86 



FLORA AND SYLVA. 



blue of the Mediterranean, and around 

 and at one's feet that all-pervading 

 azure tapestry. 



The culture of the Hepatica is not 

 difficult, consisting rather of care in little 



details. The first is to 

 Culture. find the place and soil 



best suited ; if too heavy 

 the ground should be lightened by road- 

 scrapings and leaf-mould until it is po- 

 rous, well-drained, and deep enough for 

 themat oflong roots. When well planted 

 Hepaticas may be left for many years, 

 with only an occasional dressing of rot- 

 ten leaves or manure to correct their 

 tendency to rise out of theground ; they 

 should seldom be disturbed at the root, 

 but massed in a bold way where they can 

 be left untouched to spread in the true 

 woodland way, or, where a special bor- 

 der is prepared, it should be given up to 

 them. In time fine clumps will result, 

 glowing as a cushion of flowers in spring, 

 and,whenwell grown, sometimes a foot 

 across. When old tufts show exhaustion 

 by losing colour, they should be taken 

 up in early autumn before growth be- 

 gins, and after soaking in water, divided 

 into sections by carefully separating the 

 long black roots. If skilfully done the 

 plants soon recover the check and grow 

 with renewed vigour, and fresh rich soil 

 will always improve their flowers. 



As a whole the group is varied and 

 uncertain in colour,with flowers of blue, 

 purple, and lilac in many shades, pass- 

 ing through mauve to pink and deep 

 rose, with two or three forms of white 

 flowers. The shape of the flowers is no 

 less variable, composed of petals broad 

 or narrow, long or very short, nearly 



and includes flowers that 

 shaded and edged. The 



flat or again cup-shaped. The large va- 

 riety that may be grown from seed makes 

 the raising of seedlings very interesting, 

 and the most vigorous plants are to be 

 had in this way. The seed should be 

 sown as soon as ripe, either in the open 

 where it can be kept evenly moist (an 

 old way of securing this being to cover 

 the bed with bricks or boards), or in 

 boxes of sand and cocoa-fibre. Many 

 do not germinate until the spring, and 

 must then be pricked off and grown on 

 in light soil enriched with cow manure, 

 coming to flower mostly in the third 

 year. The resulting range of colour is 

 often large, 

 are prettily 

 different varieties, which are roughly 

 classed as to colour, bloom at rather dif- 

 ferent times, beginning with the pretty 

 large-flowered H. angulosa, followed 

 by the double red form, the singles in 

 blue, white, and pink — roughly in the 

 order named — the last being the deli- 

 cate double blue kind. They keep in 

 beauty from one to two months, the 

 time depending upon their position and 

 the season, and apart from their grace- 

 ful effect in shaded border or the edges 

 of woodland, their cut blooms are of 

 value for button-holes and small vases. 

 In many gardens a few plants are win- 

 tered in frames and flowered under glass, 

 to provide earlier and perfect blossoms 

 for decoration ; plants so sheltered gene- 

 rally seed with freedom. Cold, spring 

 winds, heavy rains, and early slugs are 

 their worst outdoor foes ; the last may 

 often be scared by a few wood-ashes 

 sprinkled round and over the budding 

 tufts. When flowering is done the new 



