BULBOUS PLANTS. 



155 



E. dens-canis (European Dog's-tooth Violet). — 

 This beautiful little plant is quite indispensable to 

 any garden, large or small, for much of the beauty 

 of the open border in early April is owing to the 

 numerous varieties of this charming flower. It is so 

 common, there is little need to describe it. It differs 

 from the rest of the Dog's-tooth Violets on account 

 of its oval leaves being most beautifully blotched 

 and mottled with emerald-green and a bronzy hue. 

 It is dwarf in growth, rarely rising above six inches 

 high. The flowers droop gracefully upon slender 

 stalks, and vary in colour from a deep rose-pink to 

 white. The chief named varieties are purpureum 

 maj'us, the largest-flowered deep-tinted kind, in- 

 clined to purple, roseum and roseum majtcs, album and 

 album maj'us, names expressive of their distinctive 

 colours. There is a distinct variety called longi- 

 folium, which has been in gardens for centuries. 

 It is recognised by its longer and less spotted leaves, 

 and larger flowers. The geographical varieties, 

 Sibiricum, found in Siberia, and Japonicum, a native 

 of Japan, are scarcely worth the general cultivator's 

 attention, seeing that both are inferior to the ordi- 

 nary European form. E. dens-canis ' is an easily- 

 grown plant, thriving best in an open sunny border, 

 in a sheltered spot, so that the delicate blooms are 

 not exposed to the harsh winds of March and April. 

 The best soil is a moist sandy loam, and it is partial 

 to a little peat in cold districts. 



E. giganteum is the noblest plant in the genus. 

 It is a native of Washington Territory and Van- 

 couver's Island, but, notwithstanding this, it is quite 

 hardy in this country. It is such a distinct plant 

 from the rest that no one can mistake it. The foli- 

 age is slightly mottled, and flowers are produced 

 solitary, on stalks from six inches to nine inches 

 high. They are about four inches across, with 

 reflexed sepals ; pure white with a ring of red in the 

 centre. It is often confused with the yellow E. 

 grandifiorum, but as the latter always bears more 

 than one flower on a stem, it may be distinguished 

 by this character alone. E. giganteum is a rare plant, 

 so that not much is known of its culture, but it 

 seems to thrive admirably in company with other 

 American species in a peaty soil. It is also called 

 E. maximum, E. speciosum, and E. grandijiorum, var. 

 albiflorum. 



E. grandiflorum is distinct from all the other culti- 

 vated Dog's-tooth Violets, on account of its having, 

 when fully developed, more than one flower on each 

 stem, there being sometimes as many as five or six, 

 though in weak bulbs there is frequently but one. 

 They are about two inches across, of a soft primrose- 

 yellow, with a central ring of red. It is very hand- 

 some, and as it is such a free-flowering plant, it pro- 

 duces a fine effect in the border. It often grows 



over a foot in height in moist peaty soils, in shady 

 spots, and continues to expand its flowers for several 

 weeks during April and May. 



E. purpurascens is a rare Calif ornian species, hav- 

 ing several flowers on each stem ; light yellow, tinged 

 with purple. E. revolutum is regarded either as a 

 synonym or a slight variety of E. purpurascens, and 

 somewhat similar is E. Hartivegi, also unknown in 

 cultivation. 



Culture. — As a general rule, the American Dog's- 

 tooth Violets may be looked upon as shade and peat 

 lovers, while the European dens-canis delights in an 

 open sunny border of light loam soil, though it does 

 not object to peat and shade. It is always advisable 

 to choose a spot where the plants would be sheltered 

 from cold northerly and easterly winds, which soon 

 spoil the flowers. The bulbs — which, by the way, 

 are long and slender (hence the name Dog's-tooth 

 Violet) — should be planted some two inches deep, 

 and when once the plants are thoroughly established 

 and appear to be thriving, they should not be dis- 

 turbed, except for the sake of increasing the stock, 

 which may be done by lifting the bulbs about mid- 

 summer, separating the bulblets, and re-planting the 

 parent bulbs immediately in fresh soil ; the bulblets, 

 if planted at once in a suitable spot, will soon grow 

 into a flowering size. Seeds are produced also ; but 

 as this is a slow way of propagation, it is not often 

 followed. A sunny sloping bank affords a capital 

 position for planting the dens-canis, even if the 

 bank is covered with grass, and for any part of the 

 rock-garden there is no prettier plant to be found. 

 The American species are not so hardy and vigorous 

 as the European species, therefore require a little 

 more attention. As a prevention against frost the 

 bulbs should be planted about three inches deep. 

 A partially shaded nook suits them best, screened 

 from the cold winds, but they should be planted 

 sufficiently away from large trees, otherwise these 

 would draw away from the peat bed the moisture 

 which is so essential to them. They may be increased 

 in a similar manner to the common kind, and like 

 it, they must not be left out of the ground long. 

 The American species usually flower about the latter 

 end of April and the beginning of May, therefore 

 are a few weeks later than E. dens-canis. Their 

 flowers are well adapted for cutting, as they endure 

 a considerable time in water. 



Eucharis. — In every garden containing a hot- 

 house the Eucharises are quite indispensable. No 

 other flowers surpass them in loveliness, being of 

 snowy whiteness, of wax-like texture, exquisite in 

 form, and borne in an elegant way in drooping clus- 

 ters, on sturdy, erect stems rising from a mass of 

 luxuriant foliage. The Eucharises are all the more 



