Isaac Hicks & Son, Westbury, N. Y.— Hardy Garden Flowers 91 
Phlox subulata, continued 
and they have been permanently satisfactory. 
They need only to be planted about i foot apart, 
more or less, and they will spread and cover 
the ground completely, excluding weeds, especially 
in dry situations. People are so accustomed to 
think of grass, Privet hedge, Norway Maples and 
Geraniums as the principal plant materials of 
landscape gardening that the introduction of 
cover planting makes slow headway. Has no bad 
habits, stays where it is put and does not make 
a weed by spreading where it is not wanted. 
We are occasionally asked if there is not some 
plant that will make a lawn and not require 
cutting. This is the best for dry, sunny situations, 
and Myrtle for shady, moist situations. In the 
Italian garden on the estate of Mr. Stanley 
Mortimer, Roslyn, L. I., there are several acres 
of cover planting and no grass. The Phlox subu- 
lata is used on the sloping terraces. No top soil 
was used to prepare them for planting. In May 
the broad sheets of white and red and pink can 
be seen from Meadow Brook, a distance of 5 miles. 
In September it blooms again, but not so pro- 
fusely. The first cost need not deter any one 
from planting it because every little piece will 
grow and a little patch this year will supply 
twenty times the area next year. It can be planted 
at any time of the year, even when in full bloom, 
or in the dry season of August and September. 
Besides the species which is purplish pink in 
color, there are several varieties: 
Alba. Pure white. Useful for edging garden 
beds and mixing with the other varieties. 
Lilacina. A lilac-blue in color. 
Dark Red. A beautiful variety, of a distinctly 
different shade. 
Pink. An excellent, pink variety. 
PHYSOSTEGIA Virginica. False Dragon Head. 
• A rare and beautiful flower which compels ad- 
miration both in the garden and as a cut-flower., 
It blooms during July, August and September. 
It grows about 2]4 feet high. The color is a deli- 
cate shade of pink as sometimes seen in heather 
blossoms. We advise its general use. 
P. Virginica, var. alba. Flowers pure white, of a 
very delicate beauty. * 
PLATYCODON grandiflorum. Chinese Bell- 
flower. It has big blue and white flowers like 
the Canterbury Bell all summer. The balloon- 
shaped buds are also interesting. 
POLYGONATUM giganteum. Solomon's Seal. 
Some call this a giant Lily-of-the- Valley. It has 
graceful, arching stems about 2% feet high, bear- 
ing pairs of leaves and drooping bells at each axil. 
It makes graceful clumps in a flower-garden and 
is still more harmonious with tall ferns. 
PRIMULA veris. English Cowslip. These are 
beautiful early spring-blooming plants, with 
yellow, orange and maroon flowers. They are 
welcome additions to any garden, and may be 
planted in nooks between the grass and shrubs 
where they will give a smiling response to the 
spring sunshine. 
P. vulgaris. English Primrose. Low-growing, 
tufted plants, with bright yellow, fragrant flow- 
ers early in spring. About 6 inches high. 
PYRETHRUM roseum. These have flowers like 
the annual China Asters, but they appear in 
May and early June and continue throughout 
the summer. The foliage is low, neat and fern- 
like, and the flowers are on long, slender stems, 
about 1 foot high. The colors are white, pink 
and deep red, single, semi-double and double. 
RANUNCULUS acris flore pleno. Double But- 
tercup. This is the same as the weed growing in 
damp pastures, only its weedy character is elimi- 
nated, as it produces no seed, and the very double, 
shining, golden yellow flowers are so numerous as 
to make a solid bed of color in May and June. It 
grows about 2% feet high and is worthy of place 
in the flower-garden, the wild garden and the 
children's garden. 
RUDBECKIA laciniata, " Golden Glow." This 
almost rivaled the Privet in its sudden distribu- 
tion after its discovery among some wild plants 
in the West. However, some dislike it because it 
looks ragged when going out of bloom. Cut it 
off and a new growth comes on with a later set of 
flowers. It may be used among shrubbery, which 
helps hold up its tall stems. It forms a quick 
hedge that can enclose a flower-garden or screen 
unsightly objects and is, therefore, to be com- 
mended for rented property, where the garden 
is for one or two seasons only. 
R. triloba. One of the best yellow Daisies or 
"Black-eyed Susans" which does not have a 
weedy appearance. It makes a compact, round 
bush, about 2 feet high, evenly covered with 
yellow flowers of moderate size, which continue 
in bloom for over a month. 
R. purpurea. Giant Purple Cone-Flower. A large 
sturdy flower of peculiar reddish purple color, 
suitable for the background in flower-gardens or 
the wild garden. 
SALVIA azurea, var. grandiflora. Meadow Sage. 
Like the Gentian, this has the shade of blue that 
is all too rare in gardens, and every opportunity 
should be taken to keep up a continuous supplv 
of the blue. flowers. This blooms in August and 
September until hard frost. It is about 2 feet 
high, with a slender open panicle. 
SAGINA. This makes a sheet of emerald moss, 
carpeting the ground like a deep-piled velvet. 
It. always calls out admiration but it is amusing 
to know that few buy it. There has not yet de- 
veloped in this country as in England, a taste for 
alpine gardens, where small plants are admired. 
SEDUM acre. On rock ledges or walls this thrives 
perfectly and delights in the drought. It will run 
through the grass on gravelly banks, and make 
a thicker bottom to prevent washing, and yet 
it will not make a weed. The starry yellow flowers 
make a brilliant show in early summer. 
S. album. A white-flowered species, growing about 
6 inches high, which makes a solid mat of foliage 
like the Moss Pink, and can be used in the same 
positions. 
S. spectabile. Brilliant Stonecrop. Japanese Live- 
forever. This is a sturdy plant, with thick, fleshy 
leaves, covered with broad clusters of rose-colored 
flowers in late summer. 
SILPHIUM perfoliatum. Cup Plant. A plant as 
tall and showy as the Golden Glow, with single 
lemon-yellow flowers. It finds a proper place at 
the back of wild-flower borders, among shrubs, 
or bordering a pond. July and August. 
STOKESIA Cyanea. Cornflower, or Stokes' Aster 
This is a new plant, which receives admiration 
from every one who makes its acquaintance, both 
in the garden and in the house. The flowers 
resemble the China Aster, but they are semi- 
double, about 3 or 4 inches across and of a pure 
blue in several shades. It grows about I foot high 
and makes a neat rosette of foliage under the 
wide-branching flower-stem. It continues _ in 
bloom from July until frost. It is of the easiest 
culture and we recommend it highly. 
