PHYSOSTEGIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



PICEA. 715 



to \\ ft. high. Division or seed. Sol- 

 anaceae. 



P. Francheti. A splendid new hardy 

 plant from Japan, possibly a variety of 

 P. Alkekengi, but so distinct as to merit 

 special attention. It is larger altogether 

 than the old kind both in foliage and 

 calyx which is brilliant coral-red in colour, 

 though varying a little in shade, some- 

 times touched with orange, and generally 

 3 in. in length with a circumference of 

 7 or 8 in. The plant grows 18 in. high 

 and requires a similar position to P. 

 Alkekengi. 



PHYSOSTEGIA. Handsome peren- 

 nials for associating with the bolder kinds 

 of hardy plants. P. virginiana, I to 4 ft. 

 high, has flesh-coloured or purple flowers 

 crowded in terminal racemes. P. imbri- 

 cata from Texas, has higher and more 

 slender stems, broader leaves, and larger 

 flowers of a deeper colour. P denticulata 

 is similar to P. virginiana, but rarer and 

 less showy. All these kinds flower in 

 summer, thrive in any ordinary soil, and 

 may be naturalised with advantage in 

 moist loam. Division in spring. 



PHYTEUMA (Rampiori).1\& Ram- 

 pions are neat, pretty, and interestingplants 

 of the Bellflower order, with small flowers 

 in profusion. They enjoy a sunny posi- 

 tion, and some of them are good rock- 

 plants. P. orbiculare is a rare and desir- 

 able native Rampion, i to 2 ft. high, and 

 is best among rock-plants, where it would 

 be free from the destructive effects of the 



Phyteuma comosum. 



hoe and rake. It flourishes in a dry 

 position in a mixture of limestone grit, 

 peat, sand, and loam, and has violet-blue 

 flowers in July. It is extremely impatient 

 of removal or division, and should be 

 raised from seed sown in autumn in a 

 cool frame. P. Sieberi is neat for the 

 rock-garden, requiring a moist sunny 



situation, and a mixture of leaf-mould, 

 peat, and sand. It forms cushion-like 

 tufts, and in May and June has dark-blue 

 flower-heads, on stems 4 to 6 in. long. 

 Division. P. humile is a neat tufted 

 plant for the rock-garden, where it can 

 get a dry sheltered position in winter, and 

 plenty of water in summer. The flowers 

 are blue, and produced in June on stems 

 6 in. high. Division. P. comosum is 

 very slow-growing, and must be particu- 

 larly guarded against slug. It is a 

 genuine rock-plant, suitable for a fissure 

 vertical or sloping to the sun, and does 

 best amongst a mixture of a little loam, 

 peat, sand, or grit, where it can root to the 

 depth of 2 ft. It bears almost stalkless 

 heads of dark purple flowers, has Holly- 

 like leaves in June and July, and comes 

 best from seed. P. Charmeli and P. 

 Scheuchzeri are much alike, P. Scheuch- 

 zeri being dwarfer. It bears pretty blue 

 flowers, on stems from 6 to 12 in. in height, 

 and is evergreen. Sow seed in autumn. 



PHYTOLACCA (Virginian Poke}. 

 This North American perennial, P. decan- 

 dra, is from 5^ to nearly 10 ft. high, with 

 reddish stems, and flower stalks. The 

 flowers, on cylindrical spikes, are at first 

 white, but afterwards change to a delicate 

 rose. In autumn the colour of the leave? 

 is in rich contrast to the pendent purple 

 berries. It grows in almost any-kind of 

 soil, and is raised from seed or division. 

 It is scarcely refined enough in leaf for 

 the flower garden, but is effective near the 

 rougher approaches of a hardy fernery, in 

 open glades near woodland walks, or in 

 any like position. P. icosandra is a bushy 

 plant, 2 to 3 ft. high, the leaves similar to 

 those of a Hydrangea. It has rather 

 long spikes of creamy-white flowers, suc- 

 ceeded by fruit-clusters similar in size 

 and shape to Indian Corn, but com- 

 posed of ripe Blackberries. Should have 

 the same treatment and position as P. 

 decandra. 



PICEA (Spruce Fir]. Usually stately 

 evergreen cone bearing trees of the 

 northern world and mountains, including 

 among them the common Norway Spruce, 

 and the Douglas Fir, usually doing best 

 in moist valley soils. Trees that were 

 once included under this head are now 

 placed under Abies and also Pinus, to 

 which the reader should refer for trees he 

 seeks which are not placed under this 

 heading. As regards grouping and other 

 matters, what has been said of Pinus and 

 Abies maybe considered as applying to a 

 great extent to these trees also. 



P. AJANENSIS. The finest of the Japanese 

 Spruces, distinguished from all others by the 



