394 



THE GAKDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



it may be included here. Its twining, free -flowering 

 habit and large red blossoms make it a useful summer 

 climber. Seeds sown in light sandy soil in May ger- 



Fig. 494.— Linum grandiflorum. 



minate readily ; it is usual to raise them in heat and 

 transplant to the open ground in May. The leaves sting, 

 so that it requires careful handling. 



LOBELIA. — The South African L. Erinua has come to 

 play a very important part in the flower-garden in 

 summer. Numerous seedling varieties of it have origi- 

 nated in gardens; they are dwarf and compact, and very 

 floriferous, and are largely employed for summer bedding. 

 Their colours include various shades of blue, crimson, and 

 purple, also white, the blue-flowered sorts being most 

 esteemed. They come fairly true from seeds, but the 

 white kinds have a tendency to revert to the type. Usu- 



Fig. 495— Lychnis Haageana. 



ally, however, when employed for bedding purposes, they 

 are propagated from cuttings, which strike freely in a little 

 warmth. Seeds should be sown in pans in a warm house 



or frame, where they quickly germinate. As soon as the 

 second pair of leaves are developed the seedlings may 

 be transplanted to other boxes, and grown on until large 

 enough to be hardened off before planting them in the open. 

 Some of the most popular varieties are Blue Stone, Crystal 

 Palace compacta, Emperor William, pumila magnitica, 

 &c, blue ; Prima Donna, crimson ; Royal Purple, purple ; 

 White Gem, White Lady, and White Perfection, white. 



Lupinus. — It would be difficult to trace the parentage 

 of the garden Lupins ; probably, however, most of them 

 have sprung from L. hirsutas, L. luteus, L. inutabilis, L. 

 nanus, and L. polyphyllm. They are free-blooming gener- 

 ally, but their flowers are of short duration. The prettiest 

 of the dwarf sorts are the forms of the blue - flowered 

 L. nanus. The seeds of this are much smaller than those 

 of other species and varieties. A selection of good sorts 

 would include Cruikshanhii, subcarnosus, hybridus coc- 



Fig 49(5.— Ten-week Stock. 



chieus, superbus, and Dunnettii. The seeds should be 

 sown in the border in April. 



Lychnis viscaria and the few varieties derived from 

 it are useful when treated as annuals, such forms as 

 cardinalis and occulata being quite showy while they 

 last. They average about a foot in height, and will grow 

 and bloom freely in moist soils. L. fulgens and its variety 

 Haageana (fig. 495) may also be grown as annuals in the 

 warmer parts of the country by sowing the seeds in heat 

 in early spring and planting the seedlings in a sunny bed 

 or border of light soil in June. They have sturdy stems 

 and leaves, and large flat Dianthus-like flowers of a bright- 

 red colour. 



Malcolmia maritima (Virginian Stock). — One of the 

 prettiest of hardy annuals, being dwarf, profuse, and 

 quick to bloom, and doing well in almost any soil and 

 position, even in gardens in some of the most densely- 

 populated districts of London, where but very few annuals 

 will thrive. There are varieties with rose, crimson, white, 

 and yellow flowers. It will sow itself where it has 

 flowered, come up, and bloom the same season. Few 

 annuals so well deserve a place in the garden. 



