COMMON GARDEN FLOWERS. 



139 



air, and also in imparting that nut-brown maturity 

 to the wood, the heat possible preparation to meet the 

 colds of winter and spring, and the surest promise of 

 a fine crop of fruit the succeeding season. 



Fig. 14 gives a fair iUustratiou of how spare lights 

 can he placed against Peach or other walls, and from 

 these simple beginnings have sprung forth all the 

 full crop of glass copings and screens for walls, or 

 coverings for fruit-ti-ees and Roses, and the angular or 

 semi-round glass protectors for placing over cordons 

 in the open. An enlargement of the original and 

 ancient triangular Pea-guard has proved one of the 

 best protectors for ground cordons, whilst for those 

 on walls nothing has proved more useful than a few 

 fi-ame-lights posted up against them. For the pro- 

 tection of groups or masses of choice semi-hardy 

 Alpine and other plants there is nothing to excel 

 small frames, with glass lights, or the other glass 

 contrivances described in these pages. 



Otter Fraanes liesides those of Glass.^ 

 For the purposes of mere protection, and the blanch- 

 ing of such products as Sea-kale and Endive, and the 

 forcing of Asparagus, frames covered with thin 

 wood, felt, paper (common brown and WiUesden), 

 canvas, calico, zinc, and other substances, have been 

 used. The bases of such frames are mostly far 

 rougher and simpler than those made for glass. 

 Two styles or rails merely nailed together, with a 

 centre style to keep the material from bulging in 

 the middle, is generally sufficient. On such frames 

 the material used must be tightly stretched and 

 nailed. If this is done in a dry state the frames 

 become, and long continue, tight as drums in actual 

 use. This extreme tension renders most of the 

 textile or other materials used almost water-tight, 

 while if stout canvas or calico is dressed with linseed 

 oil and beeswax it becomes virtually impervious, 

 and sufficiently transparent to preserve many plants 

 throughout the winter. Turf frames thatched 

 with reed and straw are also exceeding useful in 

 severe weather; these are more useful for mere 

 protection than actual cultivation, and are better 

 adapted for rendering glass frames frost-proof than 

 as substitutes for them. Even Russian mats nailed 

 on to wooden frames become far more useful than 

 appUed in the usual way, and will carry many semi- 

 tender plants through tho winter that would utterly 

 perish without them. When and where opaque 

 frames are used, every opportunity of genial weather 

 must be seized to expose the plants freely to the 

 light. Thus fortified at intervals, and kept as cool 

 and dormant as possible during severe weather — 

 conditions almost insured through the opacity of 

 the covering — the plants suffer little from spells of 

 darkness of a week's duration. But such structures 



are at best but the makeshifts of frame-culture, and 

 it only reaches perfection under glass lights, and 

 wooden sides and tops and bottoms. 



COMMON GAEDEN PLOWEES. 



Barren'wort (I^imedium). — One of the best- 

 known representatives of this is H. alpinum, the 

 Alpine Barrenwort, a beautiful, hardy plant, a native 

 of South and Eastern Europe, but naturalised in 

 woods and coppices in the North of England, &c. The 

 term Barrenwort is employed, according to Gerarde, 

 " because it is an enemy to conception, and not because 

 it is described by Dioscorides as being barren both of 

 flowers and leaves." Nevertheless, this belief in its 

 sterilising powers may be due to the remark of 

 Dioscorides, who must have meant some other plant, 

 for this seeds very freely in Styria and other parts of 

 Austria. A. alpimim is a dwarf evergreen herb, with 

 handsome foliage, and slender, creepicg root-stock 

 which scarcely penetrates the ground; the flowers 

 are produced in spring, colour purphsh, yellow on 

 the inside. H. pinnatum is the large yellow Barren- 

 wort, probably the handsomest species and strongest- 

 grown of the genus. It flowers late ia spring, or 

 early in summer, the blossoms large, and of a bright 

 golden-yellow colour. B. purpureum is so named on 

 account of its flowers, which are purplish on the 

 outside, brownish-yellow within, and twice as large 

 as those of B. alpinum. This is a Japanese species. 

 E. violaceum is also from Japan ; the flowers large, 

 numerous, and of a violet colour. There are a few 

 other species, but we have named those that are most 

 distinct. They form a lovely genus of dwarf-grow- 

 ing plants, taking the form of neat clumps, about 

 one foot in height, of long-stalked, leathery leaves, 

 and graceful panicles of lovely flowers. But if any 

 one would succeed with them, they must have special 

 treatment. They grow best in light, peaty soil, in a 

 partiaUy-shaded situation, and they are also well 

 adapted for pot-culture. On the shady parts of rook- 

 work they will grow and flower freely, provided they 

 be planted in proper soil. On the shady, warm slopes 

 of the unrivalled spring garden at Belvoir Castle, 

 Grantham, these Epimediums are used with great 

 effect, and in the months of April and May they are 

 objects of rare beauty. 



G-entian [Gentiana or Gentiamlla). — The name of 

 Gentiana, and its English form Gentian, was bestowed 

 by Dioscorides on some species of medicinal plants, 

 the virtues of which were believed to have been 

 discovered by Gentius, King of lUyria. Linnaeus 

 adopted it as a generic name, but it is doubtful if 



