A YEAR'S GARDENING 



It is a pretty little evergreen, low-growing (as its name indicates) 

 shrub, bearing a profusion of flowers of intense blue, delicately 

 striped, and on a sandy bank or in the Rock Garden, with a little 

 coaxing by judicious application of manure, it wiU soon develop into 

 a fine spreading mass a foot or so high. It is easily propagated by 

 cuttings. 



LOBELIA. This popular plant may be roughly divided into 

 three classes — the compact or dwarf kind, the free-growing, spread- 

 ing kind, and the tall perennials. It is the dwarf kind which is 

 chiefly used for " bedding out," being sown in winter under glass and 

 transplanted into boxes for further growth until sufiiciently estab- 

 lished for sale when the " bedding-out " season arrives, while in the 

 same way the spreading varieties are raised for filling hanging baskets 

 and providing edgings for •window-boxes. Various shades of blue 

 as well as white may be had in both these kinds, catalogued under 

 such names as Crystal Palace Compact, Emperor William, Pumila 

 Grandi flora and Magnifica, Prima Donna (a red variety), Speciosa 

 Alba, Speciosa Paxtonia, etc. Fine examples of the tall perennials 

 are found in L. splendens, L. syphilitica, and L. cardinalis, and they 

 are very valuable for the garden as autumn flowers. But they are 

 only fairly hardy, and except in warm districts they need some pro- 

 tection during the winter, being injuriously affected by moisture 

 in cold weather. For that reason it is generally wise to lift them 

 after flowering and store them in a dry outhouse or frame, though 

 t^ey may sometimes be sufficiently protected by covering the crowns 

 with a mound of ashes. They need a rich, free soil and plenty of 

 water during the summer; in fact L. cardinalis (perhaps the least 

 hardy of the three) is naturally a marsh-growing plant. 



LONDON PRIDE. See Saxifraga. 



LONICERA [Honeysuckle). The Honeysuckle is chiefly useful 

 in the garden as a climber, though there are some good bush kinds, 

 such as L. fragrantissima and L. Standishi, in both of which the 

 flowers, if small, are abundant and beautifully fragrant. Among 

 the climbers L. sempervirens (the Trumpet Honeysuckle) may per- 

 haps be said to bear the palm, though not quite hardy enough to 

 endure the winter without some protection in cold districts. AU 

 through the summer it bears fine clusters of long, trumpet-shaped 

 flowers, which are almost scarlet inside and delicate yellow within, 

 while in addition to being a vigorous climber it will remain evergreen 

 in a warm situation. L. japonica (Japan Honeysuckle) is perfectly 

 hardy and retains its leaves of deep, shining green throughout the 



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