680 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 23,^1900. 
Hints for ||mateurs. 
Hardy Plants of Beautiful Forms.—From a gar¬ 
dener's point of view the subjects he cultivates may 
be judged from two main vantages, the first one, form, 
the second, colour. Forms and colours are the prin¬ 
ciples we require mainly to deal with in gardening. 
It would be idle and very stupid to discuss whether 
we obtain greater pleasure from beautiful masses of 
colour with form unnoticed, or from lovely forms in 
their great diversity. But still,while yet we would not 
wrangle about the merits of colour brilliance versus 
mere form, it is worth some little while’s attention to 
answer the question whether we might not have more 
of both in our summer gardens, or at least more of 
one, though not less of the other. 
At the same time the difficulty of introducing 
those plants which possess the most strikingly bold 
and noble forms, such as the Rhubarb tribe, the 
Guuneras, and many Umbellifers, the difficulty of 
introducing these into small gardens should not be 
overlooked. They impress one with ideas of extent, 
of breadth, and for spread limits. 
If wide areas are not in our possession, if our 
gardens are only large enough to fill our view in a 
single glance, then the thought of including the 
largest and handsomest foliage plants would be 
farcical. Yet so very varied is the selection, that 
gardens of all sizes may have suitable subjects, and 
many or most of the plants which we shall name as 
specially fine in foliage, are also the very ones which 
give us the best flowers. 
The fullest wealth of form and colour is only to be 
had toward the end of summer. In very warm 
summers (or even only moderately warm ones for 
that matter, if they were steady), we might almost 
turn the occupants of our plant stoves into the open 
air, and they would take no harm. We have in¬ 
stances of this in a limited scale in some of the 
parks. Fine Palms, Bananas, Monsteras, Coleuses, 
Dracaenas, Ferns, Caladiums, Tradescantia tricolor, 
and other tender enough plants are placed out 
yearly. But all this is beyond the poorer amateur. 
It may be easier for us if a few worthy plants are 
separately referred to. 
Yuccas—There are the Yuccas which I always 
think a r e not nearly enough appreciated. Few 
plants are more truly ornamental when properly 
employed in garden composition. I have before 
now likened a Chili Pine (Araucaria imbricata) in a 
garden, to a handsome piece of mahogany or wal¬ 
nut furniture in a room amoDg common deal chairs 
and cupboards. And it is in much the same light 
that I look upon the best Yuccas. They have an 
individuality all their own. They speak of the 
desert. They seem to me the very embodiment of 
defiance against the scorching heat of a Mexican 
plain. They are mysteriously superior in their im¬ 
perious bearing, scornful of every condition that 
surrounds them. Yucca gloriosa sometimes throws 
up a very massive flower spike, but without the 
flower it is one of the best of the genus. Y. g. 
tecurva is used among old tree roots and stumps at 
the angles where walks diverge, or in solitary 
groups on high, somewhat rocky land in the open 
parts of the pleasure grounds. They make hand¬ 
some subjects for the bolder parts of a rock garden. 
Y. g. plicata and Y. filamentosa are slenderer forms. 
Y. augustifolia and others are worthy of special 
notice. The Yuccas must not be confounded with 
the Mexican Agaves, which are spiny succulent 
plants, whereas the Yuccas are fibrous, dry and 
hard. 
Funkias.—Of quite a different nature are the soft 
herbaceous Plantain Lilies, usually with ovate 
leaves, which grow thickly together. The plants 
make fine objects for the edge of a bed. Indeed a 
very effective bed can be made simply by using 
Funkias alone. It should be circular and need net 
be very large, say 6 ft. to 8 ft. in diameter, but should 
be well raised up in the centre. To fill the middle, 
F. sieboldiana may be planted; F. ovata, F. o. mar- 
ginata, F. lancifolia undulata, F. ovata striata, F. o. 
aurea, F. fortunei, and one or two other forms may 
be used in masses around the borders. 
Bamboos were mentioned last week, and in the 
meantime nothing further need be said than that it 
would be better for our gardens if gardeners and 
owners would interest themselves in, and proceed to 
plant, Bamboos of known hardiness and beauty. But 
so long as planters and buyers are content with read¬ 
ing descriptions of this and that sort, so long will 
they miss much that would be a benefit to their 
gardens and give them pleasure. Next to a Rose 
garden, a well planted assortment of Bamboos. 
