THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LINUM. 



643 



and autumn. The plant is of the easiest 

 possible culture, and can be highly re- 

 commended for the rock-garden. 



L. cymbalaria (Ivy-leaved Toadflax] 

 often drapes walls in a graceful way, and 

 is grown by cottagers as a window plant, 

 a common name for it being " Mother of 

 Thousands." A moist half-shady place 

 best suits it, and the white variety is even 

 prettier than the species. 



L. dalmatica is a handsome plant, 

 3 to 5 ft. high, much branched, and in 

 summer has a profusion of large showy 

 sulphur-yellow blossoms. It thrives best 

 in warm places in light well-drained soil, 



Linaria antirrhinifolia. 



and when once established can be eradi- 

 cated with difficulty. L. genistaefolia, 

 which also has yellow flowers, is similar 

 but inferior. 



L. macedonica is a new and distinct 

 plant, from 2 to 3 ft. high, and throwing 

 up shoots from the base. It differs from 

 L. dalmatica in its broader leaves, and is 

 quite hardy. 



L. purpurea is a pretty kind with 

 spikes of purple flowers, and one oc- 

 casionally sees it on old walls, as it 

 thrives well in dry spots. 



L. triornithophora is a beautiful plant 

 when well grown, I to i ft. high, and 

 with large purple long-spurred flowers in 

 whorls of three. It is rather delicate, 

 and, though perennial, should be raised 

 yearly from seed. L. triphylla is similar. 



L. vulgaris (Common Toadflax]. This 



is well known, and is very pretty as one 

 sees it growingin wild or neglected gardens, 

 but is also a good garden plant. The 

 British variety Peloria is a handsome 

 Toadflax, flowering freely after mid- 

 summer in a warm sunny border, and is 

 effective in a mass. 



A few other perennial Linarias that 

 may be mentioned are L. hepaticaefolia 

 (Hepatica-leaved Toadflax), from Corsica, 

 and is nearly always in flower in summer 

 and autumn ; L. saxatilis, which has dark 

 brown and yellow flowers ; and L.anticaria, 

 a good rock-plant, forming little tufts and 

 sowing itself freely. The finely-veined 

 flowers are dull white tinged with lilac. 



ANNUAL TOADFLAXES. Some of the 

 annual species are among our prettiest 

 border flowers, growing about I ft. high, 

 and very effective in broad masses. Seed 

 should be sown in ordinary garden soil 

 in early spring, and the seedlings will 

 flower in July and August. The best are 

 L. reticulata, with small purple flowers ; 

 the variety, aureo-purpurea, being a 

 charming plant, with flowers which vary 

 from rose-purple to dark orange. L. 

 bipartita is also very variable, the colours 

 ranging from deep purple to white. 

 Perezi has small yellow flowers ; whilst 

 the flowers of maroccana vary from violet 

 to pink ; and those of multipunctata, the 

 dwarfest of the group, are black spotted 

 with yellow. 



LINN^EA (Twin Flower}. A little 

 evergreen creeper, L. borealis having 

 slender upright stalks bearing two flowers 

 each, delicately fragrant white, often tinged 

 with pink, and drooping. It is usually 

 found in moist woods, where it forms a 

 dense carpet and is wrongly supposed 

 to be difficult to cultivate. Little need 

 be done beyond planting healthy young 

 plants in a moist sandy border or rock- 

 garden. I have often seen it thriving, 

 where the air was pure and the soil suit- 

 able ; and it is excellent for a moist rock- 

 garden, growing rapidly, and forming a 

 charming fringe to groups of small alpine 

 shrubs, in cool borders or on cool parts of 

 the rock-garden. N. Europe, Asia, and 

 America ; also Scotch mountains. 



LINUM (Flax}. Plants of marked 

 elegance and lightness of growth, and 

 including some pretty garden plants. 



L. campanula-turn ( Yellow Herbaceous 

 Flax). A perennial with yellow flowers 

 on stems 12 to 18 in. high, distinct 

 and worthy of a place. A native of the 

 south of Europe, it flowers in summer, 

 and flourishes freely in dry soil on the 

 warm sides of banks or rock-gardens. 

 Similar to it is L. flavum, or tauricum, 

 T T 2 



