742 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 23, 1892. 
THE HERBACEOUS BORDER. 
Choice Plants in Flower. 
Eryngium alpinum. —It is to be regretted that one 
of the finest of the Eryngiums is so seldom seen in 
cultivation now. There should, apparently, be no more 
difficulty in growing this species than the similarly 
strong growing E. Olivierianumand E. amethystinum; 
but it is probably more of an alpine, and delights in a 
cooler, moister atmosphere. At all events it succeeds 
well in the far north under those conditions. The 
lower leaves are heart-shaped, large, and bold in 
appearance, and the upper ones are somewhat divided. 
The bracts surrounding the head as well as the upper 
portion of the flower stalks are of a bright steel blue, 
and the bracts, numbering from ten to twenty, 
make the species a very effective and handsome 
border plant. 
Lychnis chalcedonica.— The scarlet forms of this 
plant, both single and double, are undoubtedly much 
more desirable than the pink or white ones, although 
the latter might prove useful by way of contrast in a 
collection. The beauty of the plant is best seen 
when the clumps are allowed to attain some size. 
Propagation is easily effected by division, just as 
growth is commencing in spring, or by cuttings of 
the flower stems which develop buds or short shoots 
alternately on different sides of the stems. 
Erigeron glaucus. —The stems and leaves of 
this species do not die down in winter like those of 
most others in cultivation. The plant flowers freely 
when about a foot high, and together with the flower 
stalks about 6 in. higher. The leaves are very broad 
at the upper end, tapering to the base, where they 
join the stems. The flowers are about as large as 
those of E. speciosus and of the same colour, but the 
plant is altogether neater in habit. It is a native of 
Western North America, and perfectly hardy in this 
country. 
Monarda Didyma. —The Oswego Tea, as it is 
called, is the finest of this class of plants, and should 
certainly be included in a collection of herbaceous 
subjects. The flowers are bright scarlet, and 
supported by bracts that are more or less of a bright 
red, and taken altogether are very conspicuous and 
ornamental amongst other border subjects. 
Campanula persicifolia calycanthema.— There 
are few collections that do not possess some or other 
of the Bellflowers, many of which are almost indis¬ 
pensable for border decoration, as well as for cut 
flowers or for exhibition. The principal feature of 
the variety under notice is that the calyx is enlarged 
and coloured blue like the corolla. A sub-variety has 
a white calyx of this character. ’These forms, like 
the Canterbury Bells, with a coloured calyx might 
well be spoken of under the name of cups and 
saucers. 
Lilium Hansoni.— The soft reddish-orange flowers 
of this Lily are very effective, and when eight or ten 
of them are produced in a short pyramid, the beholder 
cannot be otherwise than taken with it. The stems 
attain a height of 3 ft. or 4 ft , making the species a 
useful subject for planting amongst Rhododendrons. 
Being a native of Japan it proves hardy here, and 
ought to enjoy more extensive cultivation. The 
anceolate leaves are produced in whorls, tier above 
tier. 
Origanum Tournefortii. —More than a hundred 
years ago this ornamental species of Marjoram was 
introduced to this country from Armorgos ; but in 
spite of its beauty has not made much headway in 
British gardens, a fact which is all the more to be 
wondered at considering its hardiness. It is of slow 
growth, and therefore highly useful for pot work. 
Propagation can be effected by division if carefully 
done, but a quicker increase may be accomplished 
with cuttings of the half-ripened wood inserted in 
pots of sandy soil and kept under a hand-glass or in 
a frame kept close. The rosy-pink flowers and bracts 
are very pretty. The plant usually grows about 
a foot in height, and does best in well-drained soil or 
upon rockwork. 
Delphinium formosum.— The species would not 
now be much appreciated where a collection of the 
newer and highly improved kinds exist. It is, more¬ 
over, one of the parents of the garden forms and was 
very much appreciated in its day. The finely cut 
foliage and bright blue flowers with small black 
petals in the centre are features, however, which still 
recommend the plant for border decoration. It 
should have the advantage of well-tilled soil to which 
manure is given at least occasionally. 
