Gardening for Amateurs 



393 



later. They may also be in- 

 creased by division in spring. 



Monarda (Bee Balm). 

 Monardas are variously known 

 as Bee Balm, Bergamot, Horse 

 Mint, and Oswego Tea. They 

 possess both showy flowers and 

 fragrant leaves. Monardas 

 thrive best in deeply culti- 

 vated and richly manured 

 ground ; however, they are 

 quite satisfactory in most 

 soils, and though best in full 

 sun, make quite a good show 

 on a half-shady border. They 

 delight in a moist soil, such 

 as in the bog garden, and 

 there spread rapidly. The 

 usual method of propagation 

 is by division of the roots, 

 which are thick and fleshy, 

 spreading over the ground like 

 Mint. Seeds may be found 

 listed in some catalogues, but 

 raising seedlings is not a 

 general method of increase. 

 The best season for planting is 

 October and early November 

 or March. Growing about 3 

 feet in height, the Monardas 

 produce a succession of flowers 

 throughout the summer. 

 Monarda didyma, the Oswego 

 Tea, produces dense heads of 

 scarlet flowers ; the variety Cambridge 

 Scarlet is an exceptionally bright-coloured 

 variety ; alba (white* purpurea (purple), 

 ruby (red), and rosea (rosy-pink) are all 

 worth growing. The Wild Bergamot M. 

 fistulosa (purple) and its varieties alba 

 (white) and mollia (rosy-lilac) are distinct 

 and free flowering. 



Oenothera (Evening Primrose). Sev- 

 eral sorts of Oenothera are showy and desir- 

 able perennials for sunny borders, shrub- 

 beries, and beds. They commence to flower 

 in June and continue until autumn. The 

 soil for Evening Primroses should be fairly 

 light, well drained, and rich. Seeds sown 

 in a cold frame or on a border out of doors 

 between April and June provide a ready 

 means of increase ; this may also be effected 

 by division of the roots in spring and by 



The Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorum). 



cuttings made from the young growths. 

 The varieties of Oenothera fruticosa are very 

 showy border plants, growing 2 to 3 feet 

 high, and flowering from June to Septem- 

 ber. Eldorado (soft yellow), Fraseri (golden 

 yellow), and Youngii (golden yellow) are 

 worthy of note. Oenothera speciosa is a very 

 beautiful plant, 2 feet high, with fragrant 

 pure white flowers. Though this kind is 

 popularly spoken of as the Evening Primrose, 

 the name really belongs to the biennial, 

 Oenothera biennis (see page 120). The 

 flowers of the perennial Oenotheras are 

 open during the day. 



Platycodon (Balloon Flower). These 

 flowers much resemble the Campanulas, and 

 were at one time classed with them. There 

 is only one species, P. grandiflorum, a native 

 of China and Japan, hence the popular 



