26 ANTIRRHINUMS AND PENTSTEMONS 



for unimportant positions, such as the margins of 

 shrubberies or approaches to the wild garden. 



P. asureus is another North American species. It 

 makes a woody Httle bush about a foot in height, and 

 bears a quantity of small blue flowers. A batch of a 

 dozen or score of plants produces a good colour effect. 

 Quite possibly this little plant might be of service to 

 the hybridist who cared to make an effort to secure a 

 real blue florist's Pentstemon, but doubtless size of bell 

 and spike would suffer by the cross, and much patience 

 and many disappointments lie in the path to be trodden 

 ere a blue of exhibition quality might thus be secured. 

 P. Menziesii has some red, some lilac, and some purple 

 flowers, all of which may be obtained from one batch of 

 seedlings; and we have also P. confertus, sometimes 

 named Ccerulea purpurens, a tall-growing shrubby plant 

 with small, variable flowers ranging from a faint lilac to 

 purplish-blue. No particular skill is required in the 

 cultivation of any of these minor species, and their merits 

 justify no more than passing mention, although they are 

 cheap, easily raised, free-growing plants, of service to 

 those who wish to fill large borders with subjects that 

 demand a minimum of care. 



The Cultivation of Pentstemons. 



Whether the ultimate purpose is to furnish beds and 

 borders in the garden, to grow plants in pots for the 

 decoration of a conservatory, corridor, or veranda — for 

 which Pentstemons are excellent subjects — or to grow 

 for competition at the leading shows, cultivation will in 

 the first stages be the same, except for the one point that 

 plants for the open garden may be raised from seed, 

 whilst the named varieties required for exhibition must 

 be propagated from cuttings, and even for bedding, 

 where one particular colour or a definite arrangement of 

 colours is required, cuttings alone can be relied upon. 



