106 BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS 



Both bear their flowers on long, gracefully drooping spikes, and 

 present a great variety of brilliant colours. Many of the best 

 Pentstemons have two clearly defined body colours, the one 

 on the outer part and the edges of the bell, the other on its 

 interior. These are extremely beautiful, and, as a rule, the more 

 sharply the line of demarcation is defined the more pleasing the 



flowers are. 



The plants thrive best in cool, rich, holding soil. They love 

 moisture, and should not be expected to give of their best in poor, 

 thin, dry ground. The wise cultivator will dig his soil two spades 

 deep, and work in a good dressing of decayed manure. This he 

 should do some time in winter, then the ground will be in excellent 

 condition for planting in spring. But Pentstemons may be planted 

 out in beds in which bulbs and other spring flowers have been grown. 

 They can be planted quite well as late as June provided that care is 

 taken to keep the soil moist, and to shade them for a few days if they 

 show signs of flagging. For this reason seedling Pentstemons may 

 be classed with Snapdragons and Indian Pinks as plants of more 

 than annual duration which serve a useful purpose when treated as 

 annuals. So great are their merits that it is perfectly safe to pro- 

 phesy that they will grow in favour rapidly every year, both as flower- 

 garden plants raised from seed and as special flowers cultivated under 

 names. 



Primroses and Polyanthuses. These are hardly herbaceous plants 

 in the ordinary acceptation of the term, because they are not leafless 

 throughout the winter. On the contrary, they grow in mild spells, 

 and are at their best in spring, when the majority of true herbaceous 

 plants are just awakening from their winter sleep. But they come 

 into the scheme of garden decoration of which hardy perennial plants 

 generally form the backbone. Primroses and Polyanthuses may be 

 introduced into herbaceous borders with great advantage, as well 

 as into ordinary flower beds; and here comes in the great value 

 of these most beautiful and accommodating flowers ; they can be 



