SUMMER BEDDING. 



635 



autumn. Some of the best are — Lye's Rival, red sej^als 

 and purple corolla; Lye's Own, white sepals and red 

 corolla; Madame Corneillison, scarlet sepals and white 

 corolla ; Beauty of Trowbridge, white sepals and pink 

 corolla ; Wave of Life, a dwarf golden - leaved variety, 

 scarlet sepals and violet corolla ; Meteor and Sunray are 

 two good dwarf variegated kinds. Riccartoni, globosa, 

 and corallina form good permanent beds or specimen 

 plants. Propagated by cuttings. 



GrAiLLARDiA grandiflora. — A beautiful hardy perennial 

 with lanceolate leaves, and large orange flowers with 

 crimson centre, from 2 to 3 feet in height; deserves to be 

 more extensively cultivated. The old flower-heads should 

 be removed to promote continual flowering. Cuttings 

 make the best bedding-plants. 



Galtonia candlcans.—A very graceful bulbous plant, 

 with Hyacinth-like leaves, producing tall, erect scapes of 

 pendulous, funnel-shaped, pure-white flowers. Planted in 

 mass they are very effective. The bulbs may be left in 

 the ground all winter. Propagation from seed or division. 



Gazanta splendens.— A beautiful trailing plant with 

 linear-spathulate leaves and large Marigold-like flower- 

 heads coloured bright -orange with zones of black and 

 white ; they open only in sunny weather. A very useful 

 edging plant. There is a variegated form. Propagated 

 from cuttings in autumn. 



Gladiolus. — These should form prominent features in 

 every flower-garden, as they make a rich display of colour 

 during the summer and autumn if planted in masses or 

 mixed with other and shorter plants. 



Helenium pumilum. — A hardy perennial 18 inches 

 high, covered with golden -yellow flowers all the summer. 

 An excellent plant for permanent beds. Propagated by 

 division. 



Heliotrope, "Cherry Pie". — There are now many 

 varieties, from white to deep -violet. The best are- 

 Queen Marguerite, very large dark-blue; Swanley Giant, 

 bright -blue; President Garfield, bright mauve - purple ; 

 White Lady, pure-white ; Mina, medium-blue ; and Miss 

 Nightingale, purple. Propagated from cuttings struck in 

 heat in spring. 



Humea elegans (fig. 762). — An elegant plant, with fra- 

 grant, large, lanceolate leaves and tall gray-red flower- 

 spikes resembling grass-plumes, suitable for mixed beds 

 or planting singly. Requires a good rich soil. Seed should 

 be sown in heat in spring, and grown on in pots all 

 summer, then shifted into larger pots for flowering the 

 following summer. 



Impatlens bcdsamina. — There are varieties of this with 

 rose, cream, red, pink, or purple flowers which come true 

 from seeds sown in April in heat, and grown in rich soil 

 in pots to be bedded out in June. They frequently do 

 well until the middle of October. 



Iresine. — Half-hardy perennial plants, with purplish 

 foliage, growing about a foot in height. They require 

 warm, bright weather to develop their colour. /. Herbstii 

 has roundish purple leaves variegated with crimson ; 

 /. Lindeni has lanceolate flat dark-crimson leaves ; aurea 

 reticulata is striped and variegated with yellow. Bril- 

 liantissima and Wallisi are good plants for edging and 

 ribbon borders. Propagated from cuttings in heat in 

 spring. 



IsOTOMA axillaris. — A tufted, Lobelia-like plant, requir- 

 ing similar treatment, from 9 to 12 inches high, and 

 flowering profusely in the summer, its small flowers being 

 of a pale -blue colour. Propagated by cuttings in heat in 

 spring. 



Lantana. — Showy Verbena-like plants of erect shrubby 



habit. .Some of the best varieties are — La Xeige. pure- 

 white; Rutilant, deep-yellow; Ne Plus L'ltra, rosy-pink 

 shaded yellow; Distinction, bright orange-scarlet; Magenta 

 King, bright purple-scarlet; and Eclat, reddish- crimson 

 and orange. They flower freely and continuously all 

 summer, preferring a warm sunny position and good soil. 

 Propagated by cuttings in spring. 



Lathyrus odoratus. — The Sweet-pea forms showy beds 

 if not planted too thickly and provided with dwarf trellis - 

 work or short spray boughs. Seeds should be sown thinly 

 in pots, and each variety kept separate. If not allowed 

 to fruit they continue to flower till late in the year. 



Lilium. — Several species can be usefully employed as 

 bedding -plants, being most effective when mixed with 

 other things. The bulbs should be started in pots in 

 autumn and planted out in May to flower from July 

 onwards. A mixture of rich loam and a little peat suits 

 them best. L. auraturn, L. speciosum and its varieties ; 

 L. Harrisi, L. longiflorum, L. Brownii, L. croceum, and 

 L. tigrinum splenderis succeed with this treatment. 



Lobelia. — The varieties of L. Erinus used as bedding- 

 plants are numerous, those of dwarf tufted habit being 

 specially adapted for edging and carpet-bedding, whilst 

 the trailing kinds are useful for vases or for massing in 

 beds. Some of the best blues are — Barnard's Perpetual, 



i'ig. 762.— Humea elegans. 



Emperor William, Bluestone, Picotee, Swanley Blue, 

 King of the Blues, and Brilliant ; the best whites are — 

 Snowball, Mrs. Murphy, and nivea; aurea is a golden-leaved 

 variety with bright-blue flowers. Cuttings in autumn. 



L. fulgens (fig. 763) and its forms are tall peren- 

 nials of erect habit 2 to 3 feet high, with spikes of 

 brilliant crimson or magenta flowers and dark purplish 

 foliage ; they are invaluable for bedding. A particularly 

 gorgeous effect is produced by planting them amongst 

 variegated Alyssum or Dactylis. The fleshy root-stocks 

 should be taken up in October and stored in a cold 

 frame in boxes of light soil for the winter. Propagated 

 by division or seeds. 



Matthiola annua.— The Ten-week and Intermediate 

 Stocks are useful for bedding for early effects, to be fol- 



