I 10 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



L. alpina is charming, its tufted growth smothered with 

 flowers throughout the summer, and these, if small, are 

 bright in colour, being purple with orange blotches. It 

 seeds very freely, and may be easily raised in this way. 

 The Ivy-leaved Toadflax (L. Cymbalaria) enjoys a wall 

 as well as any place, establishing itself in the rocky 

 chinks, but sow the seeds only in moist spots not too 

 fully exposed to the sun. Sow the pretty white variety 

 as well. The following kinds may be planted upon 

 the rock garden : L. anticaria, L. antirrhinifolia, and 

 L. hepaticcefolia, always planting them in fairly good soil 

 and sunny spots. 

 Liniims. — The family of Linums, or Flax, comprises 

 about sixty species of annual, biennial, hardy herbaceous 

 and greenhouse subjects, many of which are exceedingly 

 ornamental. Some of the handsome perennial species 

 which are hardy in the south-west, in rock gardens, and 

 in positions where the drainage is ample and the soil 

 not too retentive of moisture, cannot be cultivated with 

 success in the open further north. Propagation may 

 be effected by division, cuttings, or seed. The latter 

 should be sown in pans of sandy soil in March, and kept 

 in a cold frame protected from frost until Mav, when 

 the seedlings may be planted out, or the seeds may be 

 sown directly in the 

 open ground in 

 April. Cuttings 

 should be made from 

 hall - ripened sin >ots 

 in the summer and 

 struck in sandy soil 

 under a shaded bell- 

 glass. Divisions 

 should be made as 

 the plants are start- 

 ing into growth in 

 the spring. The 

 lollowing list gives 

 the names of the 

 most useful species, 

 the majority 

 of which are natives 

 of Europe: L. 

 alpinum, height bin., 

 hardy herbaceous, 

 bearing large blue 

 flowers in July and 

 August ; L. augusti- 

 folium, height ift., 

 hardy herbaceous, 

 bearing pale purple 

 flowers in July : L. 



arboreum, height LINUM. 

 ill., e vcrg r e e n 



shrub, from Crete, bearing handsome yellow flowers 

 in May and June (this species is not hardy in the 

 North of England); L. campanulatum, height ill. 

 to lift., hardy herbaceous, bearing yellow flowers 

 from June to August; L. flavum, height [ft. 

 to lift., herbaceous, not strictly hardy except in 

 sheltered positions in the south-west, bearing yellow 

 flowers from June to August ; L. monogvnum, height I ft., 

 from New Zealand, bearing numerous white flowers 

 in June and Julv. not strictly hardy (there is a 

 variety of this plant named L. candidissimum that bears 

 larger flowers); L. narbonnense, height 2ft., bearing 

 beautiful light blue flowers from May to fulv (this is 

 the best of the hardy perennial Flaxes) ; L. nervosum, 

 height I ft. to lift., bearing blue flowers in June and 

 July, an herbaceous perennial, but inferior to the last- 

 named ; L. perenne, the common perennial Flax, 

 bearing blue flowers. There are many varieties of this 

 species, such as anglicum, austriacum, Lewisi, montanum, 

 and sibiricum, all bearing blue flowers, and L. p. 

 pallescens, the flowers of which are of a lilac shade. L. 

 tauricum is an evergreen shrub, lift, high, bearing yellow 

 flowers. L. viscosum, height lift., bearing purple flowers 

 from June to August, is a hardy, herbaceous perennial. 



Lobelias, Scarlet. There are few more brilliant flowers 

 of the hardy garden than (he Scarlet Lobelias, L. 

 cardinalis and L. fulgens. They should be planted 

 freely in large beds, with a groundwork of blue Pansies, 

 or some colour in harmony with their rich hue ; but even 

 in small gardens they should be planted as freely as space 

 will permit. 'The best time for planting to take place is 

 spring, as these Lobelias are not very hardy, although 

 their behaviour in winter differs considerably. Where, 

 however, it is thought that frosts will inflict no injury, 

 leave them in the beds, but clumps in southern gardens 

 even withstand severe winters. Spring planting, however, 

 is advisable. The position for the Lobelias must be dug 

 out at least I ft. in depth, and well-decayed manure 

 mixed with the soil. Make the soil firm, and give 

 an abundance of water during the summer. Moisture is 

 essential, and hence the plants are frequently more 

 happy by some stream or pond than in either a bed or 

 border. When well treated through the first summer, 

 the growth will be vigorous and able to withstand the 

 trials of winter. There are several ways of increasing 

 the plants, one of the most common being by dividing 

 the roots in spring, or, if considered necessary, when 

 lifting them in the autumn, but spring perhaps is as 



good as any time, 

 and the divided por- 

 tions may be planted 

 out carefully. Many 

 now raise the plants 

 from seed, as the 

 majority of the seed- 

 lings are true to 

 name, and vigorous 

 too. This is a good 

 way, sowing the seed 

 about | u n e in 

 shallow pans of light 

 soil, or they may be 

 raised in spring, 

 when the plants will 

 for the most part 

 bloom the same 

 year. June sowing 

 is the safer, and the 

 seedlings, when 

 large enough, must 

 be pricked off and 

 then polled, being 

 kept over the winter 

 in a frame. Use a 

 little bottom heat for 

 hastening seed ger- 

 mination, and harden 

 off always before 

 planting out of doors. Cuttings got from moderately- 

 ripened shoots strike freely in warmth in spring, and 

 when potting on some of the plants, if desired, may be 

 retained in pots for the greenhouse. 



Unfortunately a fungoid disease sometimes attacks 

 the plants in late autumn, and under those circumstances 

 it is necessary to take up the plants, remove diseased 

 portions, and plant in a cold frame in light soil. The 

 Scarlet Lobelias sometimes suffer from winter wet and 

 frost. In that case take them up in autumn, and treat 

 as advised, or sometimes covering the crowns with leaves 

 will suffice. 



Of recent years many beautiful varieties have been 

 raised. Queen Victoria is, perhaps, the finest of all, a 

 noble plant with dark-coloured leaves and sturdy spikes of 

 rich crimson, almost scarlet, flowers. Very brilliant is 

 Firefly, an intense crimson variety, and the most showy 

 of any. There are others, some with pale rose and 

 other tints, but the two named are richer than any 

 others. L. Syphilitica is a very charming species for wet 

 places, and may be planted by the water-side, as there its 

 blue flowers are prettier than in the border. It is more 

 suitable for rougher spots than the Scarlet Lobelias. 

 There are forms of this, and L. Milleri is a hybrid worth 



