666 LOBELIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



ever, a true perennial, although maybe a 

 short-lived one, and should be frequently 

 raised from seed to make sure of keeping 

 up the stock. This species is not so 

 liable to disease as L. splendens and its 

 varieties. Grown on an ordinary border 

 it invariably has a weak, stunted appear- 

 ance, but in a free rich soil, in a shady 

 position and well supplied with moisture, 

 I have often seen it 3 to 4^ ft. high and 

 flowering profusely. The flowers are of 

 the most vivid scarlet, and as they last a 

 long time in bloom it well deserves care, j 

 So far as I know, there are no varieties 

 of this species in cultivation. Dr. Gray 

 mentions its varying to rose colour and 

 even white, but this, it seems, is rare. 

 Parkinson mentions it as " cherished in 

 our garden in 1629," and gives it as 

 " growing near the river of Canada where 

 the French plantation in America is 

 seated." It is hardier than L. fulgens, 

 living through the winter in open beds 

 and with little or no protection. Its 

 leaves are shorter and greener than 

 those of L. fulgens ; the flowers, too, are 

 smaller, but more numerous on the spikes, 

 and of a vivid scarlet colour on spikes 

 from 2 to 3 ft. in height. 



L. Gerardi is a hybrid raised by 

 Messieurs Chabanne and Goujon from 

 that superb variety of L. cardinalis named 

 Queen Victoria, the seed parent being an 

 improved variety of L. syphilitica, with 

 taller and more robust flowering stems 

 than those of the typical species. The 

 raisers named the hybrid in compliment 

 to Mons. Gerard, director of the botanical 

 collections in the park of Tete d'Or, under 

 whose supervision the experiments and 

 culture were carried on. 



Lobelia Gerardi is a vigorous growing 

 and very continuous flowering plant. Be- 

 fore the flowering stems make their ap- 

 pearance it forms a rosette of leaves of a 

 very pure green colour, and resembling 

 the rosette of the wild Chicory. The 

 running roots are abundantly furnished 

 with fibres. When fully grown the plant 

 attains a height of 4 to 5 feet ; the strong- 

 est flowering stems are as thick as one's 

 thumb at the base, and branch with from 

 twelve to fifteen clusters of fine broad 

 flowers, which all bloom together, the 

 whole forming a compact, rigid pyramid 

 needing no stake or prop to support it. 

 All parts of the stems and leaves have lost 

 the reddish tint of the Queen Victoria and 

 also the somewhat glaucous hue of L. 

 syphilitica, and are of a fine green colour ; 

 the calyx, however, is slightly reddish and 

 ciliated on the margin of the sepals. 



L. splendens. This species is also 



called L. fulgens, and is a brilliant -and 

 precious plant for the flower garden. Its 

 leaves are long and narrow, and the 

 flower-stalks taller and thicker than those 

 of L. cardinalis, the flowers larger with 

 broad over-lapping petals. The best 

 known, and a handsome form of this, 

 bears the name Queen Victoria. Its 

 leaves are a deep purple colour, and the 

 flowers a brilliant crimson-red. Firefly 

 is the handsomest variety in this section, 

 and was raised in Ireland. In good rich 

 soil it attains to a height of 5 ft., whilst in 

 colour the flowers are intensely vivid and 

 rich. A merit of this kind is that it bears 

 lateral flower-spikes around the central 

 one much more freely than Queen Victoria, 

 and these keep up a succession of bloom 

 after the leading spike is past its best. 

 Huntsman is another variety, brighter in 

 colour than Firefly. Sir R. Napier, Rob 

 Roy, and other varieties have been 

 obtained from it. These vary in colour 

 and habit very much, and as they are all 

 robust, free-flowering plants, they are valu- 

 able in the autumn garden, giving brilliant 

 effects until cut down by frost. The 

 variety ignea has broader leaves and 

 larger flowers. 



This Lobelia suffers from a kind of 

 rust, which fastens on the main fleshy roots 

 when the plants are at rest, and rots 

 them. This disease, working as it does 

 at a time when growth is at a standstill, 

 is not perceived in time to be checked, 

 and makes its appearance towards the 

 end of October or the beginning of 

 November, especially if the weather be 

 cold and wet. The plants should then 

 be carefully taken up, reserving as 

 much of the roots as possible, the soil 

 being shaken off, and the roots well 

 washed. The disease will be readily dis- 

 covered by its rusty-looking spots, which 

 must be cut out with a sharp knife, as the 

 least portion will suffice to destroy the 

 plant. After the plants are examined 

 they may be potted or laid in a frame in 

 some free sandy soil, and very fine speci- 

 mens may be obtained by potting and 

 plunging in a slight bottom-heat, keeping 

 the top quite cool. In about a fortnight 

 they will have made fresh fibre, and all 

 danger will be past. They may then be 

 kept in a cold frame during the winter, 

 and planted out where desired in spring. 

 The bottom-heat, however, is not indis- 

 pensable,; for they will succeed if carefully 

 and sparingly watered after potting. All 

 the plants of the fulgens group show 

 their great beauty only on peaty or deep 

 leafy and moist soils ; often on loamy 

 soils the growth is short and weak, the 



