^Iooj^p, (irard^r) ar)d featoi). £f 



A FEW EARLY FLOWERING PERENNIALS. 



DURING the latter half of May 

 our gardens are bright with 

 spring flowering perennials,but 

 in the early part of the month the bulbs, 

 alone, usually furnish us with all the 

 bloom we have at that time. But while 

 crocuses, squills, snow-drops, tulips, hy- 

 acinths and daffodils, if properly arrang- 

 ed, make a fine display, there are a few 

 other charming early flowering plants 

 which should not be omitted from any 

 garden. The following are six of the 

 best of them. 



Spreading Pasque Flower (Anemone 

 patens). This beautiful perennial begins 

 to bloom during the last week of April. 

 It has large, deep, purple flowers which 

 are very attractive and excellent for cut- 

 ting. 



Ox-eye (Adonis vernalis). Though 

 only attaining a height of from six to 

 nine inches, this pretty little plant is 

 very desirable. The flowers are large 

 and of a lemon yellow colour, and the 

 foliage finely cut and graceful. It be- 

 gins to bloom during the first week of 

 May. 



Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule). 

 This poppy begins to flower during the 

 second week of May and there is a pro- 

 fusion of bloom until early summer, 

 when it rests for a time beginning afresh 

 in the autumn. The flowers are of sev- 

 eral colours, yellow, orange and white 



being the most common; they make 

 fine table decorations on account of their 

 bright coloring. 



Red barren-wort (Epimedium rubrum) 

 A very graceful and beautiful little plant 

 beginning to bloom during the second 

 week of May. The flowers are small, 

 bright crimson and white, borne in a 

 loose panicle. The leaves of this plant 

 are very pretty. There are several other 

 species of this genus which are desirable. 

 They are very ornamental as cut flowers. 



Lovely Phlox (Phlox amoena). There 

 are many species of early flowering phlox 

 but this is one of the earliest and best. 

 The flowers are bright pink in colour 

 and the stems are long enough to make 

 it a good flower for cutting. It begins 

 to bloom during the second week of 

 May. 



Dwarf Jacob's ladder (Polemonium 

 humile pulchellum). All the polemo- 

 niums yet tested here are pretty, and 

 this is the earliest and one of the best. 

 It is a profuse bloomer with violet blue 

 flowers and small narrow leaves. 



There are a few other early flowering 

 perennials which are very desirable, such 

 as the bleeding heart, tall leopard's, 

 bane and trollius. 



W. T. McCoun, 



Horticulturist Central Experimental 



Farm, Ottawa. 



7i 