Papaver nudicaule.— Where this is grown at all 
it is usually grown in quantity in beds, but that is no 
reason for omitting it from the herbaceous border 
proper. The plant as a rule is not l.ong lived, but 
as it seeds freely there should be no difficulty in 
making a sowing of it in the herbaceous border every 
year. This may also be done in the reserve garden, 
and the plants transferred, so as to form clumps of 
some size at intervals in the front line. 
Potentilla NEPALENSis.— Amongst the un¬ 
improved Potentillas suitable for the herbaceous 
border, this is certainly one of the best, growing 
about 18 in. high and producing a profusion of rosy- 
purple flowers. The leaves are divided into five 
leaflets, and are such as to add to the general appear¬ 
ance of the plant. Although a native of the 
Himalayas, it is perfectly hardy in this country. 
--- 
ON STRAWBERRIES. 
Where there are Strawberry plantations to be 
formed for supplying fruit next season no time 
should be lost in getting the ground manured and 
deeply dug, if not already done, and the plants put 
in, because the sooner they are established the better 
will the crop be. Many growers consider August 
the best month to plant in, but I should prefer June, 
especially in northern parts, as then the plants have 
time to make a good growth and to rest before the 
cold damp days of winter set in. 
Much harm has been done to Strawberry beds this 
season, but where we planted out good breadths last 
year of plants that had been forced, they are as 
nearly perfection as we could desire. The best 
cropper I have seen is President, and I might add 
that it is the hardiest variety I have seen in the north. 
It is somewhat difficult getting a supply of young 
plants for next year’s fruiting in pots, but those who 
have a supply of plants which were pricked in 
during last autumn may not experience much 
difficulty ; I, however, have never been very success¬ 
ful with such stock. 
In the northern counties Strawberries are unusually 
late, and in some parts the plants have been entirely 
destroyed. Judging from the meagre exhibits at the 
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society’s Show the 
crops must be late and of poor quality.— Stirling. 
--i-- 
A BORDER OF ANNUALS. 
By a little arrangement and scheming a border may 
be made to look gay from an early period of the year 
onwards at comparatively little trouble and expense. 
On an east aspect border by the herbaceous ground 
at Kew, a feature is made of Daffodils, which are 
planted somewhat widely apart with a few Violas, 
Liliums, and other subjects at intervals. The wall it¬ 
self behind is covered with a great variety of climb¬ 
ing and other subjects, some of which are only half 
hardy, and have been flowering at intervals from the 
early spring onwards according to the kind. 
Long before the leaves of the Daffodils had died 
away so that the bulbs might be lifted, annuals were 
sown in broad or narrow patches between them 
according to the space at command. After the 
Daffodils were lifted, the annuals grew and were 
allowed to spread naturally, until at present they 
occupy the border as if it had been entirely meant 
for them from the beginning. The old fashioned 
practice of sowing annuals in lines is objectionable on 
account of formality. By the free and easy method 
here practised all formality is avoided, as well as any 
trimming of the plants to keep them in their allotted 
positions, as well as staking. 
The number of different kinds used is considerable, 
so that there is no necessity of repeating them except 
at considerable intervals along the long border. Among 
the earliest to become conspicuous were Phacelia 
campanularia, Eutoca viscida, Eschscholtzia crocea 
aurantiaca, Iberis umbellata and its varieties, as well 
as I. amara, which made broad patches of blue, 
orange, pink, and white respectively. On a fine day 
the blue, purple, white and striped varieties of 
Convolvulus tricolor in mixture make a fine display 
with their particoloured flowers. Similarly the 
broad patches of the procumbent composite, Veni- 
dium fugax, with orange flower heads and a brown 
centre, court the sun with a profusion of flowers that 
becomes dazzling to look upon. The Cornflower in 
mixture may recommend itself on account of its 
variety, but none of the colours excel in beauty the 
rich blue of the wilding. Laya elegans, with procum¬ 
bent stems and yellow rays tipped with white, is quite 
charming. The dark foliage and crimson flowers of 
the Tom Thumb Nasturtium Empress of India are 
also very distinct in their way. 
