TROP.^OLUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



TROP/EOLUM. 



glass the plants bloom earlier, and are 

 more compact. All who love rich masses 

 of colour will find these dwarf Nastur- 

 tiums worth cultivating. The varieties 

 are so numerous and beautiful, that it is 

 difficult to make a selection ; and the 

 catalogues of the seedsman abound with 

 names of favourite sorts. 



T. pentaphyllum. A rapid growing 

 climber, 6 to 10 ft. high, with yellowish- 

 red flowers. It will cover pillars, walls, 

 chains, bowers, and revels in sunshine, 

 succeeding well on the south wall of a 

 greenhouse or in any warm aspect. It 

 does best in light and warm loams or 

 calcareous soils. Division or seed. Chili. 



T. polyphyllum. This is one of the most 

 valuable hardy plants ever introduced. 

 While its foliage may form a dense 

 carpet on a bank, its wreaths of flowers 

 usually throw themselves into irregular 

 windings and groupings. It is very 

 distinct whether in or out of flower. Its 



Tropaeolum polyphyllum. 



leaves are glaucous, almost Rue-like in 

 tone, and cut into fine divisions or leaflets. 

 In a warm rock-garden the stems creep 

 about, snake-like, through the neighbour- 

 ing vegetation, sometimes extending to a 

 length of 3 or 4 ft. The flowers are deep 

 yellow, and as profuse as the leaves. The 

 plant is tuberous-rooted, and quite hardy 

 in dry situations in the rock-garden, also 

 on sunny banks, but should not often be 

 disturbed. It springs up early, and dies 

 down at the end of summer. Chilian 

 Cordilleras. 



T. speciosum (Flame Nasturtium}. 



A splendid creeper, with long and elegant 

 annual shoots, gracefully clothed with 

 leaves from the axils of which spring such 

 brilliant vermilion flowers, that a long 

 shoot is startlingly effective, especially if 

 seen wandering among Ivy leaves or in 

 verdure of any kind. It has been long 

 introduced from S. America, but, notwith- 

 standing its graceful beauty and hardiness, 

 is little known, especially in the south of 

 England. It is impossible to find any- 

 thing more worthy of a position where 

 its shoots may fall over or climb up the 

 face of some high rock or bank in 

 the rock-garden ; while it is suited for an 

 open spot in the hardy fernery, or for any 

 other position where its peculiar beauty 

 may be well seen. It is very beautiful 

 when clambering through evergreen 

 shrubs, and enjoys a deep, rich, and 

 rather moist soil, in cool places, or near 

 the sea. No pains should be spared to 

 establish it in a vigorous condition. 



A correspondent writes to The Garden : 

 This beautiful climber evidently dislikes 

 hot sun and a dry atmosphere, and the 

 great portion of the failures in growing it 

 are due to a want of a cool and compara- 

 tively moist atmosphere. Several years 

 ago a friend who knew nothing of the 

 nature of this plant received some roots 

 from the fine old specimens that grow on 

 Lismore Castle. By my advice some of 

 the roots were planted against a west 

 wall, in front of which grow some good- 

 sized Nut-bushes and a few tolerably large 

 Apple trees, so that in the hot summer 

 weather the sun could only reach the 

 plants for a couple of hours daily. The 

 remaining roots were planted against a 

 north wall, where scarcely any sun came, 

 and at the west end of the dwelling-house, 

 where the full force of the afternoon sun 

 was felt. In all these cases the soil was 

 alike. The plants behind the Nut-bushes 

 and Apple trees grew remarkably well 

 and bloomed as freely as could be ex- 

 pected in the first year of planting. On 

 the north wall the growth was good, but 

 the flowers were not so numerous ; but in 

 the sunny position, although the roots 

 made a growth of a foot or so, this 

 growth gradually withered away as soon 

 as the power of the sun made itself felt. 

 There could be no better proof that the 

 successful growth of the Flame-flower is 

 simply a matter of position, and that, even 

 in the southern counties, there are probably 

 few gardens where the requirements of the 

 plant may not be met. 



When a position is selected, the soil 

 should be made light, deep, and free by 

 leaf-mould, peat, fibry loam, and sand, ac- 



