636 



THE GAEDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



lowed by summer Chrysanthemums or Michaelmas 

 Daisies. There are, however, at least two good white 

 perpetual - flowering varieties, viz. Princess Alice and 

 Veitch's New White 

 Perpetual, which have 

 immense spikes and 

 continue to flower 

 until late in the sea- 

 son. 



MoNTBRETTA Or 



Crocosmia aurea and 

 its forms are hardy, 

 very free in growth 

 in any ordinary soil, 

 and they flower freely 

 all summer. They 

 soon cover a large 

 area if left undis- 

 turbed. In cold dis- 

 tricts they should be 

 lifted, and the bulbs 

 and stolons stored in 

 dry soil in a shed for 

 the winter, replanting 

 them in the bed or 

 border in April. They 

 vary in colour from 

 orange to crimson and 

 yellow, and they grow 

 from 18 inches to 

 2 feet high. 



Neirembergia gra- 

 cilis is a pretty trail- 

 ing plant with slen- 

 der leaves and white 

 and purple flowers on 

 thread-like stalks, and 

 is very ornamental in 

 a light warm soil 



fully exposed to the sun. Useful for vases. 

 by cuttings in spring in heat. 



Pelargonium. — The king of bedding-plants, whether 

 considered for its flowers or for its beautifully variegated 

 Leaves. Of those grown only for their flowers the best 

 beddersare: — Scarlet — Vesuvius, John Gibbons, Triomphe 

 de Stella, West Brighton Gem; crimson — Henry Jacoby, 

 Rev. Atkinson, and M. Myriel ; pink — Master Christine, 

 Mrs. Henry Cannell, Beckwith's Pink, and Mrs. W. 

 Brown; salmon — Lucy Mason, Surprise and Mrs. Holford; 

 white — Snowdon and Albion. Those grown for their 

 foliage are: — Silver-edged — Flower of Spring. The Bride, 

 Bijou, and Dandy; golden-leaved — Crystal Palace Gem, 

 Verona, and Robert Fish ; golden tricolor — Mrs. Pollock, 

 Mr. H. Cox, and Prince of Wales; bronze — Zulu, Bronze 

 Queen, and Best Bronze. Among the best of the Ivy- 

 leaved varieties are Souvenir de C. Turner, deep rosy-pink; 

 H. Cannell, rosy-scarlet; Ryecroft Surprise, salmon-pink; 

 Beauty of Jersey, scarlet ; Madame Crousse, pale-pink ; 

 Jeanne d'Arc, white suffused lavender; Madame Thibaut, 

 deep-pink ; and Mignon, salmon. Aureum marginatum, 

 l'Elegante, and Duke of Edinburgh are variegated forms 

 of the Ivy-leaved section. All bedding Pelargoniums 

 should be propagated from cuttings in August to obtain 

 strong plants before the winter. The tricolor varieties 

 should be wintered in a warm dry house or frame ; cut- 

 tings may be rooted with facility in heat in spring. 



Pentstemon. — The improved forms now in cultivation 

 are among the most valuable of all bedding-plants, as 



■Lobel 



Propagated 



they form compact, sturdy bushes 18 inches or so high, 

 and flower freely till winter ; their colours are various 

 shades of rose, pink, scarlet, purple, lilac, and white. 

 They succeed best in a good loam enriched with manure. 

 The named kinds must be propagated from cuttings in 

 September in a cold frame, where they should remain for 

 the winter ; and if put out in April they will begin to 

 flower in June. Mixed varieties are raised from seeds. 



Perilla nankinensis (fig. 764).— A purplish-leaved, half- 

 hardy annual, much used in summer bedding. Atropur- 

 pureus is a variety with darker laciniate foliage, a very 

 elegant plant; macrophylla compacta is dwarf with curled 

 foliage, useful for ribbon borders. Propagated by seeds 

 sown in heat in February. 



Petunia. — Half-hardy perennials, which have been 

 considerably improved of late years, and now rank among 

 the best of summer-flowering plants for the out-door 

 garden, being very showy and floriferous. There are 

 many named varieties, some of the best being — Delicata, 

 white, striped purple ; Miss Amy, crimson and white ; 

 Spitfire, dark purplish-crimson; Dr. Hogg, purple with 

 white throat; and Countess of Ellesmere, rosy-crimson 

 with light throat. Propagated from cuttings in August. 

 Excellent varieties may be had from a good strain of 

 seeds sown in March in heat, and the plants grown on in 

 pots in a sunny frame until they flower, when the colours 

 may be sorted. 



Phlox. — The erect perennial species form magnificent 

 beds where tall plants are admissible ; there are many 

 beautiful varieties varying in height from a foot to 3 feet 

 (see special article on p. 487 )• Propagated by division 

 or cuttings in spring. P. Druvimondii in its many forms 

 is also very useful, rara compacta, Sunrise, and Snowball 

 being specially suitable for edging small beds. Propagated 

 by seeds sown in March. 



Plumbago capensis, a half-hardy shrub, is invaluable 

 for planting out in summer, its lovely pale-blue flowers 

 being produced very freely in clusters throughout the 

 season. Small plants are suitable for edgings. Larpcntce, 

 a hardy perennial, 8 inches high, with trusses of deep- 

 blue flowers changing to violet, is a fine edging plant for 





Fig. 764.— Perilla nankinensis. 



slightly-raised beds. Increased by division in early spring. 

 Propagated from cuttings in heat. 



Polemonium cosruleurn and the variety variegatum are 