Many of the more popular kinds of Poppies have 
been utilised, including The Bride (a white variety 
of Papaver somniferum), Danebrog or Danish Flag, 
The Mikado, double fringed, rose and white, and 
Flag of Truce, double white, all varieties of the 
same species. P. glaucum, a new species with 
scarlet flowers, is also noticeable. Several varieties 
of Chrysanthemum carinatum are also grown, 
including that known as Tricolor Burridgeanum. 
The Corn Marigold (Chrysanthemum segetum) with 
its golden yellow flowers also deservedly finds a 
place. Calendula officinalis Orange King, an orange 
variety of the common Marigold, is also very con¬ 
spicuous. The colours of the subjects already 
mentioned are very varied, more especially when 
sown in mixture, and the habit of the plants them¬ 
selves further add to the diversity. The upright 
habited Larkspurs have double and semi-double, 
rose, pink, sky blue, purple, nnd violet-purple 
flowers. Those of Linum grandiflorum coccineum, 
Viscaria cardinalis, are intense red, Bartsia aurea, 
Golden and Yellow Sultan clear yellow. The latter 
is very valuable for cut flowers especially in mixture 
with other kinds. The profusion of orange and 
purple flowers of Linaria reticulata aurea-purpurea 
makes it a conspicuous plant during a great part of 
the summer. The large and deep mauve purple 
flowers of Malope trifida grandiflora are familiar 
objects in many gardens. Leptosiphon rosea covers 
the ground as with a carpet, bearing a profusion of 
flowers of the colour indicated by the name; and 
the procumbent Nemophila insignis is equally dwarf, 
but has bright sky blue flowers. There is variety 
enough in the ordinary formed flowers of Phlox 
Drummondi, but there is also a race with deeply cut 
and starry looking flowers of various colours. 
If it had been attempted to fill this border by 
planting out annuals or other subjects raised in pots 
or boxes and grown on in frames, the labour would 
have been considerable. The expense would have 
been increased tenfold if it had been filled with 
Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, Fuchsias, Lobelias, or 
other summer bedding subjects. But all this has 
been simplified by sowing the annuals directly into 
spaces between the clumps of Daffodils, and now 
there is a profusion of flowers either for cutting, for 
ordinary decoration, or any other purpose to which 
annuals can be put. The Lilies have also been 
flowering for some time past. 
-- 
BEGONIAS IN THE OPEN. 
Fine effects are often obtained in the open garden 
that would never be dreamt of in the case of the 
same subjects indifferently grown in pots under glass. 
1 'his behoves raisers of new' Begonias and other 
subjects to make fair trials of them in the open 
ground. It occasionally happens that new plants 
find their way out of the country, and being subjected 
to experiments of this kind come back with great 
eclat as bedding plants, a distinction they might well 
have earned at home. The climate of France, more¬ 
over, is warmer than ours, and Begonias frequently 
do better there, not because there is less rain, but 
because the warmth is greater. Begonias will grow 
and fknver freely whether the summer is wet or dry 
provided there is plenty of heat ; cold weather simply 
retards their growth. 
We recently noted a bed of Begonias on trial as 
bedding plants at Chiswick, in the gardens of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, having been sent there 
by Messrs. Sutton & Sons, of Reading. Several 
different kinds are on trial, including the dwarf 
woolly - leaved and scarlet - flow ered B. Frcebelli, 
usually considered a winter-flowering species ; some 
flowers were, however, open about a fortnight ago. 
Another named B. Meteor appeared to be a variety 
of the tuberous B. Pearcei, but w'as not in bloom. 
The obliquely cordate and lobed leaves were olive- 
green above with paler nerves, and w'ere lying close 
to the ground. A taller sort named Afterglow' is of 
the same habit as Knowsleyana, with glowing red 
stems, petioles, and sepals while in bud. The leaves 
are also tinted red, and the stems at present 3 in. to 
6 in. high. As the flowers expand, they become 
paler and are blush or almost white internally. A 
similar dwarf sort is Princess Beatrice, with small, 