Honeysuckles, and Polygonums can be the finest 
feature of a garden. But, indeed, I would prefer to 
combine the Rosary with the Bamboo garden. The 
Roses, Briers, &c., could be planted over rockeries, 
rising banks, recesses, or just wherever circumstances 
and good taste fixed them to be. And if the space 
was of sufficient dimensions I should greatly like to 
introduce rock-work with Alpine plants, and water 
scenery with the types of vegetation suitable to it. 
Still, we have to be moderate, and there is a great 
deal of indiscriminate making of lakes, rock gardens, 
and other “ type gardens." 
Acanthus.—The Bear's Breech has been men¬ 
tioned in this place before. The fact that it has 
been selected by master minds in sculpture as a 
subject worthy of study and perpetuation in stone— 
for the forms of Acanthus leaves are modelled in old 
Greek capitals—is surely enough to prove its bold 
and picturesque appearance. The foliage is dark, 
spiny, lobed, and sinuous along the edges. The 
flower spikes aie quite remarkable, not for the 
brilliance of the flowers, however, but because of 
their quaint form. They may either be planted in 
an ordinary plant border, or put out in masses in 
the back part of lawns. Their own handsomeness 
is aided and the grandeur of old ruins enhanced 
when they are planted contiguously to such places. 
It seems immaterial whether they are planted in a 
shady or a sunny place, for though they do much 
better in sunshine, yet they live and flourish in shade. 
A deep and open sandy loam suits them to a nicety. 
The best of the hardy species are A. latifolius, A. 
spinossimus, A. mollis, A. longifolius, and others. 
Castor-oil Plants.—These annuals are probably 
well enough known to be dispensed with at short 
notice from the present list. They are pretty 
generally grown. A pinch of seed sown in a box in 
January or February wiil furnish one with plants of 
good size and hardiness for planting out at the end 
of May. They are frequently employed in sub¬ 
tropical bedding. They are effective when used 
with discretion along the edge of shrubbery belts. 
I do not think they lend themselves well to massing 
in groups ; they lack picturesqueness. 
Wigandias. — Though these are among the finest 
of the large leaved plants that are used in our 
summer gardens, they are, perhaps, suited to the 
gardens of only a very few amateurs. To give a 
rough and ready description to them, consider them 
as monster Tobacco plants. They are exceedingly 
fine in large beds, with plenty of space and massive 
features around them. 
Ferulas.—The Giant Fennels have all very much 
dissected foliage. Associated with quiet water 
scenery they are exquisitely beautiful; and when 
they flower in mid-summer they are then noble in 
appearance and dimensions. The common Fennel, 
Ferula communis, is slightly coarser in foliage than 
F. syriaca, which is one of the most finely dissected. 
F. Ferulago is a bright pea greeD, and very feathery 
leaved species. F. glauca and its variety, F. g. 
candelebrum, are at their best somewhat earlier than 
the others which are named. These are often 
grown on the outskirts of rock gardens among the 
Polygonum japonicum types of plants. F. com¬ 
munis was mentioned as being the common Fennel, 
but most folks would apply the distinction to Foeni- 
culum vulgare, which is a finer foliaged plant, and is 
found wild in parts of Britain. It matters little 
which of them is chosen, they are both very much 
alike. F. communis flowers earlier than Foenicu- 
lum vulgare. 
Polygonums.—Besides P. japonicum, which is re¬ 
ferred to a few lines above, there are at least two 
others that are distinguished for their stature and 
large leafage. These are the well known P. cuspida- 
tum and the lesser sort, P. polystachyum, which is 
probably the better of the two for small gardens. 
