144 HARDY PERENNIALS 
growths, this seemingly being an essential condition 
of the maturing of flowering heads. But there are 
many other species and varieties of Gentian, well 
over seventy, in fact, and by no means are all blue, 
for there are yellows, whites, purples, and lavenders, 
and some are of erect and comparatively tall growth, 
placing them at once among border subjects. Most 
of the members of the family require a light gritty 
soil, with lime, but a few thrive best in sandy peat. 
All must have plenty of water from Spring to Autumn 
but perfect drainage in Winter. 
Geranium. — Among the real Geraniums, totally 
distinct, of course, from the Zonal Pelargoniums 
which by common usage are misnamed Geraniums, 
there are a number of effective little border plants 
which are so hardy and accommodating that they 
may be utilized on the verge of a shrubbery on sloping 
banks, narrow beds around the house, or in the front 
row of the general herbaceous border. There are 
rose-coloured, red, pink, purple, or violet shades of 
colour, and they vary in height from a few inches 
to a couple of feet. Some have prettily cut foliage 
and rich red leafstalks and flower stems that add to 
their effectiveness. 
Gerbera. — The exquisite beauty of the Gerberas, 
especially the many-coloured hybrids that have been 
largely produced in the South of France, justifies 
the efforts that have been made to acclimatize them 
to British gardens, but it is only in the most sheltered 
and favoured gardens in the southern and western 
