CAMPTOSORUS. 



ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



CANNA. 



465 



in sunny positions in loam freely inter- 

 mingled with pieces of stone, and well 

 watered in dry weather, and is a gem for 

 the rock-garden. Alps of N. Italy. 



C. rotundifolia (English Hairbell\ 

 In this pretty wild pla'nt we have a true 

 type of the Hairbell. There is a white 

 variety, generally dwarfer, and there are 

 several forms all beautiful, and of easy 

 culture in any soil. These are all ex- 

 cellent border flowers, and also good for 

 the rougher parts of the rock-garden, and 

 I love to see the wild plant growing 

 in Grass on rough 

 slopes or places not 

 mown till autumn. 



C. turbinata ( Tur- 

 ban Bellflower) is a 

 dwarf plant with 

 grayish-green leaves, 

 the flowers borne 

 singly on stems 

 about 6 in. long, 

 deep blue, and i|in. 

 across. Mountains 

 of Transylvania ; a 

 charming plant for 

 border or rock cul- 

 ture. 



CAMPTOSORUS 

 (Walking- Leaf}. C. 

 rhizophyllus is a cu- 

 rious N. American 

 Fern, remarkable for 

 its narrow fronds, 

 which taper into 

 slender prolonga- 

 tions, and take root 

 at the tips like run- 

 ners, giving rise 

 to young plants. 

 Thrives in gritty 

 loamy soil in a some- 

 what shaded position 

 in the rock-garden or 

 hardy fernery. 



CANNA (Indian 

 Shot}. Handsome 

 tropical plants of the 

 Ginger Order with 



fine foliage. The tendency of most 

 half-hardy flower-garden plants is to 

 flatness, and the grace of the Cannas 

 makes them valuable, though our country 

 in many parts is too cool for their 

 fair development ; in the warmer south 

 and in sheltered gardens they may be 

 grown with profit. Another good quality 

 is their power of withstanding the storms 

 of autumn. Sheltered situations, places 

 near warm walls, and sheltered dells 

 are the best places for them. As to cul- 

 ture and propagation, nothing can be 



more simple ; they may be stored in winter 

 under shelves in the houses, in the root- 

 room in fact, anywhere, if covered up to 

 protect them from frost, in spring pulling 

 the roots in pieces and potting them 

 separately. Afterwards it is usual to 

 bring them on in heat, and finally to 

 harden them off previous to planting out 

 in the middle of May. The soil should 

 be deep, rich, and light. Cannas, pro- 

 tected by a coating of litter, have been 

 left out in Battersea Park through severe 

 winters, and attained a height of nearly 



Canna iridiflora Ehemanni. 



12 ft. ; but this was on raised beds in a 

 very warm and sheltered place. Wherever 

 they are grown as isolated tufts, in small 

 groups, or in small beds, it will be best not 

 to take them up oftener than every second or 

 third year, if the ground be warm and well 

 drained. These noble plants would also 

 adorn the conservatory, which is often as 

 devoid of graceful vegetation as the un- 

 happy flower gardens all over the country. 

 Few subjects would be more effective, and 

 none more easily obtained. 



Cannas are pretty in pots when grown 

 H H 



