ii4 POPULAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



whence it was introduced in 1831. It may be planted 

 to cover a house wall or a rustic summer-house. Have 

 you an unsightly object in or near the garden ? Fix 

 up a framework of rustic timber or wooden trellis-work, 

 plant the mountain Clematis, and it is hidden speedily. 



In most cases it goes away freely when planted ; but 

 I have known it "hang fire" when planted on chalky 

 ground in a position where it catches drip from a 

 roof. The soil gets splashed away, and nothing but 

 chalk is left. In such circumstances some of the chalk 

 should be dug out to form a pocket, and with this filled 

 with fibrous loam the plant has a much better chance 

 of getting established. Another source of failure is to 

 put in a plant which has stood a good while in a 

 nursery pot -bound, and has a long, tough, vine-like 

 stem, and leave it unpruned. Such a plant ought to 

 be cut back. It is better to begin with a young one, 

 and prune it back to a good bud a few inches from 

 the ground. There will be a strong growth from the 

 bud, and in two or three years a large area will be 

 covered with flowering shoots. It is not wise to prune 

 established plants severely. The plant bears the finest 

 flowers on the wood made the previous year, conse- 

 quently the bloom would be cut away if severe spring 

 pruning were practised. The wood which has bloomed 

 may be pruned out in autumn if there are fresh shoots 

 to take its place. 



The mountain Clematis may be propagated by 

 cuttings. 



There are not many hardy species grown in gardens 

 now, as the hybrids and varieties are so much finer. 

 Cirrhosa, a spring bloomer, with green and white 

 flowers ; Erecta, a very old white species, blooming in 

 July ; Fortunei, white, brought from Japan in 1863 ; 



