82 A LITTLE BOOK OF PERENNIALS 



Summer evening. This Gas Plant (Didamnus albus or Fraxinella) is a 

 very strong grower and when once estabhshed, many dozen stalks of 

 bloom can be had to a single plant. 



Uses. Because of its large trusses of flowers and fascinating odor, 

 the Gas Plant always finds a place in the hardy border, or as a single 

 specimen. They make excellent cut flowers. 



Culture. The Gas Plant dislikes disturbance very much. When 

 once planted it should be left in the same position always, for as the 

 plants grow older they will then produce many more and taUer flower 

 stems. They require hardly any care, but prefer a rather heavy and 

 moderately rich soil in an open, sunny position. When once established 

 drought does not aff'ect them. 



Propagation. They are more easily raised from seeds than by 

 root division. The seeds should be sown as soon as they are ripe in the 

 Fall. If the seed is sown in the Spring, pour boiling water over them 

 first, or they will not germinate easily. It takes from two to four years 

 for the flower spikes to appear on young plants. The roots, being very 

 hard, may be divided with difficulty. 



Doronicum — Leopard's Bane 



The Leopard's Bane is one of the few hardy plants which blossom 

 very early in the Spring and continues into the Autumn. It grows 

 about 2 feet high and has broad, oblong leaves of a rich, soft green 

 color which appear with the first signs of Spring. The single flowers 

 are produced on long, stiff" stems and resemble a very large yellow Daisy 

 with a yeUow center. In fact, these are the earhest yellow Daisy-like 

 flowers. Doronicum plantagineum excelsum is the most commonly cul- 

 tivated sort. The flowers are 4 inches in diameter and the plants 

 grow 3 feet to 4 feet taU. They begin to bloom in early Spring and 

 continue through the Smimtier. D. caucasicum grows 12 inches to 

 18 inches tall. The catalogs also include D. austraiacum and D. Clusii 

 as being good sorts. 



Uses. Because of their long, straight stems, they make exceUent 

 cut flowers and they last for a number of days when placed in water. 

 Because of their rich golden color, they are splendid for the border, 

 for they begin blooming when yeUow flowers are rather scarce. If 

 placed in pots, they can be easily forced into flower during the Winter 

 months for the window garden. They succeed well when planted 

 aniOTig the Spring bulbous flowers and shrubs or in the rock garden, and 



