914 



VERONICA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



VERONICA. 



flower at the tips of the shoots. Nearly hardy 

 in our southern rock-gardens. 



NAMED HYBRIDS. All these have come 

 from three or four kinds Salicifolia, ellip- 

 tica, spedosa crossed, recrossed, and 

 selected, until the precise parentage has been 

 lost. V. Andersoni was one of the earliest, 

 and other old kinds are Blue Gem, an old 

 favourite of compact growth and nearly always 

 in bloom ; Celestial, light blue ; Imperial, 

 crimson-purple ; Jardin Fleuri, deep carmine ; 

 Mdm. Chretien Merveille, purple ; Marie 

 Antoinette, pink ; Purple Queen, rich purple, 

 the flowers slightly fragrant ; Reine des Bleues, 

 deep blue ; and Ville de Hyeres, a very hardy 

 kind with crimson flowers. There are other 

 kinds with variegated foliage, beside the 

 yellow-leaved form of V. Andersoni, the best 

 being Arc-en-ciel, with stripped foliage and 

 deep red flowers ; and Silver Star, a neat 

 dwarf shrub in which the leaves pass from 

 yellow to silvery-white, effective as an edging 

 in warm soils. The newer kinds are Autumn . 

 Glory, a bushy plant with small purplish 

 leaves and violet-blue flowers in autumn and 

 winter ; Bolide, with red flowers and a good 

 habit ; Conquete, white and mauve ; Coquette, 

 very long pale lilac spikes ; Daimant, crimson- 

 purple ; Evaline, soft pink with prominent 

 white anthers; Fleur de Roses, white; 

 Gauntletti, with very long spikes of salmon- 

 pink ; La Seduisante, dark magenta-purple 

 with white anthers ; Le Merveilleux, bright 

 mauve ; Meldensis, light purple ; Mont Blanc, 

 pure white ; Mont Rosa, rosy-pink ; Newry- 

 ensis, rosy-grey flowers in spring ; Queen of 

 Whites, white tinged mauve ; Redruth, rich 

 red ; Snowflake, long spikes of pure white ; 

 Valiere, bright violet with white anthers ; and 

 Vulcan, rich claret-red with reddish-green 

 foliage. J. H. B. 



PERENNIAL KINDS. Among 

 dwarfer kinds, V. verbenacea, V. fruti- 

 culosa, V. alpina, V. aphylla, V. nummu- 

 laria, V. Guthrieana, V. austriaca, V. 

 z'nctsa, V. bellidioides, and V. Dabneyi, 

 are of good dwarf habit, and suited for 

 a rock-garden. The pink variety of V. 

 officinalis forms dense patches of pink- 

 blossoms, sometimes raised 3 in. above 

 the ground. These mentioned are so 

 hardy that they may be divided or moved 

 at all seasons. Such kinds as V. longi- 

 folia need frequent division to prevent 

 crowding. Most kinds ripen and sow 

 their own seed, and the seedlings vary 

 in colour and form. 



V. Chamaedrys (Germander Speedwell) is 

 used for covering beds where late- flowering 

 bulbs are grown. A curious variety, named 

 pedunculata, is quite distinct and a neat plant 

 with white flowers. 



V. gentianoides is one of the earliest of 

 the Speedwells, and flowers in May. Three 

 forms are common the type with grey flowers, 

 a variety with white flowers and bright glossy 



leaves like the Gentianella, and another with 

 handsome variegated leaves. All are worth 

 growing. 



V. incana. also called V. Candida, is a 

 dwarf plant with silvery leaves, and dark rich 

 purple fiowers. It is used with good effect in 

 bedding, its grey leaves being a contrast to 

 most other foliage. A form of this named 

 elatior has spikes of twice the normal length. 

 V. neglecta is similar but inferior. Division. 



V. longifolia is the commonest species, 

 generally sold as V. spicata, and in four 

 varieties blue, white, rose-coloured, and 

 purple. The variegation of the leaves is un- 

 certain and irregular, but the habit of the plant 

 is good. The rich colour of the flowers, the 

 length of the flower-spike, and the sturdy and 

 compact growth of the plant make it handsome 

 for the border. It grows well in any soil. 



V. pectinata is a pretty trailing kind, with 

 serrated downy leaves and blue or rosy flowers. 

 It is well suited for dry spots in the rock- 

 garden, the margins of borders, and other places. 



V. prostrata. A very dwarf plant which 

 is really a form of V. Tencrium but commonly 

 known under this name or as V. rupestris. 

 There are varieties with rose-coloured and 

 white flowers which appear in early summer, 

 the type being deep blue, hardy and pretty, 

 blooming so freely that the spreading tufts 4 

 inches high are often quite obscured by the 

 flowers. France, Central and Southern 

 Europe, on stony hills and dry grassy places. 



V. repens clothes the soil with a soft carpet 

 of bright green foliage, covered, in spring, 

 with pale bluish flowers. It thrives well on 

 moderately dry soil, but delights in moist 

 corners of the rock-garden. There is a variety 

 with white flowers. 



V. satureioides is one of the best of the 

 Speedwells, though somewhat rare, with 

 flowers about the size of those of V. saxatilis, 

 of the same intense blue, and in abundant 

 upright racemes. 



V. saxatilis. A native of alpine rocks in 

 various parts of Europe, and also of a few 

 places in Scotland. It forms neat trailing 

 tufts 6 or 8 in. high, the flowers little more 

 than in. across, of a pretty blue, striped with 

 violet, and with a narrow but decided ring of 

 crimson near the bottom of the cup, the base 

 of which is pure white. There is a pretty 

 white form. 



V. spicata is a dwarf native plant, not more 

 than 5 or 6 in. high, useful for bare corners of 

 rock-gardens, buf seldom flowering before the 

 end of July. V. corymbosa is a name given to 

 varieties of two or three species, but the best 

 seems to be a form of V. spicata with deep blue 

 flowers. This is one of the best plants for 

 rock-gardens, being profuse and continuous in 

 bloom. V. hybrida is generally classed as a 

 variety of it, but seems quite distinct, since it 

 is far more robust, and its flowers vary in 

 colour from dark purple to lavender and light 

 rose. It grows wild in profusion on mountain 

 limestone hills near Llandudno and in other of 

 the north-western counties. 



