368 



THE GAEDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



0. nutans. Green and white, 1 foot. Europe (Britain). 

 0. pyramidale. White, 18 inches. South Europe. 

 0. umbellatum. White, 18 inches. Europe, &c. (Britain). 

 And others. 



Ostrowskia magnified (Giant Bellflower) (fig. 452). — 

 The only species, native of Turkestan. The flowers are 



Fig. 452.— Ostrowskia magnifica. 



large, bell-shaped, and of a delicate purple colour, with 

 darker veins. It prefers a deep loamy soil, and even then 

 does not thrive in some gardens; it also needs extra care 

 in planting and protection. The large Parsnip-like roots 

 are fleshy and very brittle, so should be handled carefully, 

 and in winter protection should be given by means of a 

 hand-light or pine-needles strewn over the surface. 

 Height 3 to 5 feet. 



Oxalis. — A cosmopolitan genus of over 200 species, a 

 few of which are hardy. They are dwarf, pretty plants, 

 with fleshy tubers or root-stocks. The leaves are usually 

 trifoliate, but in 0. enneaphylla (fig. 453), one of the best 

 of the hardy kinds, the leaflets vary in number from 9 

 to 15. It bears large white flowers in May. Being a 

 native of the Falkland Islands, it should be given a moist 

 and shady position in the rock garden, protecting it from 

 excessive moisture in winter with a sheet of glass. Other 

 species are pretty enough for the garden, but they are apt 

 to become a nuisance, as they spread so rapidly by means 

 of seeds and bulbils and are not easily eradicated. 



Oxytropis. — Plants of the Pea family, nearly allied to 

 Astragalus, inhabiting the colder portions of the North 

 Temperate Zone. The flowers are purplish -lilac, blue, or 

 yellow; leaves silky and pinnate. A sandy loam suits 

 them in an open spot on the rockery. Propagation by 

 seeds or division. 



0. campestris. Lemon-yellow, 6 inches. Temperate regions 



0. pyrenaica. Lilac, 6 inches. Pyrenees. 



0. uralensis. Purple, 6 inches. Europe, &c. (Britain). 



Pasonia. — A genus of many species, varieties, and 

 hybrids ; excellent for massing in beds or for naturalizing 

 in the wild garden, &c. The young leaves in spring are 

 of a bronzy or red purple hue, and combine effectively 

 with the yellow trumpet Daffodils, which may be grown 

 in the same beds. The flowers, which are shades of crim- 

 son, pink, and white, develop in May, and keep up a 

 succession all through June. Paeonies should be planted 

 in autumn in loamy soil, and a heavy watering should be 

 given after planting. They are subject to a malignant 

 fungoid disease which attacks them in spring and de- 

 stroys all the young growths. Lime dressings may arrest 

 it. But prevention is better than cure, and in this case 

 excessive manuring is supposed to be the cause. If the 

 soil is good the plants are better without manure. They 

 can be left to take care of themselves for a dozen years 

 or so. The shoots should be well thinned as soon as 

 they can be handled, or the plants will be weakened 

 through excess of growth. (See also special chapter.) 



P. anomala. Rose-lilac. Siberia. 



P. arietina. Crimson. Orient. 



P. Bakeri. Crimson. 



P. Broteri. Crimson. Spain. 



P. corallina. Deep-crimson. Europe, &c. (Britain). 



P. decora. Crimson. Thrace, Asia Minor. 



P. officinalis and vars. Europe. 



Papaver. — Most useful plants for border, wild garden, 

 or rockery. P. orientate is the showiest and best. Its 

 flowers are large and pure scarlet. The var. bracteatum 

 is still larger, and is distinguished by black patches in 

 the form of a cross at the base of the petals. There are 

 several other forms, some of them crosses between P. 

 orientate and bracteatum. P. alpinum is a delightful 

 little alpine, the colours of its flowers ranging through 

 shades of rose, buff, orange, and yellow to white ; it con- 

 tinues to flower from May to September. P. nudicaule, 

 the Iceland Poppy, has pretty golden -yellow flowers on 



Fig. 453.— Oxalis enneaphylla. 



naked flower-stems 1 foot in height. See also under 

 Annuals. 



P. alpinum. Mixed, 6 inches. Europe. 



P. nudicaule. Golden-yellow, 1 foot. Alpine and Arctic 

 regions. 



P. orientale. Vivid scarlet, 1\ to 3 feet. Asia Minor. 



„ var. bracteatum. Deep-red, black blotches, 1\ feet. 



P. pilosum. Orange, 2 feet. Greece. 



