1882.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



71 



EVERLASTING FLOWERS. 



The Everlasting (or, as they are more com- 

 monly called, Eternal) Flowers are attracting 

 considerable attention at the present time, 

 on account of their beauty in the flower bor- 

 der as well as their use and value for winter 

 decoration. As they retain their form and 

 color for several years, they make, when 

 mixed with a few ornamental grasses, very 

 pretty bouquets, baskets, wreaths, etc. In 

 the flower border during the summer season 

 they are, when well grown, remarkably at- 



GOMPHRENA. 



tractive, and, on this account alone, well 

 worth cultivating. In addition to these use- 

 ful qualities, several of them are valuable for 

 bedding and massing, equaling in effect 

 some of the best ribbon plants. 



In order to preserve the flowers of Everlast- 

 ings, it is necessary to pay some attention to 

 the time of gathering them. The flowers, 

 with the exception of the Gomphrenas, should 

 be gathered before they are fully expanded, 

 and hung up in a dry, dark closet until they 

 become perfectly dry. They require to be 



tied in small bunches, so that they will not 

 mildew and that the stems dry straight. 



To cultivate Everlasting Flowers so as to 

 obtain satisfactory results, it is absolutely 

 necessary to give them sufficient room in the 

 flower border to properly develop them- 

 selves ; and in order to guard against drought 

 it is also necessary that the soil should be both 

 rich and deep. To effect this object, the 

 flower bed or border should be dug over to 

 the depth of at least two feet, and a good 



I 



] portion of well-rotted manure or leaf-mold 

 ' thoroughly incorporated with the soil. 

 1 Acroclinium roseum and A. roseum album are 

 two very pretty and distinct varieties, the for- 

 mer being of a bright rose color and the latter 

 pure white. This species is of strong growth, 

 attaining a height of about two feet, and pro- 

 duces a great number of daisy-like flowers 

 with a yellow center. To preserve the flowers 

 of the Acroclinium with a bright center, they 

 should be gathered the first day they open. 



The wing-stalked Animobiitm (datum is one 

 of the most distinct as well as the hardiest of 

 the Everlastings. The plant grows over two 

 feet in height, and the stem is stiff and an- 

 gular in appearance, the pretty little flowers 

 being of a pure white color. A new variety, 

 A. alatum grandiflorum, with flowers twice as 

 large as those of the original species, is one 

 of the novelties of the present season. 



The Globe Amaranthus, Gomphrena globosa, 

 and its varieties grow about two and a half 

 feet in height, and are, when well grown, 

 among the most handsome and showy Ever- 

 lastings. The flowers of the Gomphrenas 

 should not be cut before they are of full 

 size, but they must not be left until the 

 lower scales commence to drop off or become 

 injured. The Gomphrenas are also valuable 

 for massing on the lawn, and, if arranged 

 with regard to the color of their flowers, pre- 

 sent a highly attractive appearance. They 

 also possess the desirable quality of standing 

 our hot, dry summers without injury, and 

 as the flowers are produced in the greatest 

 profusion from June until frost, and remain 

 in perfection for two or three weeks, I do nut 

 think that more can lie said in their praise. 



Helipterum Sanfordii is an extremely grace- 

 ful and pretty species, of dwarf branching 

 habit, growing about one foot in height, and 

 producing its rich golden yellow flowers in 

 clusters. H. cavijnihiflorttiit is pure white. 

 The flowers of this genus require to be cut 

 when the heads are about opening, as they 

 expand during the drying process. They 

 retain their color and brightness for years. 



The Melichrysums form exceedingly useful 

 ornamental plants for the mixed border. //. 

 mmstrosum fl. pi. grows about two feet high, 

 the double flowers being large and showy, 

 and of various colors — white, yellow, purple, 

 and rose, with their various shades. H. elegans 

 and strictuiH grow about a foot in height; 

 they are of branching habit with elegant 

 silvery foliage and yellow flowers, somewhat 

 resembling Immortelles. 



Ehodantlie is another very graceful genus 

 of compact growth, producing its neat and 

 pretty flowers in the greatest profusion. 

 Manglesn is a most beautiful and delicate 

 species, "but unfortunately does not often 

 succeed in the flower border. I!, mactdata is 

 a more hardy and robust species, and is per- 

 fectly at home in the flower border. It is of 

 a rosy purple color, with a bright yellow 

 center. 1!. atrosanguinea has dark crimson 

 flowers with a dark violet center, while R. 

 atrosanguinea alba is pure silvery white. 



The Waitzias are also pretty Everlastings, 

 producing their flowers in clusters. II . grand- 

 iflora, yellow, and IV. corymbosa, red, are 

 the two best kinds. The flowers should be 

 gathered early, as the center soon becomes 

 discolored. 



The Xeranthemums are remarkably free- 

 flowering Everlastings, of neat, compact 

 habit, growing about one foot in height, with 

 silvery white leaves, and producing their 



flowers on long stalks. X. album, white, and 

 cmruleum, blue, are the two most distinct 

 sorts. 



The seeds of the Gomphrenas do not ger- 

 minate freely unless sown in heat, and the 

 cottony coating with which they are sur- 

 rounded removed. These, the Heliehrysums 

 and the Ammobiums, should be sown thinly 

 in a shallow box of light soil about the 

 end of March or first of April, and cov- 

 ered lightly. As soon as the plants are 



XERANTHEMUM. 



strong enough to handle they should lie trans- 

 planted into other boxes and kept close until 

 well established. The seeds of Acroclinium, 

 Xeranthemum, Bhodanthe, Waitzia, and He- 

 lipterum can also be sown in a similar man- 

 ner about the middle of April ; they all 

 require a treatment similar to that advised 

 for Gomphrenas as regards transplanting, 

 etc. When they have become well estab- 

 lished, after being transplanted, they should 

 ; be removed to a cold frame and gradually ex- 

 posed to the open air, and planted out in the 

 flower-border when all danger of frost is over. 

 The seeds can also be sown in a cold frame 



RHODANTHE. 



in April, or in the open ground on a well- 

 prepared border in a sheltered situation after 

 the tenth of May, and the plants removed 

 to the flower-border when strong enough. 

 When sown in a cold frame they require to 

 be transplanted into boxes or other frames 

 before they are removed to the open air. 



Tlie (ioiiiphrexHs form an exception to this 

 rule ; they require heat, and should be sown 

 as directed above. 



Chas. E. Parnell. 