Rheums.—No garden, unless the very smallest, 
should be without its quotation of the members of 
the Rhubarb tribe. Space only allows of a very 
brief notice to a few kinds. There is R palmatum, 
with very large, crinkled, dark green leaves; R. un- 
dulatum, having foliage with a more rounded mar¬ 
gin ; R. officinale, with beautiful large leaves, nicely 
lobed and well spread out. R. Ribes, besides having 
strong and handsome leaves, is at the same time one 
of the most attractive subjects of the June garden 
after it has flowered, and the huge candelebrum 
which formed the inflorescence is laden with tri¬ 
angular crimson seed capsules which shake in the 
wind. It would be a capital subject for the columns 
of The Gardening World, and anyone with a 
photograph of this plant should tempt the Editor! 
Other large leaved plants of excellent form include 
Senecio macroglossum, S. Kaempferi, S. japonicus, 
Sonchus palustris, Crepis sibirica, GentiaDa lutea, 
Verbascum Thapsus (for limestone banks), V. 
Chaixii, V. Lychnitis, and V. longifolium. Petasites 
japonicus, P. j giganteus, P.vulgaris, P. niveus, Bnp- 
thalmum (Telekia) speciosum, Artemesia paniculata, 
A. siversiana, A. pontica (all of which have fragrant 
foliage); Silpbium terebinthaceum, Rudbeckia digi- 
tata, and Delphiniums. The species of Cnicus are 
very fine and rather uncommon. C. cdontolepis, C. 
ligularis, C. tartaricus, Bocconia cordata, Cynara 
Cardunculus, the Artichokes, Onopordon Acanthi- 
um, Saxifraga peltata (for dense shade), Echinops 
bannaticus, E. globifer, E. sphaerocephalus, Cousi- 
nia Hystrio, Serratula coronaria, and other herba¬ 
ceous plant; of a like nature. I shall have more to 
say about the Heracleums at another time— Beacon. 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
Anyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
"Amateurs' Page ” on the top ol their letters. 
Is Linum arboreum hardy 1 —Wilts-. It ought 
to do very well in Wiltshire, particularly if care is 
taken in the selection of a warm and sheltered 
site. It is a shrubby plant but grows very dwarf 
and flowers upon the young wood made in the 
current year. A well prepared sunny border suits 
it capitally. It grows freely aDd makes a brilliant, 
spreading, yellow flowering plant. In cold and 
norihern districts this Linum is not hardy. 
Prunus Padus, the Bird Cherry .—Stellon : This 
beautiful flowering tree is hardy even in the ex¬ 
treme north, and large specimen trees are found 
flourishing in a wild state in many a highland glen. 
As it thrives well in almost any position or soil you 
will find no difficulty in growing it. 
Differences between Clematises.—IF.L. : If you 
obtain two plants of Clematis Miss Bateman and C. 
Mrs. ^Juilter, both of which are of the same form 
and are pure white, you will find this difference, 
that in Miss Bateman Ihe perianth lobes are close 
together at the base, whereas in Mrs. Quilter the 
lobes have loDger “ claws,” and form double convex 
lens-shaped slits around the edge of the carpellary 
disc. 
Dictamnus .—B : These handsome herbaceous 
perennials belong to the order Rutaceae, to which 
belong the Oranges, the Rue genus, Correas, &c. 
There are eighty-three genera, and most of them are 
trees or shrubs. Dictamnus (Fraxine)la) is of easy 
cultivation, and enjoys a sunny position. 
Trillium pendulum.— Eliza : The specimen you 
send is Trillium pendulum, a semi-bog plant, and 
not a species of Solomon’s Seal. Both belong to the 
same natural order, however. 
Propagating Roses and Briers.— f. Smallom: 
From these who have had much experience in the 
propagation of Roses we learn that most of the 
prickly, and the short wooded Roses, such as R. 
spinosissima, the R. rugosa section, and all that 
take after their pattern, are the most difficult to 
propagate from cuttings or from buds. H.P.’s and 
all near them in constitution and habit are fairly easy. 
The R. wichuriana section will root almost in a fort¬ 
night from cuttings, and grow freely from seeds. 
Mixing Privet.— J. R. The method which you 
hope to practice lias been successfully tried. One of 
the' prettiest (or funniest ?) hedges we know of sur¬ 
rounding a smal 1 , villa front garden, is composed of 
the green and the golden Privet planted in alternate 
"blocks." Each is kept to the same dimensions as 
the neighbouring "block,” and when the golden 
variety has attained its deepest colour, the green and 
