April, 1891. 
65 
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CHRRD GARDEN 
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The Yarrows ( Achillea ) are mostly fine 
hardy herbaceous plants, some of which 
have very handsome, fern-like foliage. The 
flowers are useful for cut purposes, especial- 
ly the flowers of the double varieties, which 
are very enduring. Achillea Millefolium 
var. roseum is a variety of our native Yar- 
row or Milfoil, and bears very pretty rose- 
colored flowers. The foliage also is very 
handsome, and useful for cutting and press- 
ing. A. argentia is a new dwarf species 
with handsome silvery foliage and white 
flowers. It blooms early. A. Ptarmica fl. 
pi. (Sneezewort) bears pure white double 
flowers, very useful in a cut state. This is 
a handsome plant, bearing an abundance of 
flowers during summer and autumn. It 
grows about two feet high. A. serrata ft. pi. 
“Pearl” has somewhat smaller flowers than 
the preceding, but is very pretty. There 
are other pretty species, but the above are 
the best. Many of the Yarrows are fine 
plants for rock- work. 
Whether in the single or double form the 
Hollyhock ( Althaea rosea) has always been 
a favorite. It is a biennial, and is now gen- 
erally raised from seed, though it may be 
propagated from cuttings and by division 
of the root or crown. For a year or two 
past the plants, in some sections, have been 
subject to a fungoid disease, for which as 
yet no remedy has been found. This would, 
therefore, be a good time to try a new strain, 
well as it might be. The plants should be 
somewhat checked in growth when young, 
which may be done either by several trans- 
plantings, orby growing them for a while in 
small pots, as follows. Sow the seed early 
indoors, and as soon as the plants are large 
enough to handle put them singly in small 
pots. When a little pot -bound, shift to a 
pot an inch or so larger, and repeat till the 
“comb” begins to appear, when the plants 
may be transferred to the border or grown 
on in pots for winter use. In either case, 
if you want large or exhibition combs, the 
plants from this time on must be grown in 
very rich soil or watered occasionally 
with liquid manure. If grown in pots, the 
next repotting must be into pets two or 
three inches more in diameter, and this re- 
peated till pots eight or ten inches in diam- 
eter have been reached. The plants in pots, 
if taken inside before frost injures them, 
will make handsome ornaments for the 
green-house or the sitting-room window for 
a long time in winter. The plants for the 
border must be turned out of the pot, when 
the combs begin to appear, and placed 
where they are to remain. The soil must 
be rich, to promote rapid growth. Liquid 
manure applied occasionally will be helpful. 
If saving of seed should not be an object, 
the comb may be cut off when the seeds are 
about half ripe, and, being carefully dried, 
will make a pretty winter ornament for the 
sitting-room mantel. 
The border for hardy herbaceous plants 
should receive a goodly share of attention 
at this time. It is more than probable that 
it needs a good many additions. We will 
name a few plants, some new and others 
not, but all good. For example there are 
the Funkias, which are commonly called 
Day Lilies. As, however, Hemoroeallis, 
an allied genus, is also called Day Lily, it 
was some time since proposed to call the 
Funkia the Plantain Lily, on account of the 
resemblance of its leaf to that of the Plan- 
tain, and confine the common name Day 
Lily to the Hemoroeallis. The Funkias are 
natives of Japan. There are some thirty 
or more species and varieties, and they are 
all handsome plants, either for flower or 
foliage, or for both. They are naturally 
shade loving plants, and some of them will 
grow in the shade where few other plants 
will; yet they do finely in the open sun- 
shine. The foliage of these plants is in 
many cases very beautiful, and the flowers 
of some are delightfully fragrant. A few 
kinds are here briefly noticed. Funkia sub- 
cordata ("White Plantain Lily) is a plant of 
noble aspect, and bears large and very fra- 
grant white flowers. It is seen at its best 
when grown in a suitable spot on the edge 
of a lawn with the grass for a foil. F. sub- 
cordata grandiflora hears larger flowers than 
the preceding, and is to be preferred. F. 
ccerulea (Blue Plantain Lilyj is a handsome 
plant bearing blue flowers. F. lancifolia 
alba marginata has its leaves prettilv edged 
with white. F. ovata has large foliage and 
blue flowers. F. undulata varigata has 
wrinkled foliage beautifully variegated 
with white. There are a number of other 
varieties, but 
a new one 
beari n g the 
name of 
“Thomas 
Hogg” must 
not be omit- 
ted, as it is 
perhaps the 
most beautiful 
on the li s t . 
The foliage is 
beau t i f u 1 1 y 
banded with Fig. 20L 
pure white. The flowers are large, purplish 
lilac, and appear in September, It is one 
of Mr. Hogg's introductions from Japan, 
and was named by the late Dr. Thurber. 
The Plantain Lilies bloom in summer and 
autumn. Fig. 207 is a portrait of F. sub- 
cordata, only, in this case, the plant is 
much handsomer than the portrait. 
The Salpiglossis is a handsome annual for 
the border, and may be used also as a bed- 
ding plant. In this case the seed should be 
sown early indoors, and the plants, when 
large enough, pricked out about a foot 
apart in the bed. The plants grow twelve 
to eighteen inches high. The season for 
flowering is summer and autumn; but they 
may be had in bloom much earlier by sow- 
ing the seed in autumn and wintering the 
plants in small pots. Some amateurs, in- 
deed, have such a fancy for the Salpiglossis 
that they grow it as a pot plant for winter 
Salpiglossis. Fig. 995. 
blooming. The colors of the annuals are 
principally blue and scarlet, veined and 
mottled in a very striking manner. The 
accompanying illustration (Fig. 995) is a 
pretty good portrait of the flower, which, 
however, is two or three times larger on 
well-grown plants. 
Where a climber is wanted, a good one 
may be found in Clematis paniculata , Pan- 
icled Clematis, a species still rare with us. 
It has a remarkably vigorous habit, grow- 
ing ten or twelve feet high, and will quick- 
ly cover a trellis with dense foliage. The 
flowers, which are white and sweet scented, 
cover the plant from top to bottom. The 
flowers, which appear in early summer, are 
succeeded in autumn by red seed vessels 
with handsome awns, which are so numer- 
ous as to give the plant a very picturesque 
and attractive appearance to the very last. 
This plant is a native of Japan, is quite 
hardy, and is really one of the most valu- 
able plants of its class. 
Another good Clematis is C. montana, 
Mountain Clematis, a species from Natal, 
and quite hardy. It is a climbing plant, and 
blooms in spring and summer. The flowers 
are white, about two inches in diameter, 
and are produced in great clusters several 
feet long. It flowers in May and June. 
A native species, Clematis crispa, or Curly 
Leather Flower, is another desirable climb- 
ing plant, growing six to eight feet high. 
It blooms in summer, and bears a profusion 
of purple flowers, which are very fragrant. 
Then there is the long list of hybrid vari- 
eties of the Japanese type to select from, of 
which Jackmanii is doubtless the most use- 
ful and also one of the most beautiful. 
They are all, however, very handsome, but 
just a little dear. 
