HARDY PERENNIAL PLANTS. 113 



roots cool. It belongs to the Nat. Ord. Cruciferae. Other good species 

 are A£,. grandiflorum and .^. pulchellum. 



AQROSTEMMA (Lychnis) CORONARIA— This species and its varieties 

 are always satisfactory in the herbaceous border. They are very quickly 

 raised from seed, or by division. The foliage is silvery throughout; 

 the flowers are rose colored; A. c. atro-sanguinea, crimson; A. c. alba, 

 white; A. c. hybrida, rosy crimson. They grow from one to two feet 

 high. Almost any kind of soil will suit them, but they must have full 

 sunshine. 



A. flos-Jovis differs from A. coronaria, in having umbellate heads of 

 bloom, with the foliage narrower. The flowers are purple or scarlet. 



All of the above are useful plants for florists to handle. Sow the seed 

 in the Fall; keep in a cooj house. As soon as the seedlings are large 

 enough prick off into boxes. They may be put out in a cold frame very 

 early in the season. Or by sowing early in September the seedlings can 

 be wintered in frames. 



AJUQA— The creeping or stoloniferous species are much used as dwarf 

 plants for forming dense carpets, either on rockwork or in the open 

 border. As they grow in dense masses they usually are self-supporting 

 during the hot months. A. reptans var rubra has dark purple foliage. 

 A. r. variegata is beautifully mottled with yellow. A. genevensis is a 

 variable species with dull red, white or blue flowers; does well in shady 

 places. All of the above are readily increased by division either in Fall 

 or Spring. 



ALTH^A ROSEA (Hollyhock)— One of the tallest growing herbaceous 

 plants, also one of the showiest. It is what may be called an old-fash- 

 ioned flower, and it is doubtful if there has been any improvement in the 

 size and shape of the bloom for a goodly number of years. A host of 

 varieties used to be kept true to name years ago; these were perpetu- 

 ated by cuttings, divisions and grafting on roots; but now the best 

 sorts come tolerably true from seeds. The principal colors are white, 

 yellow, pink, red and purple. Seeds to produce flowering plants within 

 a year should be sown as soon as ripe — usually in August. Sow in a 

 box of rather light soil and cover very lightly with screened moss. The 

 seedlings being large from the start should be put singly in small pots, 

 and as they get too large for that size, shift into two or three sizes 

 larger. Keep them in a cold frame; give an abundance of ventilation in 

 favorable weather so that they may become stocky and robust. The 

 ground should be well prepared for their reception, otherwise they will 

 not attain full size — 6 to 8 feet tall — and only remain in bloom two or 

 three weeks. The plants should be put out as early as the ground can 

 be worked. Good kinds should be marked for seed as they bloom, and 

 extra good sorts may be propagated by any of the above mentioned 

 methods. 



ALYSSUM (Madwort)— In this genus there are several rockwork or 

 borderplants, which, in their seasons, make a good show while in bloom. 

 A. saxatile and A. s. compactum are Spring bloomers. The plants are 



