46 FAMILIAR GARDEN FLOWERS. 



in the sunny months when gaiety is needed, will only 

 obtain in the end the pitying smile that is bestowed 

 on the well-meaning fanatic. The Rudbeckias illustrate 

 this case. They are hardy herbaceous, handsome weedy 

 things, that would be of priceless value were we possessed 

 of only a few dozen sorts of garden flowers. But as we 

 can command thousands we can afford to be dainty, and 

 so it happens that two or three species of Rudbeckia are 

 enough for any ordinary garden : the rest may be left over 

 for those omnivorous ones who swallow everything that 

 can be described as " herbaceous " and " hardy." 



The genus to which our plant belongs takes its 

 name from O. Rudbeck, a Swedish botanist. It is wholly 

 American. It is noted in the "Hortus Kewensis" of Aiton 

 that R. laciriiata was grown by John Tradescant before 

 1640, and R. trilola by Jacob Bobart before 1699. These 

 appear to have been the earliest introduced. R. hirta, the 

 subject of the coloured plate, was grown in this country 

 in 1714, and is pretty widely distributed, although the 

 members of this genus have never ranked high as border 

 flowers. They are, however, useful, being at home in any 

 soil or situation, though preferring, if they can get it, 

 a dry sandy loam and a sunny situation. They are all 

 perennial plants, and may be propagated by division and 

 seed. Being rough and gay and conspicuous at a distance, 

 they are admirably adapted for the front line of the shrub- 

 bery, and if they do not delight the florists, they will 

 gratify the artists, who always lean considerately towards 

 single composite flowers, if there be some degree of dash 

 in them, as there certainly is in the yellow and orange 

 flowers of the Rudbeckias. 



Rudbeckia Calif ornica grows to the height of five feet, 



