230 THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



suitable for covering trellises, &c, or for hiding unsightly 

 objects. There is a- variegated form, with cream, silver, and 

 green foliage. 



Hymenoxys californica, also known as Shortia californica 

 has a tufted habit. It grows 6in. high, and produces sheets of 

 Daisy-like, bright-yellow flowers, with rich golden centres. An 

 autumn sowing in light dry soil will produce a brilliant dis- 

 play in spring, whilst a batch of spring-sown plants are charming 

 during the summer. 



Ionopsidium acaule (Violet Cress) is a lovely miniature annual, 

 2in. high, and forming dense tufts of foliage, literally smothered 

 with tiny pale lilac flowers. It is very neat in habit, and thrives 

 best in damp or shady situations, such as the foot of rockwork, 

 on old shady walls, &c. ; for sowing near rugged steps it is 

 particularly suitable. It flowers in eight or nine weeks from the 

 time of sowing, and very often reproduces itself year after year 

 by self-sowing. 



Kaulfussia amelloides is a compact annual, suitable for 

 edgings, fronts of borders, rockwork, &c. ; it also forms a 

 "carpet" plant for beds of taller subjects. It grows about 

 6in. high, and produces its pretty Aster-like flowers in June. In 

 the typical plant they are of a soft azure-blue tint, but in the 

 varieties they differ in colour, some being white, others rose, 

 scarlet, and violet. Although this plant goes under the name of 

 Kaulfussia amelloides in nurserymen's catalogues, its proper name 

 is Charieis heterophylla, Kaulfussia being a genus of Ferns, . 



Larkspurs (Delphiniums). — The annual Larkspurs are attrac- 

 tive summer bedding-plants, producing a wealth of beauty in 

 their bright-coloured flowers ; they are very, effective in borders, 

 and when planted amongst shrubs, their flowers of various shades 

 of white, rose, blue, and purple show off to advantage. They 

 vary much in habit, some being from 3ft. to 4ft. high, whilst 

 others do not exeed ift. in height ; the flowers last for a long 

 time, and are much valued for vase-work. 



The seed should be sown in March or April, in the positions 

 where the plants are intended to remain, and the seedlings 

 thinned out to 4m. or sin. apart. The branching kinds are 

 often sown in the autumn in a light border, and transplanted 

 into their flowering quarters about March, taking care to lift 

 with as good balls as possible. Slugs seem very fond of Lark- 

 spurs, and consequently a constant look-out must be kept for 

 them ; this is especially needful in the case of the autumn-sown 

 seedlings, or they will all disappear before spring. These annual 

 Delphiniums are divided into several groups ; • for instance, we 

 have the Ranunculus-flowered, the Hyacinth-flowered, the Stock- 

 flowered, and the branching-stemmed kind. The Ranunculus- 

 and Stock-flowered may be obtained in mixed double varieties, 



