174 



The Garden Magazine, December, 1919 



in June with the Irises, Custard Lilies and Oriental Poppies, 

 sending up tall stems from a mat of light green leaves, topped 

 by lace-like flower heads, pinkish-gray in color and deli- 

 ciously fragrant. It is rather a rampant spreader, but, as it 

 is shallow rooting, it is not difficult to eradicate when too per- 

 vasive; and no flower of its season gives so light and gracious 

 a touch to the overflowing June borders. Clary too (Salvia 

 Sclarea), has a place in the ancient poem. This plant, 

 (known also as Oculus Christi, Clear Eyes, and See-bright) 

 was a famous eye remedy of early times. To-day it ministers 

 to the eye by being its handsome self. It is a strong-growing 

 biennial plant, forming a large tuft of leaves from which 

 rises a stout leafy stem, terminating in a spike of pale lavender 

 flowers. It blooms at midsummer. 



One more plant on Ion Gardener's list is deserving of note 

 because, though of real merit, it is seldom seen nowadays. 

 This is Borage (Borage offici- 

 nalis), first cousin to the An- 

 chusas, Forget-me-nots, Lung- 

 worts, Blue-eyed Mary and 

 many another beloved blue 

 flower. It is an annual, but once 

 sown it, will give no further 

 trouble for it self-sows with 

 sufficient freedom to keep up 

 a supply. The whole plant 

 is grayish in color and slightly 

 hairy and the bright blue 

 flowers are of a quaint and cur- 

 ious shape, once much copied 

 in embroidery. Borage is the 

 old herb of courage and a high 

 heart. To eat the leaves once 

 drove away sorrow and made 

 the mind glad. Syrup of 

 Borage flowers "quieteth the 

 phrentick and lunatick per- 

 son." To-day we may chop the 

 leaves upon a simple salad 

 and enjoy a gastronomic treat, 

 and the quaint blue flowers, 

 beloved of the bees, cannot 

 fail to bring pleasure to the 

 eyes. 



Another old fashioned an- 

 nual, but not quite ancient 

 enough to be named in the 

 fifteenth century poem, is the 

 Spanish or Bastard Saffron 

 (Carthamus tinctorius). For 

 a long time 1 have continued 

 to sow it every few years for 

 the pleasure of its spiny foliage 

 and curious thistle-like flower 

 heads that are, says . Parkin- 

 son, "of a most orient shin- 

 ing colour." New England 

 gardens of a few generations 

 ago always had a generous 

 bed of Saffron, but until this 

 summer passing through the 



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DELIGHTFUL ASSOCIATE OF THE HOARY SOUTHERNWOOD 

 But the combination of it with this great white Lily 

 (Lilium candidum) is rarely seen nowadays, though 

 in old gardens they were often close companions 



mill section of Bridgeport, Conn., I had never seen it in 

 any garden but my own. 



BESIDES these very anciently grown flowers, there are 

 many with a few hundred years of human companion- 

 ship and service to their credit that are being sadly neglected. 

 One of these is Honesty or White Satin, or Moon-wort, or 

 Pope's Money, or Money-in-both-pockets — whichever quaint 

 appellation you prefer. Botanically it is Lunaria biennis, 

 and adds to its other good qualities a willingness to grow in 

 the shade. The type plant bears blossoms that are undenia- 

 bly magenta in color, but there is also a white variety for 

 the prejudiced. Its large flat shining seed receptacles are 

 not the least of its attractions and are of perennial interest 

 to children. These, if not all gathered for winter indoor 

 decoration, or "play money," self-sow freely so that, like 



Foxgloves, they are no trouble 

 at all. Honesty blooms early 

 with such other old friends as 

 Jacob's Ladder and Lungworts 

 and should not be omitted 

 when the seed list is compiled 

 this winter. 



Fraxinella or Dittany (Dict- 

 amnus albus) is a plant of old 

 times that is perhaps not so 

 greatly neglected as those men- 

 tioned, but is yet not generally 

 grown. The white-flowered 

 type is one of the handsomest 

 and most useful, plants I 

 know; the pink of the variety 

 ruber is rather weak. The 

 dark shiny foliage remains in 

 good condition all through 

 the season. These plants dis- 

 like above all things to be 

 moved. Once settled in a 

 sunny position, in good rich 

 ground, they should not be 

 disturbed; and thus considered, 

 they will outlast whole genera- 

 tions of mere humans. 



Spiderwort (Tradescantia 

 virginica), is old fashioned 

 enough both in fact and ap- 

 pearance, but its spreading pro- 

 clivities make it unsafe com- 

 pany for choicer flowers. This 

 would be true also of Sweet 

 Rocket (Hesperis matronalis), 

 were it not that its prodigally 

 sown seedlings are easily dealt 

 with, while it is almost impos- 

 sible toeradicate the determin- 

 edly spreading roots of the Spi- 

 derwort. Rockets are consid- 

 ered rather common now, but 

 the white ones are charming 

 among clumps of Custard Lilies 

 or Oriental Poppies in half 



