284 We Barton's 



forms, and one of the most brilliant of flowers. 

 Parrai, recently sent out, is the finest of the rose- 

 colored type, while Oberon still remains the finest 

 deep red. 



The great Chinese plume-poppy (Bocconia 

 cordata) is a very handsome late - flowering 

 plant. It attains a height of nine feet, and the 

 large terminal flower-panicles and tropical oval- 

 cordate leaves are extremely graceful and showy. 

 But it is a rambler at the root, and must have a 

 place where the suckers will not cause trouble. 

 It is not a safe plant for the border or the lawn 

 on this account, where otherwise it would be 

 highly ornamental. 



The Japanese Polygonum cusptdatum is an- 

 other grand herbaceous plant that is tempting to 

 employ, but which he who is wise in his genera- 

 tion will avoid. Once established, it becomes a 

 horrible nightmare, and I doubt if there exists 

 among hardy plants a more troublesome subject 

 to banish. My experience has been confined to 

 a colony in my neighbor's garden, close to the 

 division-line, that from year to year extended its 

 deep-rooting suckers farther and farther on to 

 the lawn and borders. I shudder now when I 

 think of the digging and trenching and under- 

 mining and the barrels of salt it has required to 

 prevent its intrusions. 



