i6o 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



Lychnis chalcedonica, the Musk Mallow (Malva moschata), the yellow Evening Primroses, 

 OEnothera fruticosa and OE. Youngi, herbaceous Phloxes in decided colours, avoiding all washed- 

 out purples and pink's, Pentstemons, Poppies in variety, especially the gorgeous Oriental Poppy 

 (Papaver bracteatum), with its mammoth blossoms of flaming scarlet, and the Iceland Poppies 

 (P. nudicaule), yellow, white and orange, for a forward position in the bed, while in sheltered 

 positions in the south-west the most beautiful of all the Poppy worts, the Californian Romneya 

 Coulteri, that bears wide-spread, crepe-like white blossoms, deliciously fragrant, with a central 

 boss of golden anthers, may be grown. Phygelius capensis, which bears tall spikes of pendant 

 crimson blossoms, is a good autumnal subject, as is the orange-fl wered Rudbeckia Newmani and 

 the deep rose R. purpurea, while the well-known white Japanese Anemone is then in flower 

 in almost every garden. Scabiosa caucasica is valuable for its porcelain blue flowers, and 

 Ranunculus aconitifolius fl.-pl., better known as Fair Maids of France, is pretty when grown in 

 a mass. Senecio pulcher, Statice latifolia, and Tradescantia virginica, the latter of which bears 

 flowers of a deep violet hue, are all acceptable border plants, while of the Globe-flowers 

 (Trollius), Orange Globe, an excellent variety, with large flowers of a brilliant orange, is a 

 distinct acquisition. The Cardinal Flower (Lobelia fulgens) can only be left out during the 

 winter w ith impunity in a few gardens, but is such a glorious sight w hen bearing its tall spires 

 of glowing vermilion blooms that it well repays a little trouble in w inter housing, which same 

 may be said of the deep blue Salvia patens. Of tall plants suitable for positions at the back of 

 the border, the following may be named : The Plume Poppy (Bocconia cordata), Cactus Dahlias, 

 Cimicifuga racemosa, Chrysanthemum maximum, Delphiniums, Galega officinalis and its white 

 form, Hollyhocks, Kniphofias, OEnothera Lamarckiana, Pyrethrum uliginosum, the taller 

 Starworts, or perennial Asters, and perennial Sunflowers, such as Helianthus rigidus Miss 

 Mellish, H. laetiflorus and H. giganteus, while of biennials, white Foxgloves (Digitalis), the 

 Chimney Campanula (C. pyramidalis), and Celsia cretica prove effective in a like situation. 

 In such positions, too, flowering shrubs are decorative, Primus Pissardi, Almonds, Lilacs, and 

 Syringas (Philadelphus), Spiraeas, both of the shrubby and herbaceous sections, Berberis 

 Darwini, the flowering Currants (Ribes), Viburnum plicatum, Weigelas, Abutilon vitifolium, 

 Brooms, double Deut/ia, and many others creating a pleasing variety. Various bulbs may be 

 used with advantage to add to the summer and autumn effect of the mixed border, such as the 

 white Gladiolus Colvillei The Bride, the scarlet G. brenchleyensis, the white Cape Hyacinth 

 (Galtonia candicans), Camassia esculenta in varied colours, Ornithogalum pyramidale, Mont- 

 bretias, whose bright orange scarlet is such a feature in the autumn garden, and the Winter 

 Flag (Schizostylis coccinea), that carries its spikes of crimson flowers well into December. Where 

 the border is sufficiently extensive, a fine effect is produced by the introduction of noble leafage, 

 and the Acanthus, Arundos, Yuccas, Funkias, and Cannas are valuable in this respect. 



Making a Rock Garden. 



THE spot w here it is intended to construct a rock garden should be excavated to the depth of at 

 least i8in. and good drainage ensured, for stagnant moisture is fatal to the health of many of 

 the most beautiful rock' plants, and such subjects as require a boggy soil can be accommodated in 

 an outlying portion of the garden. As regards the staple soil, one half peat and one half fibrous 

 loam, with w hich sufficient grit or coarse sand has been mixed to render it porous, will be 

 found a generally satisfactory compost. It is not, however, all rock' plants that will flourish 

 in this staple, some preferring pure peat, some a richer soil, some apparently containing little 

 else than grit, some a limestone soil, while others object to the presence of lime. It is, 

 generally, only by experience that the needs of each individual plant are learnt, both in the 

 matter of soil and exposure, that which proves successful in one locality often failing in another. 



The rock garden is most effective where it is not constructed on the dead level, as greater 

 contrasts in formation are possible where the lie of the land is uneven than where all inequalities 

 have to be artificially constructed. Thus a steep rise can be utilised advantageously by enabling 



