256 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 435. 



well this year, and its large, clear yellow fragrant flowers are 

 conspicuous at a considerable distance. 



Some of the Pentstemons are beautiful now. The more 

 tender species are unsatisfactory when grown all the year 

 through in the border. They succeed the first year after being 

 raised from seed, but if left in the border during winter the 

 plants are weak in the spring and do not grow satisfactorily 

 the second year. However, many of them will stand lifting in 

 the fall, and they keep well in a cold frame during the winter. 

 Whenever the ground is suitable for working in spring they 

 can be planted in the border again, where they soon begin to 

 grow. Other beautiful tender species make stronger, healthier 

 and more compact plants if raised annually from seeds sown 

 in January. 



Fortunately, we have a number of species as hardv and as 

 easily grown as our commonest perennials. Those with weak 

 constitutions are, however, well worth this extra trouble of 

 lifting, as is shown by a batch of the beautiful Pentstemon 

 secundiflorus now in bloom here. The height of this Pent- 

 stemon is about fifteen inches, and the stems are clothed with 

 narrow, smooth, lanceolate leaves. The flowers are in long 

 panicles. The showy corolla is fully one inch long and of a 

 mauve-purple color. This handsome species is found in the 

 mountains of Colorado, and is said to be common at an alti- 

 tude of eight or nine thousand feet. P. diffusus is quite hardy 

 here and is flowering freely now. fn spring the plants are cut 

 well back and all the dead and weak growths removed. They 

 soon make young shoots with nice healthy foliage. It is a 

 vigorous grower and has stems neaiiv two feet in height, with 

 opposite dark green oblong-lanceolate and deeply serrated 

 leaves. The flowers are of a light purple color, showy, are 

 produced in dense panicles and last for some time. P. pubes- 

 cens is another reliable species easy to grow. The flowers 

 of this plant are in pleasing contrast with those of the other 

 Pentstemons now in blossom. There seem to be two forms 

 of P. pubescens ; one which we have here grows nearly 

 two feet in height, while the other hardly reaches a foot. 

 The leaves are light green ; the lower ones measure more 

 than three inches and are lanceolate in shape. The drooping 

 flowers are in a loose thyrse. The upper part of the corolla is 

 of a dull purple, and the lower halt of a whitish color. P. 

 ovatus is perfectly hardy, growing from two to three feet high, 

 with short thyrses of rather small showy purple flowers. P. 

 laevigatus digitalis makes fine vigorous plants and has llower- 

 stems a yard long, with plenty of whitish flowers. The dwarf 

 plants of P. confertus (ccerulea-pui purea) bear pretty blue- 

 purple and violet-colored flowers. P. Clevelandi has showy 

 crimson flowers, but the plants do not seem to be perfectly at 

 home here. 



The Bellfiowers are beginning to blossom, and they are 

 always pleasing and attractive. The strong-growing kinds 

 grow well in any ordinary well-enriched garden soil. The 

 dwarf kinds are best adapted for the rock garden, although 

 some of them, such as Campanula Carpathica and its varieties, 

 are among our best plants for the front row of the herbaceous 

 border. The Peach-leaved Bellflower, C. persicifolia, has 

 opened its blue flowers in long showy racemes. Its white 

 variety is an extremely handsome perennial, and always at- 

 tracts a great deal of attention at this season. C. Sibirica is a 

 biennial hardy species, floriferous, and making a neat and com- 

 pact plant. Its height makes it especially useful. Its stems 

 are branched and measure about eighteen inches. The large 

 flowers are purple-violet in color and are produced in pani- 

 cles. C. latifolia macranth is a thrifty plant with long stout 

 stems three to four feet high. When well flowered it is a 

 handsome sort. The flowers are large, of a purplish blue 

 color and are in a spicate raceme. C. nobilis is a distinct plant 

 about two feet high, and the form now in bloom has reddish 

 violet flowers. C. Portenschlagina is a dwarf species suitable' 

 for the rock garden. At this time it is one mass of almost 

 erect, small, light blue-purple flowers. It does best if it has a 

 slight protection in the winter. 



Salvia argentea, now in flower, is a bold silvery leaved bien- 

 nial from southern Europe. It has distinct and attractive 

 foliage, and small groups of the plants in the border are very 

 noticeable. Its leaves are large, wrinkled, lobed and silvery, 

 and vary in size from six inches to one foot in length ; both 

 sides of the leaf are covered with loose white wool. The height 

 of the plant when in bloom is about three feet. The flowers 

 are produced in whorls of from six to ten flowers in large pani- 

 cles. The corolla is of a whitish color. The plant is more 

 valuable for use as a foliage plant than for its flowers. 



The Phyteumas are blooming better thisyearthan they have 

 done for some time. The showiest one in bloom is P. 

 Schenchzeri, a plant from the European Alps, and it is quite 



hardy here. It is about one foot in height, with ovate-lanceo- 

 late leaves, and those on the stem are linear lanceolate. The 

 deep blue flowers are produced plentifully in spherical heads. 

