236 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 433. 



of pale blue flowers at the summit. This species flowers 

 better in full light, but the flowers fade quickly in the sun- 

 light. C. angusta has also been cultivated here, and it 

 makes a good hardy border plant. The Camassias belong 

 to that section of the Lily family which includes the Hya- 

 cinth, the Grape Hyacinth, the Star of Bethlehem and the 

 Scilla, to which species it is nearly allied, although it has 

 a stouter habit and a leafy stem. Most of the species have 

 grass-like leaves rising from the base of the stem, and, with 

 the exception of C. esculenta, they are hardy plants which 

 need no extra care or coddling. 



Cultural Department. 

 Notes from the Herbaceous Border. 



THE most showy of the early yellow-blossomed Compositae 

 is Helenium Hoopesii. This compact, handsome plant is 

 perfectly hardy without protection in the winter. Although 

 it grows as freely and is as easily raised as H. autumnale and 

 its varieties, yet it is not so common in gardens. The plants 

 produce seeds freely, and if they are sown early in spring and 

 the young plants are well attended to during the summer and 

 fall they will make good large-flowering plants for the follow- 

 ing year. This fine Helenium thrives here in an open posi- 

 tion and in a rich open soil. The height of the plant is not 

 much over two feet, but with good culture it attains a height 

 of three feet. Its stems are well clothed with leaves ; their 

 sturdiness is very useful in plants of this height, as no staking 

 is needed. Sometimes the flower-heads are produced singly, 

 but oftener several on a stem. The flower-head is of a bright 

 orange color and measures fully three inches in diameter. This 

 is a native plant and was named in honor of Thomas Hoopes, 

 who first collected it. 



The Columbines make a fine display now. The genus 

 Aquilegia has many species, and every one, with all varieties, 

 is worthy of a place in any garden. Perhaps the different 

 species belonging to this genus are more easily cross-fertilized 

 than any other in the garden ; hence the great difficulty in 

 getting plants true that are raised from seed where a collection 

 is grown. To get the seed true the plants ought to be grown 

 in isolated places, and even then there is no certainty that 

 insects have not been at the work ot crossing. In our wild 

 garden, although it is quite a distance away from our general 

 collection of Aquilegias, I see this year that A. Canadensis, the 

 only species grown there, has been cross-fertilized with some 

 other species, probably with A. vulgaris, from the appearance 

 of the flowers and foliage of some of the seedlings in bloom 

 now. The Aquilegias grow freely here, with the exception of 

 A. glandulosa, and this plant never looks happy here. I have 

 raised it several times from seed ; the plants grow and blos- 

 som once and then dwindle away and die. 



The Rocky Mountain Columbine, Aquilegia ccerulea, is, in 

 my estimation, the most delicate and most beautiful species 

 in this lovely genus. It grows here from one to two feet high, 

 the height of the plants varying in different parts of the gar- 

 den. They are neat and compact, and when two or three are 

 planted in a clump they are very pleasing when in bloom, 

 and before they blossom and afterward the much-divided 

 foliage is distinct and graceful. The flowers are produced 

 plentifully for four or five weeks, and are of a sky-blue color. 

 The sepals are sky-blue, ovate in shape, spreading, and meas- 

 ure fully one inch and a half in length. The blades of the 

 petals are white and about half the length of the sepals, but 

 they are elongated into a long, narrow straight spur which 

 measures nearly two inches in length and is also of a blue color. 

 Most of the plants that are in bloom now of this Columbine 

 were raised from seed which was collected in the Rocky 

 Mountains. It makes a choice border plant, and is also very 

 suitable as a rock-garden plant. A. Canadensis is the most 

 floriferous of all the Columbines. It produces young plants very 

 plentifully in our rockeries from self-sown seed. A. viridiflora, 

 a Siberian species, is not a showy plant, but its flowers are 

 greenish, and therefore of an uncommon color, and it is 

 worthy of a place in the rock-garden. A. vulgaris and all its 

 varieties grow well here. At this time a small bed of plants 

 that were raised from seed last year is making a very pleas- 

 ing display. This showy plant is as much at home here as it 

 is in Europe. It grows just as well under the shade of trees 

 as it does where it gets plenty of sunshine. There are many 

 varieties of this Columbine, and most of them have pleasing 

 colors. Some of the double-flowered varieties are very showy. 

 A. atropurpurea makes a bold plant, growing to the height of 



two feet or more, and it has dark purple flowers measuring 

 about one and a half inches in diameter when fully expanded. 

