CLIMBING KNOTWORTS. 



213 



are of a character which harmonises with the 

 surrounding vegetation, and truly beautiful in 

 dense clusters. 



The Turkistan Knotwort {Polygonum 

 Baldschuanicum) from Central Asia, and the fin- 

 est in flower, is a plant of great value for drap- 

 ing low trees and bushes. The best way to in- 

 crease it is to graft it upon cuttings of its own 

 roots, or those of one of the other species. In 

 all cases its own roots should be preferred, for 

 apart from its being a more natural union, 

 suckers will otherwise be a nuisance. It is 

 needless to describe in detail its sprays of rose- 

 flushed flowers, coming in quantity with very 

 pretty effect during many weeks of summer 

 and autumn. Too often it is set to climb an 

 upright pillar or arrangement of hop-poles, 

 upon which it hangs in a tangled mass, the 

 pendant sprays battered by every wind. The 

 most beautiful one we have ever seen was ram- 

 bling along a low rustic fence, which served to 

 skirt a steep overhanging bank in a wild gar- 

 den, the spot, a sheltered but sunny glade, and 

 its roots near a trickle of water which found 

 its way over the bank. Here it had roamed to 

 the far end of its support, gracing but not hid- 

 ing the woodwork, while side shoots, straying 

 away in all directions, hung out their flower- 

 clusters in the most unexpected places. Some 

 shoots had found their way over the surround- 

 ing trees and bushes, and others crept down the 

 slope or hung over in a pretty way. Its profu- 

 sion of rosy fruits as well as of flowers, made 

 it a bright object for months together. 



The Downy Knotwort (P. cilinode). — A 

 species introduced from North America, and 

 little known, but of wonderful vigour, a young 

 plant covering many square yards in a season, 

 while its myriads of small white flowers borne 

 towards the autumn are of good effect in the 

 mass. For covering trees, thrusting its way 

 through bushes, or to adorn a plain hedge-side, 

 this variety is the best as not being averse to 

 shade. 



The Arbour Knotwort (P. multijiorum). 

 — A tuberous-rooted kind, from China and Ja- 

 pan, with shining deep green leaves and loosely 

 spreading bunches of tiny white flowers on red- 

 dish stems. Its chief merit is its great vigour. 



The Currant Knotwort (P. ribesoides). 

 — A pretty kind, less vigorous than some of 



its fellows, but an attractive garden plant in 

 the south of France. Its flowers are almost 

 identical in character with those of allied kinds, 

 but are succeeded by clusters of berries at first 

 red, becoming white when fully ripe. Where 

 it can be grown out of doors it deserves a place, 

 but, being a native of southern Brazil, it is only 

 hardy (so far as known) on the Mediterranean 

 coast. 



The Travelling Knotwort (P. capita- 

 turn). — This is a kind worth a place in any 

 J greenhouse for its beauty of leaf and flower, 

 i It is not a climber, but is better as a creeping 

 or hanging plant, and a very useful one, being 

 easily rooted and grown. It is quite at home 

 in the cool greenhouse, or anywhere secure 

 from frost, and is not particular as to soil or 

 aspect. I once saw it used in masses out of 

 doors in the south of France, and a lovely car- 

 pet it made, thickly set throughout the year 

 with its rounded heads of bloom, light pink 

 in colour, and not unlike one of the creeping 

 Clovers in size and shape. In places warm and 

 dry the flower heads were densely grouped, 

 and the foliage dark and reddish ; in other 

 spots less exposed to the sun the velvety leaves, 

 with their broad V-shaped markings and crim- 

 son stems, were more beautiful if the flower- 

 heads were fewer. A few plants had spread so 

 rapidly, rooting at every joint, as to cover 

 within two years a very large surface, hiding 

 an ugly dry bank under a pretty draping. A 

 native of Northern India, it is too tender for 

 such uses in this country, but as a basket or 

 hanging plant for the greenhouse, and to cover 

 bare ground beneath stages or in a winter gar- 

 den, there are few plants would give so good 

 a result with so little trouble. Dibbled into 

 freshly-worked soil, not a shoot fails to root, 

 and forthwith spreads, freely rooting as it goes. 



Grafted Conifers. — These are offered by the 

 thousand in some foreign lists. We thought 

 that people had had enough of grafted coni- 

 fers, or any other grafted forest trees. Graft- 

 ing may be needed for garden varieties of such 

 trees, but it is folly to attempt to grow forest 

 trees, such as the nobler Pines of California, 

 grafted ; those who plant such trees will be 

 wise in telling' their nurserymen not to send 

 them grafted plants. 



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