572 GENTIANA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



widely from any of the other species here 

 mentioned, the leaves being replaced by a 

 winged-jointed stem. It scarcely grows a 

 foot high, and forms a mass of branches 

 bearing racemes of yellow flowers in May 

 and June. 



G. tinctoria (The DyeSs Greenwecd}. 

 Occurring in a wild state in Britain, it 

 rarely exceeds 18 in. in height, and is 

 .a spineless shrub bearing a profusion 

 of bright yellow flowers from July until 

 September. A double-flowered variety of 

 this makes a pretty rock-plant. 



G. tinctoria var. elatior is a tall-grow- 

 ing form from the Caucasus, which under 

 cultivation frequently grows from 4 ft. to 

 5 ft. high, and bears huge paniculate 

 inflorescences. 



G. virgata. A native of Madeira and 

 one of the most beautiful species of the 

 genus. At Kew there are many old 

 plants from 6 ft. to 10 ft. high, and as much 

 through, which in July are one mass of 

 colour, every one of the slender branchlets 

 terminating in a raceme of golden-yellow 

 blossoms. 



GENTIANA (Gentian}. Dwarf 

 evergreen alpine plants, some of them 

 difficult to cultivate, but others easily 

 grown (on the rock-garden and in 

 borders). The most precious are the 

 perennial alpine kinds, which are such 

 a beautiful feature on the mountains of 

 Europe, and with care in our gardens 

 spread into healthy tufts and flower as 

 well as on the mountains. Of these 

 plants there are two sections the first, 

 strong easily-grown kinds, suitable for 

 borders ; and the second, dwarfer kinds, 

 which should be grown in the rock-garden, 

 or in borders or beds of choice dwarf 

 plants. The Willow Gentian, some of the 

 American perennials, and those with 

 herbaceous shoots generally grow freely 

 in borders, in good moist soil. So does 

 the Gentianella (G. acaulis). The dwarfer 

 Gentians are represented most familiarly 

 by the Vernal Gentian (G. verna). 



G. acaulis (Gentianella). An old in- 

 habitant of English gardens, among the 

 most beautiful of the Gentians, and easily 

 cultivated, except on very dry soils. In 

 some places edgings are made of it, and 

 where it does well it should be used in every 

 garden, as, when in flower, edgings of it are 

 of great beauty, and, when not in flower, the 

 masses of little leaves gathered into com- 

 pact rosettes, form a good edging. It is 

 at home on the rock-garden, where there 

 are good masses of moist loam in which 

 it can root. It is also good for forming 

 carpets in the rock-garden or on raised 

 borders. With us the flowers open in 



spring and in early summer, but on its 

 native hills they open according to posi- 

 tion, like the Vernal Gentian. G. alpina 

 is a marked variety with small broad 

 leaves, and there are several other varie- 

 ties. Their colours vary from the deepest 

 blue to white, and in one white flower the 

 tips of the corolla are a rich blue. In all 

 the forms except the white the throat of 

 the corolla is spotted with blue on a 

 greenish ground, and all have greenish 

 marks on the outside. Alps and Pyrenees. 

 G. asclepiadea (Willow Gentian}. 

 A good herbaceous kind ; this gives no 

 trouble, but dies down out of harm's way 

 in winter. Well grown, it will spring up 



Gentiaiia affinis. 



to 2 ft. and freely produce good-sized 

 flowers of a purple-blue along nearly 

 the whole stem in late summer and 

 autumn. This Gentian will grow in open 

 woods. It may therefore be naturalised, 

 and its effect among the Grass in a wood 

 is charming. There is a white form. 

 Division. Europe. 



G. bavarica (Bavarian Gentian). In 

 size this resembles the Vernal Gentian, 

 but it has smaller Box-like leaves of 

 yellowish-green, and its tiny steins are 

 thickly clothed with dense little tufts of 

 foliage, from which arise flowers of lovely 

 iridescent blue. While G. verna is found 

 on dry ground, or on ground not over- 

 flowed by water, G. bavarica is in per- 

 fection in boggy spots, by some little rill. 

 We must imitate these conditions if we 

 desire to succeed, and a moist peat or 

 bog bed, and with no coarse plants near, 

 will enable us to grow this lovely plant. 

 Alps. 



