August 3, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



589 



WILD FLOWERS WORTH 



GROWING. 



Many of our native wild flowers are very 

 lovely, and in a number of instances they 

 are well worthy of cultivation, although in 

 some quarters their beauty is over- 

 looked in .favour of more costly things. If 

 some of these plants had been collected in 

 far-oflF countries, at much risk and ex- 

 pense, they would be more highly valued 

 than is the case at present. A number 

 of our indigenous plants succeed admirably 

 on rock gardens and in herbaceous borders, 

 while a large percentage of them look their 

 best when naturalised in the wild garden. 



Among the anemones, A. nemorosa (the 

 Wood Anemone) is a charming subject for 



while A. Pulsatilla 



(the 

 in 



naturalising ; 



Pasque Flower) is frequently grown 

 rock gardens. Arabis alpina (Rock Cress) 

 is deservedly popular ; it grows freely in 

 certain hilly districts. Dianthus csesius (the 

 Cheddar Pink) grows freely on limestone 

 rocks in Somerset, and is a very attractive 

 plant. Lychnis viscaria and L, alpina 

 grow on the hills in North Wales and Scot- 

 land^ and the improved garden forms are 

 very effective plants. Cera«tium arcticum 

 (the Mouse-Ear Chickweed) and C. alpinum 

 are found on the rocks in the North^ and 

 are sufficiently attractive for the rock gar- 

 den. Dryas octopetala (the Mountain 

 Avens flourishes on some hillsides in Soot- 

 land, and is a charming little plant. 



Several of the potentillas (Cinquefoils) 

 are worthy of a place ; while that lovely 

 little plant Saxifraga oppositifolia is espe- 

 cially attractive. Forms like S. o. splen- 

 dens and S. o. pyrenaica are great im- 

 provements on the type, with larger 

 flowers. Sedum album and S. rupestre are 

 attractive members of the stonecrop 

 family ; and Sempervivum Tectorum (the 

 Houseleek) is a well-known native plant 

 that flourishes on old walls and roofs. 

 Several of the wild orchids, like Orchis 

 ascula, O. maculata, and Cypripedium 



calceolus, are lovely little plants ; the latter 

 has bright yellow flowers; and Habenaria 

 biflora (the Lesser Butterfly Orchid) is one 

 of the most attractive. 



Aconitum Napellus, Trollius europteus 

 (the Globe Flower), Astrantia major (the 

 Master Wort), Centranthus ruber (Red 

 Valerian), and Solidago virgaurea (Golden 

 Rod) are suitable subjects for the herba- 

 ceous border, and are all indigenous. CaL 

 tha palustris (tlie Marsh Marigold), Epi- 

 lobium angustif ol:um (Rose Bay, or French 



illow), and Lythrum salicaria (Purple 



Loosestrife) floui-ish in shady positions near 



*^be water's edge. Scabiosa arvensis (the 



Field Scabious) is w^orth naturalising in 



the wild garden; as also is the common 



field Marguerite. Several members of the 



Cranesbill family, like Geraneum sangui- 



i*eum and G. pratense, with purple-blue 



flowers, are attractive for the shrubbery 

 border. 



Spirsea Flmaria (Mea-dow Sweet), Fritil- 

 laria Meleagris (Snake's Head), Digi- 

 talis purpurea (the common Foxglove), 

 Campanula latifolia (the Bellflower), and 

 p. rotundifoHa (the Harebell) are charm- 

 ing subjects for naturalising. Scilla fe<^- 

 talis (the Bluebell), narcissi, and the snow- 

 drops must, on no account be omitted ; 

 while Myosotis al pestris (the Moim- 

 tain Forget-me-not) and M. 

 are attractive in their 

 Verbascum 



With yellow nowers, grows 

 m height. Malva sylvestris (the common 

 Mallow) and other members of the familv 

 ^re suitable for naturalisine:. 

 Butumus 



nigrum 

 flowers 



(a 



palustris 

 proper sphere, 



native Mullein), 



about 3ft. 



