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PORTULACA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



POT EN TILL A. 



Aspen is one of our native trees that is 

 neglected, and rarely ever seen grouped 

 in the pleasure garden in an effective 

 way, though we may see it here and 

 there wild, and in many woodland places, 

 grouping itself very prettily. I know 

 nothing more, attractive than a group of 

 the Aspen by the waterside or in almost 

 any position. In Ireland, and on warm 

 limestone soils elsewhere, the leaves 

 become a lovely colour in autumn, but 

 not on stiff soils. 



PORTULACA (Purslane) -This bright 

 little wniialP.grandiforahsiS been intro- 

 duced many years from its native home in 

 Chili, and few Chilian plants have spread 

 so widely all over the world. It seems as 

 happy under a tropical sun as in an Eng- 

 lish garden, where no other annual excels 

 it in brilliancy, delicacy, and diversity of 

 colour. It makes itself at home as well 

 on a dry, poor bank as in a rich border 



Flowers of Portulaca grandiflora. 



among taller things. One can see by its 

 growth that it is a child of the sun, and 

 that is why one finds it so fine in 

 gardens in the parched plains of India 

 and Egypt, as well as throughout North 

 America. The colours vary from crimson 

 and white through every shade to pure 

 yellow. There are single and double- 

 flowered kinds, and it is difficult to say 

 which are the more beautiful. The double 

 flowers last longer, and greater care seems 

 to have been made in selecting the finest 

 of the doubles by crossing the various 

 sorts. Forty years ago M. Lemoine, of 

 Nancy, raised many beautiful double sorts, 

 to which he gave names, but it was soon 

 found useless to keep named sorts, so one 

 buys seed now in mixed colours, as with 

 Cinerarias. Seeds of the Portulaca should 

 be sown thinly during the month of April 

 in pans in a frame, and the seedlings be 

 planted out early in June. They can be 

 also sown in the open ground about the 

 end of May, for succession after the frame- 



raised seedlings. The best plants are got 

 when the seedlings, as soon as they are 

 large enough to handle, are pricked out 

 into small pots of rich soil and kept in an 

 airy frame. The seed is best sown in 

 light and rather rich soil, and only just 

 covered. In planting out, choose the 

 sunniest and warmest spots in the garden, 

 and plant in bold masses to get a rich 

 effect. It has proved in India one of the 

 most useful flowering plants for bedding 

 during the cool months. The named 

 varieties of P. grandiflora are Thellusoni, 

 lutea, splendens, and Regeli, while another 

 kind is P. Gilliesi from Mendoza. 



POTENTILLA (Cinquefoit}. A large 

 family, many hardy herbs and alpine 

 flowers among them. The most important 

 are the fine hybrid varieties got by hy- 

 bridising showy Himalayan species such 

 as P. insignis and P. atro-sanguinea. 

 These two species are well worth growing. 

 The former has clear yellow and the latter 

 deep velvety crimson flowers. The beau- 

 tiful rosy-pink P. colorata is also useful ; 

 but these three are about the only typical 

 species of tall growth worth cultivating. 

 The double kinds are most showy, lasting 

 in perfection both on the plants and when 

 cut longer than the single sorts. There 

 are about three dozen distinct named 

 kinds, all to be obtained from any of 

 the large hardy plant nurseries. These 

 varieties represent every shade of size and 

 colour that it is possible to obtain. The 

 culture of Potentillas, like that of most 

 hardy flowers, is simple. They luxu- 

 riate in a light deep soil and exposed 

 position. 



The following is a good selection of 

 double sorts : M. Rouillard, reddish- 

 crimson ; Belzebuth, dark crimson ; Chro- 

 matella, yellow ; Dr. Andry, scarlet, 

 margined with yellow ; Escarboucle, crim- 

 son ; Belisaire, reddish-orange ; Vase 

 d'Or, yellow ; Le Dante, orange shaded 

 with scarlet ; Louis Van Houtte, crimson ; 

 Phcebus, rich yellow ; Le Vesuve, crimson 

 with yellow margin ; Versicolor, yellow 

 suffused with brownish-crimson ; Vulcan, 

 scarlet shaded with yellow ; Variabilis 

 fl.-pl., yellow with scarlet margin ; Eldo- 

 rado, scarlet-crimson with yellow margin ; 

 Perfecta plena, bright scarlet - crimson 

 slightly tinged with yellow ; Imbricate 

 plena, orange-scarlet ; Etna, reddish-crim- 

 son ; Panorama, yellow heavily stained 

 with scarlet ; Nigra plena, dark crimson ; 

 Meteor, yellow suffused and blotched with 

 scarlet ; Meirsschaerti fl.-pl., yellow veined 

 and striped with crimson ; William Rol- 

 lisson, deep orange-scarlet with yellow 

 centre ; Fenelon, orange and scarlet ; 



