808 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 20, 1887, 
severely of foliage at any one time, otherwise the root 
system of the plant may receive an irreparable check. 
Rather than run this risk, cut away those branches 
only that override the others, preventing due access of 
light to the remaining foliage. To prevent the attack 
and spread of red-spider, keep the floor and stages, if 
any, well damped down several times a day to keep up 
a supply of moisture in the atmosphere. If there is 
likely to be any outbreak of the pest, give the Yines a 
good syringing—provided the Grapes have not begun 
to colour, which they are not likely to he if the house 
is an unheated one—and close up early in the afternoon, 
maintaining a saturated atmosphere till it is necessary 
to ventilate next day.— F. 
-- 
HERBACEOUS AND ALPINE 
PLANTS IN FLOWER. 
Globe Thistle. —From a decorative point of view, 
none of the Globe Thistles are more select than 
Echinops Ritro, which grows to the height of 2 ft. or 
3 ft., being thus dwarfer than most other species in 
cultivation. The flower-heads are globular, as the 
name implies, and of an intense blue, and the com¬ 
bination such as we seldom see amongst hardy plants. 
For this reason it deserves to be more widely dis¬ 
seminated in gardens than it is at present. The 
pinnatifid leaves are cottony beneath, but not so spiny 
as in the variety E. R. ruthenicus. 
Anemone japonica elegans. —In many gardens 
this form is more popular than, and seems to have 
displaced, the type. It is a hybrid between A. japonica 
and A. vitifolia, a far less showy but interesting 
Himalayan species. That under notice grows 3 ft. to 
4 ft. in height, producing a long succession of soft rosy 
flowers about 3 ins. in diameter, and furnished with 
fewer but much broader coloured sepals than either 
parent. The variety is also known as A. j. rosea, and 
A. j. hybrida, and both names are sometimes combined. 
Gypsophila paniculata. —There are several pretty 
species in this genus very useful in their way for dotting 
about the Alpine garden, or planting near a rocky ledge 
where their trailing stems may hang over ; but none 
have attained the popularity of this species within 
comparatively recent times for mixing with cut flowers 
in table decoration. From 18 ins. to 24 ins. is the 
usual height of the stems, and when grown where they 
have plenty of room to develope, ramify and form a 
semi-globular clump completely covered with myriads 
of tiny white flowers, which are very graceful in the 
mass, and serve the purpose for which they are used 
admirably. 
Dense-flowered Evening Primrose. —Although 
an annual, this pretty and distinct Californian species 
might with great propriety be introduced to some of 
the more prominent parts of the garden, where its 
beauty could hardly fail to attract attention. 
Botanically this is known as (Enothera densiflora or 
Boisduvalia Douglasi ; we prefer the former, although 
a few botanical distinctions relegate it to a distinct 
section of the genus. The small rosy purple flowers 
form a sort of umbel as they expand, and remind one 
very forcibly of Lychnis flos-Jovis at a short distance, 
but as the inflorescence elongates it become truly 
spicate. 
The Wing-stemmed Loosestrife. —Ly thrum 
alatum—for such is its botanical name—is a North 
American and very distinct species, for some time con¬ 
fused with the procumbent L. Grtefferi from South 
Europe. The larger deeper purple flowers, and erect 
tetragonal or four-winged stems, however, readily dis¬ 
tinguish it from its congener. It thrives best in a 
light sandy soil, and the lower part of the stems assume 
a semi-shrubby character, constituting a compact and 
elegant subject for the herbaceous border. 
Gillies Malvastrum. —After its first appearance 
in British gardens, this plant was grown under the 
name of Modiola geranioides, and certainly bears con¬ 
siderable resemblance to a Geranium, both in habit, in 
its finely-cut foliage, and its large rosy red flowers, 
with a dark spot at the base of each petal, Malvastrum 
Gilliesii is the recognised name now, although it also 
enjoys—or, rather, is hampered with—another synonym 
in Malvaviscus geranioides. The plant delights in a 
sunny aspect, and succeeds in resisting the severity of 
our winters best when planted in rather sandy soil; it 
is also a cheerful subject for the rock-garden, flowering 
freely in warm dry weather. 
