688 CENOTHERA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



<ENOTHERA. 



flowers, in many kinds so freely and con- 

 tinuously borne as to make them of great 

 value. Their name notwithstanding, 

 many are open by day ; as for instance, 

 CE. linearis, speciosa, taraxacifolia, and 

 trichocalyx. Many of the finest Evening 

 Primroses are natives of States west of 

 Mississippi, such as California, Utah, 

 Missouri, and Texas. They all bloom 

 the first season from early seedlings. 

 Some of the true perennials, and par- 

 ticularly the prostrate ones, are shy 

 seeders, but the tall ones seed freely. 

 The largest kinds are very beautiful in any 

 position, but from their height and bold- 

 ness they are suited for the wild garden 



CEnothera marginata. 



and for shrubberies. Sowing themselves 

 freely, they are apt to become too numer- 

 ous and somewhat u starved," so that they 

 are best when confined to large groups. 

 In any flower garden not confined to flat 

 beds only, an isolated bed of them looks 

 well. Amongst them we have tall erect 

 sorts like CE. Lamarckiana, prostrate, as 

 in trichocalyx and caespitosa, and white 

 flowers, as in the last-named two, while 

 coronopifolia and speciosa pften change 

 with age to pink or rose. Few plants 

 have finer yellow blooms than missourien- 

 sis and Lamarckiana ; and, moreover, 

 they are very large 4 to 6 in. across. 

 Nearly all are more or less fragrant, par- 



ticularly caespitosa, marginata, fragrans, 

 and eximia. 



(E. biennis is a handsome biennial, 3 

 to 5 ft. high, with large bright yellow 

 flowers. Its variety grandiflora or 

 Lamarckiana should always be preferred 

 to the ordinary kind, as the flowers are 

 larger and of a finer colour, having a fine 

 effect in large masses, and is well suited 

 for the wild garden. 



CE. fruticosa (Sundrops).1\i\* and 

 its varieties are among the finest of hardy 

 perennials, I to 3 ft. high, with showy 

 yellow blossoms. There are about half- 

 a-dozen distinct varieties, the best being 

 linearis, or, as it is usually called, riparia, 

 about \\ ft. high, bearing an abundance 

 of yellow blossoms. It is one of the best 

 of yellow Evening Primroses for small 

 beds, for edgings, or as a groundwork for 

 other plants, and it goes on flowering 

 even after the first frosts. It is always 

 prudent to lift a few or strike a potful of 

 cuttings in case of accident, though in 

 spring the old plants may be divided to 

 any extent. Given sandy loam, these 

 plants thrive in borders or in the margins 

 of shrubberies. N. America. 



(E. glauca is a handsome X. American 

 species similar to fruticosa. It is of sub- 

 shrubby growth, becomes bushy, and 

 bears yellow flowers. The variety 

 Fraseri is a still finer plant, and where an 

 attractive mass of yellow is desired through 

 the summer there are few hardy plants of 

 easy cultivation so effective. In a large 

 rock-garden a few plants here and there 

 give good colour, and the plants bloom 

 long. 



(E. marginata. A dwarf plant, never 

 more than 12 in. high, with flowers in 

 May, 4 to 5 in. across, from white gradu- 

 ally changing to a delicate rose ; as even- 

 ing approaches, coming well above the 

 jagged leaves, retaining their beauty all 

 night, and emitting a Magnolia-like odour. 

 It is a hardy perennial, and is increased 

 by suckers from the roots, and by cuttings, 

 which root readily. An excellent plant 

 for the rock-garden and for borders. Syn., 

 (E. caespitosa. CE. trichocalyx, a similar 

 species, but probably only an annual, is a 

 beautiful plant well worth growing. 



(E. missouriensis. A handsome herb- 

 aceous plant from N. America, with pros- 

 trate downy stems and clear yellow 

 flowers, sometimes 5 in. in diameter, 

 and borne so freely that they may be 

 said to cover the ground with gold. 

 There is no more valuable border flower, 

 and when well placed in the rock- 

 garden it is effective, especially if the 

 luxuriant shoots are allowed to hang 



