October 17, 1894.] 



Garden and Forest. 



417 



of pine boughs or needles. Leaf-growth begins in April, when 

 still further dressing can be given, stirring the manure into 

 the ground among the plants. The leaves grow a foot or more 

 high ; plenty of room should, therefore, be given for them to 

 expand, while free access to air and light conduces to the 

 good development of the plants. With the leaves come the 

 seed-pods, which should be at once removed, to prevent unnec- 

 essary labor to the plant, unless needed for new stock. Ordi- 

 nary propagation is by division, but the bulbs are so cheap it 

 is better to buy them. Treated in this way, never lifting them 

 in early summer, as Tulips and Hyacinths are sometimes 

 lifted, they will continue to flower for several years ; when 

 they do begin to deteriorate they must be dug, separated and 

 replanted, just after the leaves turn yellow in July. 



Colchicum autumnale and its varieties are the best known ; 

 the type is a bright, light purple, with white throat ; the variety 

 album is a good pure white ; atropurpurea is dark purple ; 

 variegatum has checkered flowers, but not variegated leaves, 

 as is sometimes thought; there is also a double purple and a 

 double white. 



Colchicum speciosum is finer, larger, and of better color, 

 shape and substance than the preceding. It is easily handled, 

 perfectly hardy, and in every way a most desirable plant. It is 

 a native of the Caucasus, and is described and figured in the 

 London Garden, vol. xi., page 548, a colored plate. 



Colchicum Parkinsoni, figured in Parkinson's Paradisus 

 Terrestris (1629), p. 155, has curious checkered or tessellated 

 flowers, with comparatively low and wavy foliage. It makes 

 a pleasing variety to the group, but is not so easily grown as 

 the others. 



There are still other species obtainable, some of which 

 bloom in spring; these are hardly suitable for ordinary cul- 

 tivation. 



Colchicum autumnale has been used in medicine as a 

 remedy against gout. Toxic qualities are ascribed to the 

 corms, and curious tales are told, unverified here, of the 

 color-effects on one's fingers if they are brought nearly in con- 

 tact with the flower at certain stages of its bloom ; it is said 

 they will turn " a livid greenish yellow " or a " bright saffron." 



Autumn Crocuses. — Another class of autumn-flowering plants 

 is found in this genus. The general characters are much the 

 same as shown in the spring-blooming kinds, but there is not 

 the same variety in coloring. They are in flower from the 

 middle of September, through October, and occasionally into 

 November. Cultural directions are the same as given above 

 for Colchicums ; there is generally a leaf-growth in autumn, 

 which, however, need cause no anxiety, as the foliage is 

 apparently unhurt by frost. 



Crocus speciosus is, in my opinion, the best; it is now, 

 October 3d, in full bloom, of a bluish purple color, with white 

 marks, very delicate in tone, far surpassing the better-known 

 spring-flowering species. The stigmas are large and of a 

 vivid orange color, which blends well with the purple of the 

 petals, making altogether a very bright appearance in the gar- 

 den. Like the Colchicums, they should never be lifted until 

 they need to be separated because overcrowded ; they also 

 should be planted in masses. The bulbs are inexpensive ; it 

 seems unaccountable that such a lovely plant should be so 

 uncommon in gardens. 



Crocus sativus is not as satisfactory a plant as the preceding ; 

 the coloring, shape and texture of the petals are inferior, and it 

 is neither so abundant a bloomer nor so easily handled. This 

 is the true saffron ; it is from the stigmas of this plant that the 

 saffron dye of the classical writers was obtained, as many as 

 4.000 flowers being required to make a single ounce. There 

 is another plant known sometimes as Saffron in our gardens, 

 Carthamnus tinctoria, which belongs to the Compositse. 



Crocus Boryi, white, with a yellow throat, and C. zonatus, C. 

 nudirlorus, C. pulchellus, C. Byzantinus of various shades of 

 lilac, with white and yellow markings, the large characteristic 

 orange stigmas always being in evidence, are other species 

 hardy here and easily obtained. Krelarge and Van Tubergen 

 offer still other sorts, all inexpensive. In the London Garden, 

 vol. xxx., page 476, there is a colored plate and description 

 of thirteen varieties. 



Since these Colchicums and Crocuses have no foliage of 

 their own when flowering, the bloom springing directly from 

 the bare earth, it is well to provide some low-growing plant as 

 a carpet. English Ivy is recommended, where it proves 

 hardy ; Lysimachia nummularia and some Sedums are excel- 

 lent ; a low-growing Artemisia, A. rupestris, A. alpina or A. 

 frigida, might be used ; Periwinkle, Vinca minor, is too 

 dense. 