The Woolly-leaved Androsace. —Few Alpines 
are calculated to give such a long-continued display of 
bloom as the Himalayan Androsace lanuginosa, which 
continues to throw up its umbels of beautiful rose- 
coloured dark-eyed flowers throughout the summer, 
wet and dry weather alike. It must be confessed, 
however, that the flowers are much brighter in colour 
when the weather is cool and the atmosphere somewhat 
moister than it is at present, which may be more akin 
to that of its native habitats, where heavy fogs and rain 
are more prevalent than in an English summer. At 
present the flowers are nearly white, with the exception 
of the eye, but pretty and interesting notwithstanding. 
Lobelia splendens. —There is a certain similarity 
between this and L. fulgens (both Mexican species), and 
the Cardinal Lobelia ; but the two former are superior 
to the latter in the size of the flowers, while L. fulgens 
is distinguishable by its downy stems and the exterior 
surface of the flowers. L. splendens is in every way a 
magnificent species, with a terminal raceme of scarlet 
flowers, and responds readily to cultivation, provided 
it is grown in a somewhat loose moist soil. All the 
three species mentioned delight in a marshy soil, 
where they can receive an abundant supply of moisture. 
There is a dark-leaved variety (L. s. atrosanguinea) 
similar, if not identical, with that known as Queen 
Victoria. 
The Blue Poppy. —Notwithstanding the somewhat 
evanescent characterof the flower of Meconopis Wallichi, 
it is a handsome perennial, that merits more extended 
cultivation than it yet enjoys in British gardens. The 
flower-stems rise to the height of 3 ft. to 5 ft., bearing 
numerous short lateral racemes of flowers over great 
part of the stem. As flowering proceeds, a constant 
succession of blooms is produced, extending over many 
weeks, which are of a pale but decidedly blue hue, 
with deeper-coloured filaments and orange anthers, 
and certainly showy. A faint suffusion of lilac or 
purple sometimes pervades the blue colouring of the 
petals. The rusty-looking hairs of the leaves and 
stem are also very curious and characteristic. 
Oswego Tea. —Such is the popular name of Monarda 
didyma, a highly ornamental plant now adorning the 
borders of various gardens throughout the country. It 
must not be confused with M. fistulosa rubra, otherwise 
known as M. f. purpurea, with dark purple flowers. 
In the case of M. didyma they are of a uniform crimson, 
and not bright scarlet as they are often described. 
This species may be otherwise determined by the 
acutely—-not bluntly—four-angled stems, such as we see 
in M. f. rubra, and the bracts supporting the flower- 
heads are red or crimson, thus rendering the plant 
additionally attractive. 
-- 
PLANTS IN FLOWER AT THE 
AMERICAN EXHIBITION. 
Owing to the exceptional nature of the season, and 
the late period of the year at which they were planted, 
the flowering of the various American annual and 
herbaceous plants has not been so continuous or so pro¬ 
longed as might otherwise have been the case. Some 
of the early-flowering annuals have seen their best, but 
other subjects, both annual and perennial, will con¬ 
tinue or come into bloom till cut down by frost ; and 
there can be no doubt that the most has been made of 
their arrangement, as to position and otherwise, that 
could be effected under the circumstances by Mr. 
Goldring, who superintends this department of the 
exhibition. 
The various annual and perennial herbaceous plants 
used in the gardens are intended to represent the 
American flora as nearly as circumstances will allow. 
Most of the annuals have been supplied by Messrs. J 
Garter & Co., High Holborn, and include many of the 
most popular subjects grown in British gardens, so 
they do not present much novelty to the public on 
that account. A large bed of Godetia Whitneyi, 
with its large rosy pink flowers and crimson blotches, 
has sustained its usual character of being a prof use¬ 
flowering annual, and the same might be said of its 
near relatives—Clarkia pulchella alba, with white, and 
(Enothera Drummondi, with hoary foliage and large 
yellow flowers. The dry summer seems particularly 
favourable to most kinds of plants coming from dry 
regions such as Mexico, and accordingly we find Zinnia 
elegans, Coreopsis Burridgei, Gaillardia grandiflora, 
and Eschscholtzia californica doing remarkably well. 
