666 ME I'M. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



M1RABILIS. 



feet lawn tree, as its great rounded head 

 droops gracefully. It flowers about the 

 middle of May, and is then beautiful, with 

 its numerous white flowers. In some 

 nurseries (especially on the Continent) it 

 is called Crataegus lobata and other names 

 under Crataegus. 



MEUM (SpigneT). M. athamanticum 

 is a graceful fine-leaved perennial, dwarf 

 in habit, 6 to 12 in. high, free in ordinary 

 soils, and hardy. In dry seasons it might 

 wither too soon for association with 

 autumn-flowering plants, but it is pretty 

 for the rock-garden, borders, or for mixed 

 arrangements of any sort. A British 

 mountain plant, very aromatic. Division. 

 Parsley Order. 



MICHAUXIA (Michawts Bellflower\ 

 M. campamtloides is a remarkable plant 

 of the Bell-flower family, 3 to 8 ft. high, 

 the flowers white, tinged with purple, and 

 arranged in a pyramidal candelabra-like 

 head. Sometimes it flowers in the third j 

 or even in the fourth year, but is usually j 

 considered a biennial, and should be | 



Michauxia campanuloides. 



treated as a hardy one. Seedlings should 

 be raised annually, so as to always have 

 good flowering plants. It flourishes best 

 in a deep loam. Its stately form and tall 

 stature are effective in the mixed border 

 or in a nook in a bed of evergreen shrubs. 

 Warm sheltered borders and borders on 

 the south side of walls suit it best. 

 Levant. 



MICROLEPIA M. anthriscifolia is 

 an elegant Fern, 6 to 12 in. high, hardy, 

 deciduous, charming in spring and summer, 

 and of easy culture. It thrives in the open 

 as well as in the shade, and may be used 

 with good effect as an edging to a shel- 

 tered border. 



MIKANIA (German Ivy).M. scan- 

 dens is a slender twining perennial, with 

 Ivy-like foliage and small flesh-coloured 

 flowers. It is hardy in light warm soils 



and is used for covering trellises. N. 

 America. Composite. 



MILIUM (Millet Grass}. Grasses, 

 some of them graceful. Our native M. 

 effusum is worth cultivating for its 

 feathery plumes. It is suitable for asso- 

 ciating with flowers in summer, and grows 

 in any soil, preferring moist places. There 

 are one or two other kinds worth grow- 

 ing. 



MILLA. The bulbous plants formerly 

 known under this name are now described 

 under the name of Brodiaea. The only 

 true Milla is said to be M. biflora, a 

 beautiful plant with large snow - white 

 blossoms deliciously scented. It is rather 

 difficult to cultivate, but it is well worth 

 any care. Even if it be quite hardy, 

 which is doubtful, it is too choice to risk 

 in the open border. 



MIMULUS (Monkey-flower]. The 

 cultivated species are valuable showy 

 border flowers, and are for the most part 

 natives of California. They love moisture, 

 and are suitable for damp places, such as 

 bogs, moist borders, and the margins of 

 streams and artificial water. The old M. 

 cardinalis is showy when well grown, and 

 is deserving of a place in any garden. 

 There are several varieties of it. The 

 common Musk(M. moschatus) is hardy and 

 enduring, and is worth a corner in heavy or 

 wet soil. M. luteus and its varieties, 

 variegatus, cupreus, Tilingi, guttatus, and 

 others, are typical of the beautiful hybrids 

 which are now in gardens, and which com- 

 bine the dwarf habit and hardiness of M. 

 cupreus with the large flowers, richly spot- 

 ted and blotched, of the other parent, the old 

 M. variegatus. These hybrids, which are 

 known as M. maculosus, bear exposure to 

 the sun better than the parents. There 

 is also a strain with Hose-in-hose flowers, 

 sometimes called double. These sorts 

 should be grown, and a packet of seeds 

 affords a wonderful variety. The seeds 

 of the Mimulus should be merely sprinkled 

 on the soil ; if covered by it they may 

 vegetate less quickly and abundantly. A 

 little damp moss may, however, be laid 

 over the surface, but should be removed 

 as soon as the seeds have germinated. 



MIRABILIS (Marvel of Peru). Hand- 

 some herbaceous plants, the most familiar 

 of which is M. Jalapa, a dense, round bush 

 covered with flowers, nearly 3 ft. high, the 

 flowers about I in. across, white, rose, lilac, 

 yellow, crimson (of various shades), and 

 purple striped, mottled, and selfs. The 

 plants may be treated as half-hardy 

 annuals, raised from seed in a warm 

 frame, potted on, and planted out in May. 

 They are, however, perennial, and when 