Zephyranthes Candida is tender here in the open air, but 

 would probably be hardy farther south ; it is a lovely pure 



white Crocus-like plant, blooming freely in pots during 

 September. 



Amaryllis belladonna, var. Hallii, is apparently a hardy 

 form of the well-known Belladonna Lily ; it is rare in cultiva- 

 tion, and should be more frequently used. A. belladonna 

 itself is sometimes found fairly well established in the open 

 air in this neighborhood. The bulbs should be planted deep 

 in well-drained soil in a sheltered, but sunny, situation, and 

 carefully covered in winter. The flowers come in August, 

 after the leaves, which make their appearance the middle of 

 May, have died down. Whenever, as is sometimes the case, 

 there is a large stock of bulbs on hand, this experiment is well 

 worth trying. 



Sternbergia (Amaryllis) lutea, a beautiful bright yellow, 

 Crocus-Amaryllis like flower, has proved hardy for several 

 seasons in this vicinity. It blooms in October, but not pro- 

 fusely. It should have every advantage of soil and position, 

 and good covering in winter. The leaf-growth, made while 

 in flower and after, is apparently uninjured by frost. 



Jamaica Plain, Mass. B. M. Watson, Jr. 



Autumn-flowering Perennial Plants. — II. 



A T this time, and for some time past, a pretty specimen of 

 ■'*- Zauschneria Californica, the so-called Californian Fuchsia, 

 has been in bloom here. It is a beautiful plant, forming a 

 small bushy shrub about two feet high, with erect branches 

 and drooping points. The sessile leaves are linear lanceolate, 

 the lower ones opposite, and those on the branches are alter- 

 nate. The flowers resemble those of a Fuchsia with exserted 

 style and stamens ; they are bright red, and are produced in loose 

 spikes terminating the branches. The plants grown here are 

 wintered over in a cold frame and planted out early in spring 

 in a sunny border of a light sandy soil. This plant is apt to 

 get long and leggy ; but if the points of the young shoots are 

 picked out once or twice during early summer it will form a 

 neat, compact bush before the flowering season. It should be 

 set in a sunny spot, where it will bloom early and continue 

 until the frost destroys its blooms. 



Zauschneria is easily propagated, it strikes easily from cut- 

 tings, which are taken in early autumn and wintered in a cold 

 frame and planted into the border in April. It can also be in- 

 creased by division of the old plants or by seeds. The seeds, 

 if sown early in a little heat and grown on, will flower the same 

 year. This plant is common in southern and lower California, 

 and although it is such a fine autumn-blooming plant it is sel- 

 dom seen in our gardens in the eastern states. 



In a sheltered position, and where it is well covered over 

 with Beech leaves in winter, there is a fine clump of Salvia 

 azurea grandiflora at its best now. Few plants at this time are 

 as handsome as this one, if well grown. Although there are 

 many species of Salvia of the more tender sorts now in bloom, 

 there are none so distinct and conspicuous as this one 

 with its large azure-blue flowers. The plants in flower are 

 about four feet high, and the lower part of the stem is 

 clothed with lanceolate leaves, while the leaves on the upper 

 part of the stem are linear. The flowers, which open in suc- 

 cession, are produced in spikes six to nine inches long, and 

 last for a long time in bloom. I have seen this plant used in 

 England as a pot-plant, and it was useful for brightening up 

 the conservatory before the Chrysanthemums came into 

 bloom. The plants used in this way were raised from cut- 

 tings in spring and grown on in pots. During the summer the 

 young shoots were stopped once or twice, so as to make them 

 nice, compact, bushy plants. When staked neatly and arranged 

 in groups among other plants in the conservatory they were 

 very effective. It is a native plant and is found growing from 

 Nebraska to Texas and Colorado. 



The plants that I have seen at different places of Phygelius 

 Capensis have flowered much better than usual this season. 

 At this time the long branching racemes of brilliant scarlet 

 flowers are very ornamental. This is a half-shrubby plant, 

 with much the habit of some of our Pentstemons, and grows 

 about three feet high. It grows rapidly in a rich, light soil, 

 and is increased either by division or by cuttings. It is a 

 native of South Africa, and although not quite hardy, yet it 

 deserves a place in a cold frame in winter, and can be planted 

 out where desired in spring. 



From August until the frost destroys its flowers in Novem- 

 ber, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (Plumbago Larpentee) is one 

 mass of deep blue flowers. It is a neat dwarf plant, its wiry 

 stems forming neat tufts from six to nine inches high. The 

 dwarf habit suits it admirably as a rock-garden plant, and in 

 sunny, warm borders it makes a good plant for the front row 

 among other low-growing plants. It has stood in our rock- 



