54 



Gardening for Amateurs 



white flowers, are at their best during May 

 and June. The plants grow 2 to 2J feet 

 high. The position must be a hopeless one 

 if the Solomon's Seal refuses to grow there. 

 Primula. It is fairly well known that 

 several members of the Primula family 

 will grow in shade provided the position 

 is not too dry. The coloured Primroses, 



Viola. On a border not too heavily 

 shaded, and rather moist, the Violas (Tufted 

 Pansies) may be relied upon to produce 

 quantities of flowers from April to October. 

 Other popular plants for the shady 

 border are Violets, Lily of the Valley, 

 Japanese Stonecrop (Sedum spectabile), 

 Martagon Lily (Lilium Martagon), Evergreen 

 Candytuft (Iberis semper virens). 

 Hardy Cyclamen, Hepatica (Ane- 

 mone Hepatica), Thalictrum glau- 

 cum, Tradescantia virgim'ca, Cimi- 

 cifuga and Lysimachia. 



Many bulbs will thrive in shade. 

 Some of the most notable are the 

 Bluebell (Scilla nutans), Ornitho- 

 galum nutans, Snowdrop, Winter 

 Aconite, Glory of the Snow (Chiono- 

 doxa Luciliae), Daffodils, Fritillary, 

 Zephyranthes Candida, and Allium 

 neapolitanum. 



A border of hardy ferns pro- 

 vides an unending source of pleas- 

 ure to lovers of this varied family. 

 A mixture of flowering plants, 

 bulbs, and hardy ferns is perhaps 

 the most satisfactory of all. 



Cimicifuga cardifolia, a fine August flowering plant for 

 partial shade. 



Polyanthus, Japanese Primrose (P. japonica), 

 and Himalayan Primrose (P. denticulata) 

 are the easiest. All flower in spring and 

 early summer. 



Saxifraga (Saxifrage). S. peltata, white, 

 2 feet high, S. granulata fl. pi., double white, 

 1 foot high, and S. umbrosa (London Pride), 

 pink, 1 foot high, call for special mention. 



Annuals Hard to Trans- 

 plant. The majority of hardy 

 annuals can be successfully trans- 

 planted, but there are a few sorts 

 which do better if they are sown 

 where they are required to bloom, 

 and subsequently thinned. But 

 the thinning must not be half- 

 heartedly carried out ; the finest 

 blossoms are produced on plants 

 which have room to develop pro- 

 perly. Among those requiring this 

 treatment may be mentioned 

 Poppies, L a r k s p u r, Virginian 

 Stocks, Mignonette and Gypsophilas. 



Sea-Sand. Common salt and other im- 

 purities occur in sand from the seaside, 

 and so it must not be used for composts in 

 which propagation is to take place by seed- 

 lings or cuttings. Though none of the 

 soluble impurities are of manurial value 

 they act as a tonic in refreshing the ground 



London Pride forms a splendid evergreen and checking rank growth ; insect pests like 



edging for a shady border. 



slugs and wireworms dislike the salt, so it 