Lupins in various colours, dwarf Tropaeolums, Fenzli 
dianthi flora, and Oxyura californica swell the list of 
useful things that every good garden should possess. 
Phlox Drummondi likes partial shade or an abundant 
supply of moisture to bring out the splendid effect it is 
capable of producing. 
The plants supplied by Mr. T. S. Mare, Tottenham, 
are mostly perennials, which have furnished bloom 
from an early period of the year, according to their 
kind, and will continue till late in autumn, when 
Asters will join the late-flowering Gaillardias. Spinea 
astilboides and some others were followed by 
Hemerocallis fulva, Iceland Poppies in various hues, 
Coreopsis lanceolata, Erigeron (Stenactis) speciosus, 
and (Enothera fruticosa. Most of these still flower 
freely, and have been joined by that fine old-fashioned 
thing, the orange-flowered Asclepias tuberosa, by late- 
flowering hybrid Phloxes, Helianthus (Harpalium) 
rigidus, Pentstemons in numerous fine varieties, and 
Gaillardias. The latter were small pieces when planted 
late ; but being put in rich soil have now made ex¬ 
cellent growth, and will continue till late in the season. 
Dahlias are very late, owing to the drought, but will 
improve presently, when various Helianthi and 
perennial Asters will become the chief centres of 
attraction. — Visitor. 
--- 
CHINESE BELLFLOWER. 
Our figure gives an illustration of Platycodon 
grandiflorum, one of the best of Bellflowers, which, 
however, is not a true Campanula, although it has 
been considered such by some authorities, and is known 
under that name in some gardens. In a true Cam¬ 
panula the seed-vessel opens by slits beneath and 
outside the calyx limb, whereas in Platycodon the 
capsule bursts by valves inside and opposite to the 
segments of the calyx. Apart from botanical characters, 
it may be stated that this, the only species, a native of 
China, Mandschuria and Japan, varies in height from 
6 ins. to 10 ins. or more ; branching somewhat in the 
upper part under good cultivation, and bearing a 
number of large, erect, deep blue flowers. The dwarfer 
varieties get separate names, such as P. grandiflorum 
Mariesii and P. g. pumilum, and it must be acknow¬ 
ledged that they are extremely handsome subjects for 
planting in the rock-garden, or in beds or borders. 
The flowers themselves vary considerably in colour and 
even in structure, as we noted recently at Pendell 
Court, Bletchingley, where some stems bore white 
flowers, and numerous others showed a tendency to 
become double or semi-double, and even developed a 
second corolla within the outer. Increase in this 
species is comparatively slow, when we consider the 
rate at which most of the true Campanulas spread and 
occupy the ground, so that the Chinese Bellflower 
never becomes weedy. Propagation is effected by 
division of the root-stock, which, however, dislikes to 
be disturbed after having established itself; cuttings 
of the young stems may also be made in the spring. 
-->X<-- 
MIMICRY IN PLANTS. 
Throughout the animal and vegetable worlds we 
find a remarkable amount of mimicry or imitation 
amongst its members, whereby one animal resembles 
another of a different genus ; one plant another ; or 
animals bear remarkable resemblances to certain plants, 
or vice versa. In many cases it would be difficult or 
impossible to trace the origin, or account for this 
mimicry ; and while we may in some cases treat these 
phenomena as accidental, we cannot reasonably do so 
in all cases. We have ample evidence that certain 
animals resemble others, or some object in the mineral 
or vegetable kingdoms, and in most cases this is for the 
sake of protection, so that they may escape the obser¬ 
vation of their enemies, or, it may be, to deceive their 
prey. Amongst plants there would seem to be less 
necessity for this kind of protection, and accordingly 
we find protective resemblances far less decidedly 
developed. 
It must not be inferred from the above that there is 
a general absence of imitation in the vegetable kingdom. 
On the other hand, if we are to judge from the botanical 
and English names, especially of the 100,000 species of 
flowering plants clothing our earth, the botanists of all 
ages have impressed us with the fact that plants bear 
striking resemblances to a host of objects, animate or 
inanimate. These shapes, appearances or likenesses 
