THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



OPHIOPOGON. 



715 



ONONIS (Rest Harrow}. Hardy 

 plants of the Pea family, of which the wild 

 Liquorice (O. arvensis) is one of the 

 prettiest of our wild plants, and is worthy 

 of cultivation on banks and in the rough 

 rock-garden, forming dense tufts covered 

 in summer with racemes of pink flowers. 

 The white variety is also good, and is 

 worthy of a better position than the com- 

 mon form, which grows in any soil. No 

 plants are more readily increased from 

 seed or by division. It is distinct from 

 the spiny O. campestris, which has stems 

 nearly 2 ft. high, and sometimes more. 

 O. rotundifolia is a distinct and pretty 

 plant, which is hardy, and easily cultivated, 



Omphalodes Luciliae. 



flowering in May and June and through 

 the summer ; it attains a height of 12 to 

 20 in. according to soil, and is suitable for 

 the mixed border or the rougher parts 

 of the rock-garden. Seeds or division. 

 Pyrenees and Alps. These are the best of 

 about half-a-dozen garden species, which 

 also includeO.fruticosa,Natrix, and viscosa. 

 ONOPORDON(a>//^ Thistle]. Hand- 

 some vigorous thistle-like plants mostly 

 biennial, and valuable for their stately 

 port and showy flowers. They thrive 

 in exposed places and among shrubs in 

 sheltered ones, and may be effectively 

 used in a variety of ways. Moderation 

 in their use, however, is desirable, as in 

 some situations they seed so freely as 



to require judicious keeping down. O. 

 Acanthium (Down Thistle) is a bold and 

 vigorous native plant, with very large, 

 stout branching stems, often more than 

 5 ft. high, covered with long, whitish 

 web-like hairs, and bearing large heads of 

 purplish flowers. The habit of O. illyri- 

 cum is more branching, the leaves and 

 stems are much more spiny, the stems are 

 stiffer and the leaves are greener and more 

 deeply cut. O. arabicum is 8 to 10 ft. 

 high, is erect and very slightly branching, 

 and both sides of the leaves, as well as 

 the stems, are covered with white down. 

 O. graecum is also a handsome plant. 



ONOSMA (Golden Drop\O. taurica 

 is an evergreen perennial, 6 to 12 in. high, 

 soon forming dense tufts, and bearing in 

 summer drooping clusters of clear yellow 



Onosma taurica (Golden Drop). 



almond-scented blossoms. The best place 

 for it is the rock-garden, drained, with a 

 good depth of soil, so that the plants may 

 root strongly between the stones, the soil 

 a good sandy loam, mixed with broken 

 grit. Seeds or cuttings. Greece. 



ONYCHIUM. O. japonicum, an ele- 

 gant Japanese Fern, often grown in the 

 greenhouse,ishardyin the outdoors fernery. 

 In severe winters, however, some common 

 Brake may be thrown over it. The fronds 

 are finely divided, an intensely dark green, 

 from i to 2 ft. high, and useful for 

 bouquets, or for placing loosely in vases 

 with cut flowers. 



OPHIOGLOSSUM (Adders-tongue). 

 O. vulgatum is a native Fern not often seen 

 in gardens ; found in moist meadows ; and 

 the best position for it therefore is in 

 colonies in the hardy fernery or the moist 

 stiff soil in the rock-garden. O. lusita- 

 nicum, a dwarf variety, is interesting, but 

 capricious, and difficult to cultivate. 



OPHIOPOGON (Snakes-beard). Her- 



