110 
BEAUTIFUL GARDEN FLOWERS. 
eximia (or marginatci ) white ; fruticosa, golden-yellow r 
with a good variety called Youngi; glauca, pale yellow; 
mis sour iensis, yellow ; and speciosa, white. 
ONQPORDQN Aeanthium ( Cotton Thistle ). — A highly 
ornamental composite, 4 to 8 feet high, with woolly 
stems and large deeply-lobed leaves, with spiny 
margins. The purple flower-heads appear from July 
to September, but the chief beauty of the plant is its 
foliage. It flourishes in any garden soil, and although 
a perennial, it is usually raised from seeds and treated 
as a biennial (see p. 9). 
ONOSMA tauricum ( Golden Drop ). — This is the 
best garden plant out of 70 species or more. It is a 
distinct and beautiful perennial, 6 to 12 inches high, 
with dense tufts of hairy grey-green leaves, and from 
May or June to August its bright-yellow tubular 
flowers droop in arching racemes over the foliage. 
There is a white variety, rarely seen and not so easy 
to grow. The same may be said of 0. albo-roseum, a 
dwarf species with white flowers and a reddish calyx. 
The Onosmas require a rich sandy loam, with a 
little peat and leaf soil, and warm sheltered spots in 
the rock garden or border. Good drainage is essential, 
and the plants should be protected from an excess of 
cold rains in winter by means of hand lights or sheets 
of glass. They may be raised from seeds, or cuttings of 
the side shoots in summer, in sandy soil under glass. 
QROBUS ( Bitter Vetch ). — These perennials are 
closely related to the Everlasting Pea ( Lathyrus ), but 
differ from them chiefly in having no tendrils, and 
being dwarf and bushy instead of climbing in habit. 
They flourish in ordinary garden soil, but prefer a 
