POTENTILLA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



POTENTILLA. 



765 



grey, and P. crinata, with silvery-white 

 leaves, the flowers bright yellow in both 

 kinds. One of the best, however, is P. 

 nepalensis (or formosa), from the Hima- 

 layas, with stems of 18 in., and fine 

 bright red flowers shading to crimson. 

 As a companion to this, though some- 

 what taller, is P. Hopwoodiana, of hybrid 

 origin, with large flowers in blending 

 shades of rose, buff, and yellow. These 

 single kinds are easily grown, and never 

 fail to flower well. The hybrid double 

 kinds of garden origin are most showy, 

 lasting longer in perfection both on the 

 plants and when cut than the single sorts. 

 There are many distinct named kinds to 

 be had from hardy plant nurseries, and 

 these varieties represent every shade of 

 size and colour. The culture of Potentillas, 

 like that of most hardy flowers, is simple. 

 They luxuriate in a light deep soil and 

 exposed positions. 



The following is a good selection of 

 double sorts : M. Rouillard, reddish- 

 crimson ; Belzebuth, dark crimson ; Chro- 

 matella, yellow ; Dr. Andry, scarlet, 

 margined with yellow ; Escarboucle, crim- 

 son ; Belisaire, reddish-orange ; Vase 

 d'Or, yellow ; Le Dante, orange shaded 

 with scarlet ; Louis Van Houtte, crimson ; 

 Phoebus, rich yellow ; Le Vesuve, crimson 

 with yellow margin ; Versicolor, yellow 

 suffused with brownish-crimson ; Vulcan, 

 scarlet shaded with yellow ; Variabilis 

 fl.-pl., yellow with scarlet margin ; Eldo- 

 rado, scarlet-crimson with yellow margin ; 

 Perfecta plena, bright scarlet - crimson 

 slightly tinged with yellow ; Imbricata 

 plena, orange-scarlet ; Etna, reddish-crim- 

 son ; Panorama, yellow heavily stained 

 with scarlet ; Nigra plena, dark crimson ; 

 Meteor, yellow suffused and blotched with 

 scarlet ; Meirsschaerti fl.-pl, yellow veined 

 and striped with crimson ; William Rol- 

 lisson, deep orange-scarlet with yellow 

 centre ; Fenelon, orange and scarlet ; 

 Purpurea lutea plena, scarlet - crimson 

 slightly tipped with yellow. 



Among the dwarf alpine species there 

 are some very" beautiful plants for the 

 rock-garden. Of these the following are 

 the best : 



P. alba ( White Cinquefoit). The leaves 

 of this pretty plant from the Alps and 

 Pyrenees are quite silvery and have a 

 dense silky down on the lower sides. 

 It is very dwarf, and not rampant ; its 

 white Strawberry-like flowers nearly i in. 

 across, with a dark orange ring at the base. 

 Easily grown in ordinary soil, and on bor- 

 ders or for the rock-garden. It blooms in 

 early summer, and is increased by division. 



P. alchemilloides. A very distinct 



kind, quite easily grown in any position, 

 and with a long season of beauty. The 

 flowers are pure white and nearly an inch 

 across. This plant comes from the 

 Pyrenees, and is easily increased by seed 

 or division. 



P. alpestris (Alpine Cinquefoit). A 

 plant closely allied to the spring Potentilla 

 (P. verna) forming tufts nearly i ft. high, 

 with bright yellow flowers about I in. 

 across. While enjoying a moist deep soil, 

 it cares little how cold the position is. 

 Though not common, it is found on rocks 

 and dry banks in several parts of the 

 country. A more vigorous form of this 

 plant, from the central and southern 

 Pyrenees, is pyrenaica, with larger flowers 

 of a deeper yellow. 



P. ambigua, from the Himalayas, is a 

 dwarf compact creeper, with in summer 

 large clear yellow blossoms on a dense 

 carpet of foliage ; is perfectly hardy, re- 

 quiring only a good deep well-drained soil 

 in an open position in the rock-garden. 



P. calabra (Calabtian Cinquefoit). k. 

 very silvery form of our native Silvery 

 Cinquefoil (P. argentea), coming from 

 Italy and Southern Europe. It has pro- 

 strate shoots, and bears in May and June 

 lemon-yellow flowers nearly i in. across. 

 It flourishes freely in sandy soil, in the 

 rock-garden. 



P. fruticosa (Shrubby Cinquefoil). A 

 pretty neat bush, 2 to 4 ft. high, bearing 

 in summer clusters of showy golden- 

 yellow flowers. It is suited for the rock- 

 garden or the dry bank. Its variety 

 humilis is a tiny miniature, of charming 

 effect in the rock-garden, and the form 

 davurica (perhaps a hybrid) is quite 

 prostrate. 



P. nitida (Shining Cinquefoil). A 

 beautiful little plant from the Alps, a 

 couple of inches high, its silky silvery 

 leaves seldom with more than three leaf- 

 lets each. The flowers are pretty and 

 delicate rose. It is well worth a good 

 place in the rock-garden, and needs a 

 little more care than other kinds. It likes 

 plenty of moisture in summer and soil 

 with a little peat in it, and to keep in 

 health needs frequent top-dressings of 

 good soil. Several beautiful forms are 

 now grown, alba with white flowers, rosea. 

 and rubra in deeper shades of rose, atro- 

 rubens in rosy purple, and grandiftora 

 with large soft-rose flowers. 



P. Thurberi. A taller plant from 

 N. America, coming near nepalensis, but 

 of much dwarfer habit. Its rich brownish- 

 red flowers of an uncommon shade, from 

 June to August, are attractive in the 

 border. 



