1882.] 



39 



EABLT SPRING-BLOOMING PERENNIALS. 



No class of plants among recent introduc- 

 tions occupies a more prominent position now 

 than Hardy Perennials. The ease with which 

 they can be grown, the improvement in size of 

 plant and abundance of flowering, as well as 

 their continuance from year to year without 

 the expense of a new stock to be purchased 

 every spring are all qualities which recommend 

 them to the lovers of choice flowers who desire 

 the finest show for the least money. 



In planting out Perennials we should as a 

 rule recommend spring unless they can be set 

 early in autumn. Select a warm, dry soil and 

 enrich it well with old manure which has been 

 thoroughly rotted, and early in April, or as 

 soon as the ground can be worked, plow or 

 spade to a depth of eight to twelve inches, and 

 after raking level, set the plants from one to 

 two feet apart according to their height, plant- 

 ing the taller sorts at the back or in the center, 

 and the dwarf varieties in front. The only fur- 

 ther care required is to keep free from weeds 

 and the soil light and mellow. A careful di- 

 vision of the more vigorous kinds should be 

 given every three or four years. By a judi- 

 cious selection of varieties, 

 flowers may be had from 

 early spring until late au- 

 tumn in constant succes- 

 sion. We can in this ar- 

 ticle mention only a few 

 of the choicer and more 

 desirable kinds which 

 bloom early in spring. 



Among the first to bloom 

 are the "Moss Pinks," 

 Phlox subulata and its 

 varieties; they grow to a 

 height of three or four 

 inches and are one mass 

 of white and purple flowers 

 for two or three weeks; 

 after flowering, the foliage 

 is of such a pleasing bright 

 green that it makes a 

 desirable edging. Ceras- 

 tium Biebersteinii, Stel- 

 laria Holostea, and Achil- 

 lea lomentosa are also fine 

 for edgings ; the two first 

 have beautiful pure white 

 flowers, and the latter 

 bright golden yellow, and none of them grow to 

 a height of over six inches. Two plants quite 

 commonly used for edgings in England are 

 Gentiana acaulis, or " Stemless Gentian," and 

 Armeria vulgaris or "English Thrift." The 

 first forms dense tufts or " cushions," covered 

 in May with large vase-like flowers of the most 

 intense blue; the other has short grass-like 

 leaves and forms a neat spreading rosette from 

 which arise in spring numerous small heads of 

 pink and white flowers, which remain a long 

 time. The various species of Aubrietias are 

 comparatively new to this country, though 

 they are among the most showy of early spring 

 flowers ; they form large masses of pretty ever- 

 green foliage covered in spring with rich pur- 

 ple flowers half an inch in diameter borne on 

 stems four to six inches high. A. Olyinpica 

 and A. deltoidea are the best for general culti- 

 vation. Of Hepatica, or "Liver Leaf," there 

 are several well-marked varieties with single 

 white, red and blue flowers, and with double 

 sorts of the same colors, all very fine and 

 showy, but requiring a cool, half-shaded spot 

 where their roots will not be burned by the 

 hot summer sun. The early flowering Violets 



are all worthy of a choice spot in the flower 

 garden; first of all Viola pedata or " Bird's- 

 foot Violet," with its white and two-colored 

 varieties, the latter rivalling the Pansy even in 

 size and beauty, and all bearing larger and 

 more abundant flowers than in a wild state ; 

 Viola rostrata or "Beaked Violet," with pale 

 blue flowers and long, slender spurs ; V. Can- 

 adensis with white flowers tinged with pink, 

 and last, V. cornuta or "Horned Violet;" this 

 produces pale blue and deep purple flowers 

 which appear all summer and even into au- 

 tumn, making it one of the most effective 

 plants for the border. Dicentra spectabilis is 

 one of the good old-fashioned plants which is 

 found in almost every garden ; it lacks one de- 

 sirable quality, however, its flowers last but a 

 short time and the foliage soon dies away ; not so 

 with its near relative, the pretty little D.eximia, 

 with its beautiful rose-colored flowers in loose 

 racemes and delicate fern-like foliage, the flowers 

 appearing continually throughout the summer. 

