158 A LITTLE BOOK OF PERENNIALS 



are also good ground covers for dry banks or graves. The taller sorts 

 are good for cutting, especially V. longifolia subsessilis. 



Culture. Veronicas are of easy culture; they usually prefer 

 moist soil. Although they grow in poor soil, some fertihzer in the 

 form of bonemeal will increase the size of the spikes. They generally 

 prefer full sun, perhaps with the exception of V. virginica and V. repens. 



Propagation. The plants are easily divided. Seeds may be 

 sown and some sorts root when the branches touch the soil. 



Yucca — Adam's Needle and Thread, Spanish 

 Bayonet 



The stiff, broad, sword-shaped leaves of Yucca filamentosa are 

 familiar to all. In Midsummer the flower stalks, rising to a height of 

 6 feet, are also famihar. The flowers are white and pendulous. It is 

 a personal opinion of the writer that, except when in bloom, they are 

 stiff, coarse and undeserving of a place in a small garden. It must be 

 admitted, however, that they are remarkably drought-resistant and 

 will thrive where trees rob the soil, so that more dainty plants cannot 

 exist. 



Uses. When used at all they are best planted as specimens or 

 among shrubbery. 



Culture. They will exist for a generation, and transplant with 

 difficulty when the plants become old as the roots go deeply. 



Propagation. Seedlings will bloom when four to five years old. 

 As the plants sucker freely, this furnishes a ready means of propagation. 



