the wallflowers often grows on walls 

 and stony places. There are many species, 

 but they do not take a large place in gar- 

 dens, among the best being A. Asarina 

 and A. rupestre. Of the common Snap- 

 dragon, the garden varieties are now 

 numerous, and often showy in effect, the 

 best being the pure colours (i.e., not 

 striped). 



CULTIVATION. Snapdragons are easy 

 of cultivation, sandy and free soils 

 suiting them. They are sown : (i) In 

 August in the place where they are to 

 grow, or preferably in seed-beds, in which 

 latter case plant close to a south wall, 

 sheltering from continued frosts with dry 

 leaves or straw, planting out in spring 16 

 in. to 24 in. apart. (2) In June or 

 July in seed-beds in a well-exposed posi- 

 tion, planting out the seedlings in the 

 spring. (3) In seed-beds (March to April) 

 at the foot of a south wall. Transplant 

 when the plants are sufficiently developed, 

 and they may also be transplanted to 

 seed-beds and planted out when the 

 flowers commence to show themselves. 

 By means of successive sowings it is 

 possible to obtain an almost uninterrupted 

 bloom from June until frost comes. Snap- 

 dragons are also propagated by cuttings 

 made in the spring or summer, and even 

 during the whole of flowering time. As 

 with a great number of plants, the colour 

 of the stems and leaves of the young 

 plants may to a certain point indicate to 

 us what the colour of the flowers will be. 

 Thus, kinds with green or light-coloured 

 stems and leaves will have in nearly all 

 cases white, or mainly white flowers, or 

 of which the colour is undecided ; whilst 

 of the plants which produce flowers of a 

 decided colour the stems and the leaves 

 are of a pronounced green tint, more or 

 less purple or ruddy also. 



APONOGETON (Cape Pond-flower}. 

 A. distachyon is a beautiful and fragrant 

 water-plant from the Cape of Good Hope, 

 hardy in many parts of these islands. 

 About London during the late severe 

 winters there has been no more interest- 

 ing sight than the profuse bloom of 

 this plant in spring, and in cold districts it 

 is necessary, for the perfect culture of this 

 plant in the open air, to grow it in spring 

 or other water that does not freeze ; but 



