VERBASCUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



VERKASCUM. 



909 



stout stems of 5 to 7 ft., with branched 

 and tapering spikes of greenish-white 

 bell-shaped flowers, followed by orna- 

 mental fruits. Division. These plants 

 do best in moist half-shady places in the 

 wild garden, rarely attaining their full 

 beauty in dry sun-scorched soils. France. 

 VERBASCUM (Mullein}. These are 

 stately plants, mostly of biennial dura- 

 tion, but the best are so handsome and 

 long flowering as to be quite essential in 

 the garden, where in many cases once 

 introduced they come year after year like 



Verbascum olympicum. 



the Foxglove. The finer kinds merit good 

 treatment and planting in bold groups. 



V. Chaixi (Nettle-leaved Mullein) is 

 a perennial species, 10 ft. in height and 

 very imposing when well grown. The 

 bright green leaves come up early ; the 

 flowers are large, yellow, with purple fila- 

 ments, and last a long time. There is 

 also a handsome variety with white flow.- 

 ers. It is a native of Europe. V. Crassi- 

 foliiim, a charming species, with yellowish 

 totnentose woolly leaves and robust spikes 

 of large yellow flowers, is a native of 

 Portugal. 



V. cupreum is a beautiful cross be- 

 tween V. phceniceum and V. ovalifolium, 

 coming near the first parent in habit, 

 hardy, a true perennial, with slender 

 spikes 2 to 3 ft. high of copper-coloured 

 flowers from May to August. Other hy- 

 brids related to this are V. hybridium, 

 Daisy Hill, a cross between V.phceniceum 

 and V. citprezim, with short spikes of 



bright copper and orange-coloured flow- 

 ers ; and Lewanika, from the same cross, 

 a taller plant with flowers of a peculiar 

 shade of bronze-purple, produced during 

 a long season. 



V. nigrum, a native of Britain, is pretty, 

 a true perennial with yellow flowers, but 



Verbascum phlomoides. 



rarely more than 3 ft. high. A hand- 

 some form of it, now grown in gardens, 

 with pure white flowers, is a good plant. 

 South Europe. 



V. olympicum is one of the grandest 

 of the family, strong flower-stems attaining 

 6 to 10 ft. in height, the flowers rich 

 yellow, and woolly leaves forming bold 

 rosettes. A biennial from the Orient. V. 

 phceniceum (Purple-leaved Mullein), one 

 of the best perennials for borders in small 

 gardens, is very variable, there being 

 white, violet, lilac, rose, and purple-flow- 

 ered varieties, flowering from May to 

 August. S. Europe. 



V. phlomoides is the best of all Mul- 

 leins, 5 to 9 ft. high according to the 

 richness of soil, its flowers yellow, con- 

 tinued nearly the whole season through. 

 It will grow in almost any soil, and should 



