Encyclopaedia of Gardening I 9 



Apple. See Fruit. 



Apricot. See Fruit. 



Aquatic Plants. See Flower Garden Water. 



/jquilegia, Columbine (aquile-gia, from aquila, an eagle (alter- 

 natively from aquilegus, a water-collector) . Ord. Ranunculaceae). 

 The graceful Columbine is one of the most popular of hardy herba- 

 ceous flowers, and there are few gardens in which it is not represented. 

 The majority are best suited for borders, but a few are well adapted 

 for the rockery. The following are a few of the principal species 

 and hybrids: alpina, a charming blue rockery plant, i ft. high; 

 caerulea, 15 to 18 ins., blue and white; caerulea hybrida, 18 to 30 

 ins., obtainable from seedsmen, gives a variety of colours, and the 

 flowers have long spurs; chrysaiitha, 3 ft., yellow; glandulosa, 

 blue, lilac, and white, i ft., an exquisite but short-lived plant that 

 needs frequent renewal, and of which there are several pretty 

 varieties; pyrenaica, blue and lilac, only a few inches high, suitable 

 for the rockery; sibirica, 10 to 12 ins., blue, good for rockwork; 

 Skinneri, 2 ft., red, green, and yellow; and Stuarti, 9 ins., blue and 

 white, a charming hybrid. The Columbines begin to flower very 

 early, often being in bloom in May, and they continue for a long 

 period. They are useful for cutting. Propagated by seeds, sown 

 in June, transplanted in August, and flowering the following year. 

 Also by division. Soil: the strong kinds will thrive in almost any 

 soil, from clay to chalk. The weaker ones, like glandulosa, pyre- 

 naica, and Stuarti, should have a light, warm, well-drained loam. 



Arabis, Rock Cress (ar-abis. Ord. Cruciferae). Very cheap and 

 easily grown plants, flowering off and on in mild spells throughout 

 the winter, but at their best in spring, when they grow rapidly, and 

 bloom as they extend. They are charming in the rockery, in bulb 

 beds, at the front of mixed borders, and at the edge of basins of 

 aquatic plants. Alpina and albida, both white-flowered and much 

 alike, but the former a little dwarfer and more compact than the 

 latter, are the two principal species; but the newer double white 

 variety, flore pleno, bids fair to outdo both in public esteem. It is 

 very graceful, having long spikes of bloom, and lasts well. Lucida 

 variegata, which has pretty green and yellow leaves, is also a useful 

 Arabis. Aubrietioides has large pink flowers. Alba variegata 

 has a white-edged leaf. The single varietie^ are propagated by seed, 

 sown outdoors in May or June for flowering the following season; 

 by cuttings, or by division after flowering; the double by cuttings, 

 which may be taken from the clumps after flowering, and struck 

 in sandy soil in a frame, or in a shady spot out of doors. They grow 

 well in all soils, and no special provision need be made. 



Aralia (ara-lia. Ord. Araliaceae). Handsome foliage plants, 

 some hardy, others requiring a greenhouse or stove. The most 

 popular species, Japonica or Sieboldii (now called Fatsia Japonica 

 by botanists), is much esteemed as a greenhouse and room plant, 

 being grown for its large, dark green, deeply-cut leaves. Elegantis- 

 sima and Veitchii gracillima are two beautiful sorts, but they 

 require a warm house. The same remark applies to Kerchoveana 



