A YEAR'S GARDENING 



compact in habit, and bearing lovely flowers of reddish-purple with 

 yellow centres. It thrives in any well-drained soil. 



POLYGONATUM (Solomon's Seal). The ordinary and most 

 commonly grown variety is P. multiflorum, with graceful, (hrooping 

 stems from 2 to 3 feet high, from the upper side of which spring the 

 leaves, while from beneath hang bunches of beU-like white flowers. 

 It is quite hardy, but flourishes best in moist soil and in some shady 

 spot. P. latifoUum is the old broad-leaved sort; it is of robust 

 growth, the stems being often 3 to 4 feet high, with fine leaves and 

 greenish-white flowers. P. japonicum is a distinct species, flowering 

 early in AprU and growing about 2 feet high, with flowers of purplish- 

 white. 



POLYGONUM (Knoiweed). A very large and varied family, 

 some of which are useful for the garden, especially as waterside plants. 

 Of such are P. chinense, of compact habit and throwing up good 

 sprays of white flowers, and P. sachalinense, a fine perennial with large 

 leaves sometimes a foot in length, and bearing drooping racemes of 

 greenish- white flowers. For the wild garden P. cuspidatum, with its 

 profusion of creamy-white flowers and its persistent growth, is useful; 

 while P. baldscfmanicum, with its pink-hued flowers and rosy fruit, 

 has a fine effect as a climber both in summer and autumn. 



POPPY. See Papaver. 



PORTULACA. A most valuable half-hardy annual, excelling 

 in the brilliancy and diversity of its colour, which ranges from white 

 through innimierable shades of red and yellow. It thrives alike in 

 a poor, dry soil and in the well-manured border, but it must have a 

 sunny aspect. There are both double and single kinds, and the 

 varieties in each have become so numerous that the attempt to name 

 them has almost been abandoned, mixed seeds being generally used. 

 Although classed as a half-hardy annual, the seed may be sown in the 

 open during the latter half of May; the more general plan, however, 

 being to sow in a warm frame and prick off and plant out as soon as 

 weather permits. 



POTENTILLA {Cinquefoil). A large family in which are found 

 some useful hardy perennials and pretty Alpine plants. The her- 

 baceous variety includes some fine plants, notably P. nepolensis, 

 growing some 18 inches high and bearing flowers of a beautiful 

 crimson colour. P. Hopwoodiana is slightly taller, with large flowers 

 of rose and yellow. Both these are single varieties, but the double 



242 