 Of the early flowering Irises there are so many 

 really fine and showy species that we can only 

 mention a few of the most desirable; among 

 them are Iris cristata, I. verna, I. pvmila, 



March or early in April, and make most grace- 

 ful sprays for vases. This shrub is per- 

 fectly hardy, and increases rapidly even in a 

 light, sandy soil. In future articles we may 

 give a further list of the rarer, choicer plants 

 which are so well adapted to render home and 

 its surroundings more pleasant, and encourage 

 a love for the beautiful. 



George C. Woolson. 



NEW COMPACT FRENCH GOLD-STRIPED MARIGOLD. 



with its numerous varieties, all free flowering 

 and showy dwarfs. I. Iberica with its large 

 curiously colored flowers, I. Pavoma, I. reti- 

 culata, I. tube rosa, I. xiphimn, and 7. xiphi- 

 oides, all bulbous sorts of easy cultivation and 

 some of them well suited for forcing. An- 

 other showy plant for early spring flowering is 

 Epimedium alpinum, or "Alpine Barren- 

 wort," with its pleasing foliage and pretty, 

 curiously shaped purplish and yellow flowers, 

 and E. macranthum, with panicles of large 

 white flowers. The perennial species of ' ' Can- 

 dytuft," or Iberis, are very showy white flow- 

 ering shrubs six to ten inches high, and cov- 

 ered in early spring with an abundance of pure 

 white flowers, which gradually, in some of the 

 species, assume a purplish tinge. I. Gibraltar 

 rica, I. sempervirens, and I. corifolia are 

 among the best species, the' last being a week 

 or ten days later in coming into flower than 

 the two first species. Another plant seldom 

 seen in our gardens, but one which deserves a 

 prominent place in every choice collection, is 

 Erica carnea or " Winter Heath ;" it is a dwarf 

 evergreen shrub, a foot or more in height, with 

 racemes of small red flowers which appear in 



MARIGOLDS. 



These old free flowering garden favorites, 

 with their large showy flowers, have, until 

 lately, not received the attention which has so 

 lavishly been bestowed upon less worthy sub- 

 jects of Flora's realm. Their tall and spread- 

 ing habit did not make them desirable for bed- 

 ding purposes. Within a few years, however, 

 the Dwarf French Marigolds have been so 

 much improved that they have become valuable 

 and effective plants for borders of larger 

 groups, forming com pact and brilliant edgings. 



The New'fiompact French Gold-striped Mar- 

 igold is the latest and best variety. It grows 

 rarely more than six inches high, branching 

 out into compact, dense bushes, or bouquets 

 rather, of about twelve 

 inches in diameter. The 

 flowers are large, mostly 

 regularly striped with 

 chestnut-brown on bright 

 yellow ground, and so pro- 

 usely studded over the 

 bushes as to hide their 

 foliage. Their hardiness 

 and the ease with which 

 they can be grown will no 

 doubt bring them soon in 

 demand for massive and 

 showy edgings. 

 Our illustration portrays 

 well its general habit and 

 growth, but even a col- 

 ored picture could give 

 but a faint idea of the 

 fusion and brilliant ef- 

 :, of its gold-hued flow- 

 ers. The seeds will grow 

 readily out doors, but the 

 season of flowering may 

 be considerably prolonged 

 by starting them in a hot- 

 bed or in pots in the house 

 and transplanting the plants when they become 

 large "enough. 



THE USE OF FLOWERS. 



The establishment and adornment of our 

 cemeteries is a strong evidence of improved 

 taste. Where formerly only decaying grass, 

 tangled weeds and moss-covered tablets were 

 generally to be seen, may now be witnessed 

 beautiful sites, natural scenery, and embel- 

 lished lots, that awaken sensations which no 

 language can describe. 



The general use of flowers, from the cradle 

 to the grave, affords striking proofs of a high 

 slate of civilization and refinement. Within 

 our own recollection, the use of flowers at 

 funerals or in the sanctuary was deemed im- 

 proper with the sanctity of divine worship. 



These have been too often considered as the 

 mere superfluities of life, but the more we are 

 brought into communion with them, the more 

 will our souls be inspired with gratitude to 

 Him who clothes the fields with floral gems 

 scarcely less brilliant than the glittering host 

 above. — From Hon. Marshall P. Wilder s Me- 

 morial Chapter. 



