Gardening for Amateurs 



47 



Everlasting Flowers 



THE name " Everlasting Flowers " is 

 appropriately given to plants that 

 produce coloured bracts or flowers 

 which, when cut and dried, retain much of 

 their beauty. A number of them should 

 find a place in every garden, more especi- 

 ally in small gardens having no greenhouse 

 to supply cut blooms for indoor decoration 

 in winter. In appraising their value for 

 cutting and drying for winter decoration, 

 their use as ornamental plants for the 

 greenhouse and garden must not be over- 

 looked. In addition to their dainty colours, 

 the flowers possess the important quality 

 of lasting in good condition on the plants 

 as long as, or even longer than, those of 

 most other plants. Gathering and drying 

 the flowers requires to be carefully done. 

 They should be gathered on a dry, sunny 

 day when the flowers are fairly well de- 

 veloped, but not to such an extent as to 

 expose the centre or eye. These remarks 

 apply to Helichrysum, Helipterum, Acro- 

 clinium, and similar types of flowers. The 

 Statice and Gypsophila flowers are rather 

 different, and are best cut when fully open, 

 but they must not be left to do duty on 

 the plants too long, or when dried they will 

 have lost much brilliancy of colour. As 

 the flowers are cut, tie them in small bunches 

 and hang in a cool, dry shed head down- 

 wards until dry. It is preferable to grow 

 a fresh supply each year, though with care 

 the flowers may be made to do duty in 

 a room for two or even three years. 



Rooms may be made very bright and 

 pleasing in winter with tastefully arranged 

 vases of Everlasting Flowers. They may 

 be used alone or in association with dried 

 grasses. On the Continent far greater use 

 is made of the Everlasting Flowers than in 

 this country. The French grow them com- 

 mercially in quantity for making wreaths, 

 crosses, and bouquets. In this country 

 during quite recent years a considerable 

 demand has sprung up for bunches of 

 the Annual Sea Lavenders or Statices, 

 S. sinuata and varieties being the most 

 popular. 



HARDY PERENNIAL EVERLASTING 

 FLOWERS 



Sea Lavender, or Statice, is one of the 

 most important of Everlasting Flowers. 

 Some kinds are perennial, others are annual ; 

 some of them may be treated as biennials. 

 The perennial sorts are suitable for the front 

 of the herbaceous or mixed border and the 

 rockery. A sandy soil and a sunny position 

 are most suitable for the Sea Lavenders. 

 They may be increased by means of seeds 

 sown in March or April, cuttings inserted in 

 sandy soil in a cold frame during August 

 and September, and division of the roots 

 in autumn or spring. The Great Sea Laven- 

 der, Statice latifolia, grows 2 to 2 feet 

 high, and has large panicles of cloud-like, 

 small lavender-blue flowers. The season 

 of flowering is June to August. Statice 

 eximia superba has spreading panicles of 

 lilac flowers. The Common Sea Lavender, 

 Statice Limonium, a British plant with 

 bluish-lilac flowers, and its white variety 

 alba, are useful garden plants and for cut- 

 ting ; Gmelini, purple-violet, and tartarica, 

 ruby-red, complete a useful half-dozen 

 kinds. 



Pearly Everlasting of North America. 

 Anaphalis (Antennaria) margaritacea, in 

 addition to its value in the garden, is much 

 prized for winter decoration. The plants 

 are propagated by division in autumn or 

 spring. Plant for preference on a warm, 

 sunny border in light soil. It grows 1 foot 

 or more in height and bears white flowers. 

 The Pearly Everlasting is used extensively 

 for wreaths and crosses, being one of the 

 most important " Immortelle " flowers. 



Chalk Plant. Gypsophila paniculata is 

 one of the most popular hardy plants we 

 possess for cutting. The light and graceful 

 panicles of small white blossom are un- 

 equalled for arranging witli large, brightly- 

 coloured blooms. The cloud-like masses of 

 bloom on plants 2.J to 3 feet in height add 

 grace to any mixed border. The double 

 variety is even more valuable than the 

 single one. Propagation is best done in 

 spring by division of the roots or by taking 