Rush) and Iris pseudo-acornus (the Water 

 Flag) are suitable for the water garden, as 

 also is Nymphsea alba (the white Water 

 Lily), a very charming flower. Polemo- 

 nium coeruleum (Jacob's Ladder)^ Anchusa 

 sempervirens (the Evergreen Alkanet), and 

 Pulmonaria oflicinalis (Common Limgwoit) 

 are suitable for shrubbery borders. The 

 periwinkles, botii Vinca major and V. 

 minor, are charming plants, and so is Hy- 

 pericum calycinum (St. John's Wort), its 

 rich yellow flowers being especially showy. 

 C*orydalis lutea (Yellow Fumitory) is 

 largely naturalised in some districts, and 

 it grows on dry banks and walls. 



Calluna vulgaris (Common Ling), Erica 

 ciliaris^ and E. vagans (Cornish Health) 

 are very effective planted in large masses. 

 Convalaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) and 

 Primula acaulis (the Primrose) are both 

 well known, land are seen at their best 



when naturalised in large masses. 



Amongst climbers. Clematis vitalba 



(Traveller's Joy) and Lonicera Pericly- 



PINUS BANKSIANA. 



In numerous places in the North of Eng- 

 land and Scotland there is a disposition 

 to plant this North American tree under 

 forest conditions, for the reason that it 

 is considered to be of a peculiarly hardy 

 constitution, and will probably grow where 

 other kinds of trees will not. Before em- 

 barking on any considerable expense, how- 

 ever, it would be wise for intending planters 

 to look further into the history of the tree, 

 with a view to ascertaining whether it is 

 ever likely to produce timber, even if it 

 grows in high and exposed places. The 

 Americans do not look upon it as a com- 

 mer<-ial timber tree, except in a few places 

 in the extreme north, where there is prac- 

 tically nothing else. 



At its best it is little more than a 

 scrub pine, although trees with a dia- 

 meter of two and a-half feet, and a height 

 of seventy feet, are recorde<i by Hough in 



American Timbers.'* 



H.EMANTHUS ANDROMEDA. 



Flowers bright salmon-scarlet, borne in dense, rounded heads. 

 E. R. Cory, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Cobb), Duffryn, St. Nicholas, 



A.M., R.H.S., July 30 

 Cardiff. (See p. 599.) 



umbellatus (the 



Flowering 



menum (Honeysuckle or Woodbine) are 

 very delightful when growing over forest 

 trees in the wild garden. Cytisus sco- 

 parius (Common Broom) and Ulex euro- 

 pjeus (Furze or Gorse) are very effe<'tive 

 when in flower, and succeed admirably on 

 rough banks. Viburnum Opulus (the Guel- 

 der Rose) and V. Lantara (the Wayfaring 

 TYee) are fboth handsome ehrubs ; while 

 Rosa rabiginosa (Sweet Briar) and R . 

 canina (the Dog Rose) are each charming 

 in their way. Cratpegus oxyacantha (the 

 Hawthorn) and the various native prunuses 

 and pyruses, the Bird Cherry and the Crab 

 Apple, for example, add more than a little 

 beauty to our gardens. 



The above list is by no means exhaustive, 

 and merely indicates some of the more de- 

 sirable members of our native flora . 

 Those who are really interested in wild 

 flowers could very well collect a number 

 of the species named for themselves^ and 

 add them to their gardens. 



BatsfordPark Gardens. J. Gardner. 



Comparatively few mature trees are to 

 be found in this country, for its unsatis- 

 factory growth after the first few years 

 has been against it as an ornamental tree, 

 and the few old trees to be found are 

 rarely more than twenty to thirty feet 

 high, of small girth, and a stunted char- 

 acter. With this in view, it appears to 

 be waste of time and money to introduce 

 the species where anything else can be 

 grown, whilst for the present there 

 is plent\' of land in most parts of the 

 country at a comparatively low elevation 

 which might be plantefl before attempting 

 high and exposed land. 



The probable reason why this tree finds 



friends is that whilst growing in nursery 



quarters its growth for a few years is as 



vigorous as that of the Scots Pine, annual 



shoots of twolve to fifteen indies on tliree- 



year-old plants being not uncommon. This 



rate of growth is not retaimvl for lon^,^ 



however, esp+N?ially when the trees have 



been placed in permanent quarters. 



W. Dam^imore. 