 It makes a good border plant, growing freely in a light, rich 

 soil. The double-flowered A. Sibirica is useful when planted 

 in the second row from the front of the herbaceous border. 

 Our plants are about eighteen inches high, and the erect, dark 

 purple double flowers are very distinct from all the other 

 Columbines. There are many others in bloom, such as A. 

 ccerulea lutea, A. attrata, A. Caucasica and A. oxyacantha. 



In a slightly shaded place the Globe-flowers have been blos- 

 soming for two or three weeks. They grow best here in a 

 deep, rich, damp soil. Trollius Asiaticus has a compact habit 

 and a height of twelve to fifteen inches, and it bears its golden- 

 yellow flowers in great abundance. This plant does not pro- 

 duce seed readily, but it is easily increased by division of the 

 roots. It comes from Siberia and is quite hardy here. The 

 European Globe-flower, T. Europseus, blossoms also at this 

 time. Before its flowers appear the plant looks like a Ranun- 

 culus, but when in bloom it is easily distinguished by its pale 

 yellow globular flowers. 



The Snowdrop Anemone, A. sylvestris, is a compact, 

 perfectly hardy and very reliable perennial. Its large pure 

 white flowers are produced singly above the foliage. A. 

 Pennsylvanica is not very satisfactory as a border plant, but in 

 the wild garden it makes a splendid mass of white. It ought 

 to be given plenty of room, as it spreads rapidly after it gets 

 established. The Japan Anemones have proved very unsatis- 

 factory here for the past two years. Many of our plants have 

 been winter-killed. 



The beautiful Iceland Poppies are very floriferous. They 

 do not thrive as well here in the border as they do in the rock 

 garden. To have them at their best in the border the ground 

 must be well drained, so that water will not remain about the 

 roots in winter. They multiply rapidly herefrom self-sown seed. 



For an early summer-flowering plant nothing in the border 

 has the grace and beauty of well-grown specimens of Dicentra 

 spectabilis. Not only has this plant beautiful flowers, but it 

 has handsome Fern-like foliage. Like many other perennials, 

 it does not show its beauty and habit well until it gets large and 

 well established. Some of our plants measure four feet in 

 diameter, and they are exceedingly handsome when in flower. 

 It is so common that many persons affect to despise it, but 

 there is no other plant which can fill its place at this season. 



In an open position in the rock garden a large patch of the 

 hardy and free-growing Erysimum pulchellum is completely 

 covered with sulphur-yellow flowers, which give a welcome 

 distinctness of color along the front row of the herbaceous 

 border. When it is in blossom the plant measures about a 

 foot in height and is very compact in habit. 



Lunaria biennis, hardy biennial, as its name implies, and bet- 

 ter known by its common name of Honesty, is well worth 

 growing for its large terminal racemes of violet-lilac flowers. 

 After these are gone the silvery flat seed-pods are ornamental. 

 The color of the Mowers is uncommon among hardy plants 

 at this time, and they are a very welcome addition. Plants 

 raised from seed in spring if planted out in the garden in light 

 warm soil bloom the succeeding summer. 



The Horned Pansy, Viola cornuta, and its varieties are blos- 

 soming now, and will produce more or less flowers all sum- 

 mer. V. lutea is another hardy Violet that grows well here 

 and blooms all summer. V. Munbyana was raised from seed 

 last year and planted out in the border. It lived through the 

 winter unprotected, and has been in flower for the past month. 

 It is a strong-growing plant and has violet-colored flowers as 

 large as those of V. cornuta. It is an Algerian plant. Another 

 beautiful little Violet now in flower is V. declinata, var. losi- 

 sepala. The seed of this plant came from Sweden last year. 

 It has proved quite hardy here, and in a slightly shaded spot it 

 is blossoming freely. It is a low plant, about six inches high, 

 and has small Pansy-like flowers. The color of the flowers is 

 very uncommon, it being of a dark pink. 



Along the front row of the border there are some compact 

 dwarf plants of Gypsophila repens, producing immense num- 

 bers of small white airy flowers. This is also an important 

 plant for the rock garden. The rosy pink flowers of large 

 masses of Saponaria ocymoides contrast well with the white 

 ones of this Gypsophila. Cerastium arvense makes a fine mat 

 of white close to the ground, but if used in the border it must 

 be kept within bounds. A near relative of the Cerastium is 

 Stellaria Holostea, which makes a much better plant for the 

 front row of the border. In fact, it is the best dwarf white- 

 flowered plant we have in the border since Arabis albida 

 ceased blossoming. 



Although Linum perenne is not a very robust plant here, 

 when it once gets established it makes nice shapely plants, 