 Other species flowering now, and with blossoms of the same 

 color as the above plant, are P. Michelli and its variety, with 

 long narrow leaves, and P. orbiculare. They do best here in 

 the rock garden in a position where they get plenty of light, 

 although they grow fairly well in the border in well-drained soil. 

 The blossoms or flower-heads of Helenium Hoopesii are still 

 in good condition on the same plants of which I wrote three 

 weeks ago. The lasting qualities of the flower-heads of this 

 handsome Composite are excellent. „ 



Botanic Garden, Harvard Univers ; ty. -«. Lameron. 



The Rock Garden. 



"THE rock garden continues attractive. Scattered patches of 

 ■*• the Alpine Bugle, Ajuga Genevensis, are very handsome, 

 and no blue-flowered rock plant can compare with it in depth 

 of color — a rich indigo-blue. This species is the best of the 

 genus, but all are pretty. A. pyramidalis is a giant among 

 them, with spikes nearly a foot long, in whorls of light blue, 

 labiate flowers. A bronzy leaved form of A. pyramidalis is 

 used extensively in England for spring bedding. A. reptans, 

 in the typical form, is, perhaps, the least attractive, but the 

 white-flowered variety and the one with variegated leaves are 

 well worth growing. Gypsophila repens is neat and pretty at 

 all times. Just now its glaucous foliage is almost covered with 

 the small starry white flowers. G. cerastioides, from the Hima- 

 layas, is scarcely hardy ; whatever growth is made in summer 

 is lost in winter, and it soon dies out. Some Rock Roses 

 (Helianthemum) were lost last winter in exposed places. The 

 orange-colored varieties appear to be hardier than the purple 

 varieties. Callirrhoe involucrata, the Poppy Mallow of the 

 west, is one of the prettiest of trailing plants. The stems are 

 annual, and all start from a parsnip-like root-stock. The flow- 

 ers are rose-colored, with a white centre, and arise, scape-like, 

 from the axils of the leaves, throughout the length of the 

 stems, from spring until autumn. It is an admirable little 

 plant and can be confidently recommended for planting on 

 rather dry slopes. The roots die out in a few years, but there 

 are always seedlings enough to take their places. Poppies are 

 general favorites. Though many of them are strictly border 

 plants, all fit in well in the bolder groups on the rock garden. 

 Blue Columbines, yellow Day Lilies and scarlet Poppies, espe- 

 cially the new hybrids of P. orientale, all go well together. In 

 another group we may have the yellow Foxglove, Digitalis 

 ambigua, Geranium Ibericum platypetalum, Violets with hand- 

 somely digitately palmate leaves, and Iceland Poppies. Such 

 groups among carpets of Phlox subulata and other plants 

 which scarcely rise above the ground make very interesting 

 contrasts. 



Aster alpinus speciosus is by far the best of all the dwarf 

 perennial Asters. The flowers are nearly two inches in diam- 

 eter, with a large yellow disk and mauve-colored ray-florets. 

 It is hard to distinguish many of the single-flowered Dianthus, 

 especially those with deeply fringed flowers, and which come 

 from the Alps of Europe. D. arenarius, D. Monspessulanus, 

 D. fragrans, D. suavis and D. squarrosus are names of 

 kinds we have had. These varieties have merged so much in 

 the seedling forms that it is difficult to make sure of their iden- 

 tity. D. atrorubens is distinct, with heads of deep red flow- 

 ers ; D. latifolius is a strong-growing kind, with large flowers. 

 The Indian Pink, D. Chinensis, common now, is really beauti- 

 ful, especially the single varieties. Although grown mostly 

 as annuals, we have had plants live for several years. D. del- 

 toides, the Maiden's Pink, is beautiful, and when once estab- 

 lished takes care of itself. The Fire Pink, Silene Virginica, 

 does well here. It must be allowed to run wild, as under cul- 

 tivation it is difficult to grow. It is little more than a biennial, 

 and it needs to be planted where it can sow itself freely. It is 

 now perfectly at home in shady spots it has found for itself. 



Astragalus Monspessulanus is represented here now by only 

 one good plant. This subshrubby member of the Milk Vetch 

 family should last for years, and go on increasing in size if 

 favorably situated. Evidently we have not yet found its needs. 

 It is uncertain whether summer's heat or winter's cold does most 

 harm ; it is to be noted, however, that the plants ripen prema- 

 turely, and it may be that the summers are too hot. The leaves 

 are handsomely pinnate and arise from a creeping root-stock. 

 The pink, pea-like flowers occur in short, decumbent spikes 

 laid among the leaves with pretty effect. Violas include an 

 interesting number of varieties and hybrids of Viola cornuta 

 in white, yellow, violet and purple colors. They are showy, 

 but short-lived ; generally we have plenty of seedlings. The 



