February 9, 1907. 
THE a ARDEN I NO WORLD. 
Rodgersia 
WITH 
PINK FLOWERS. 
'Rodgersia pinnata.) 
The above plant belongs to the Saxi¬ 
frage family, and was recently introduced 
from Western China. Previous to that 
it had been represented in gardens by R. 
podophylla from Japan. Amongst the 
Saxifrages themselves the closest repre¬ 
sentative, perhaps, in habit would be 
Saxifraga peltata, which can be grown 
with success under similar conditions. 
R. pinnata has large wedge-shaped, 
wrinkled leaves, not unlike those of a 
Horse Chestnut, but more scattered or 
spread out along the top of the stalk. 
The latter feeing of some considerable 
length gives the foliage quite a robust 
and sub-tropical appearance. The flower 
stems on vigorous plants rise up to a 
height of aj^tt., quite clear of the foliage, 
and bear a branching cluster of pink 
flowers. 
Those who have a bog garden or wet 
situation where some of the better known 
plants fail to thrive, advantage might be 
taken of such a place to plant it with sub¬ 
jects which delight in moisture and re¬ 
ward the cultivator by the distinct and 
handsome appearance of their leaves as 
well as flowers. It will thrive in ordinary 
garden soil, however, provided it is deep 
and rich and never at any time gets dust 
dry, otherwise the large and handsome 
leaves o,f this plant would shrivel and 
suffer in appearance during the heat of a 
dry summer. Those who have a large 
rockery with various aspects would suc¬ 
ceed by planting it where it would be 
shaded from the sun during the heat- of 
the day, but yet freely exposed to light. 
Builders of rockeries should always bear 
this in mind, and while providing shade 
for plants that like it they should not have 
the rockery overhung by trees, otherwise 
these plants do not get the light which is 
necessary to their well-being and hand¬ 
some appearance. 
■- +++ -- 
A Beautiful 
Biennial 
(Qilia coronopifolia.) 
The accompanying illustration repre¬ 
sents the top of a spike of the above 
beautiful biennial, which bloomed in the 
herbaceous ground at Kew last year. 
Many of its relations are annuals, and 
one would readily imagine this one to be 
an annual likewise, but it takes much 
longer to come into bloom than the better 
known species of Gilia in gardens. 
Those who have no convenience for pre¬ 
serving it indoors in winter would find it 
the best plan to select a sheltered piece 
of soil that is rather light and well drained, 
and sow the seeds in July to bloom during 
s 
Maclaren and Sons. 
Gilia coronopifolia. 
the following summer. The illustration 
was taken on the nth October, but it had 
been in bloom for several weeks previous 
to that. Another method of growing it 
is to sow the seeds in pots or seed pans, 
and to transplant them into- boxes when 
they have made a rough leaf or two. 
They could be wintered in these boxes if 
planted about 2% in. apart each way, but 
at the same time the cultivator could pot 
off the seedlings singly direct from' the 
seed pans and grow them in pots to be 
sheltered in a cold frame till April. A 
bed could then be planted with them 
with every chance of success. In heavy 
soils some of the plants would die in the 
open ground during winter, but those 
who are familiar with their garden can 
always have resource to such a plan to 
secure the successful flowering of a very 
handsome plant. 
Only some of the leaves are observable 
on the flower spike, but they are so finelv 
cut up into, linear segments that they get 
more or less hidden fey the flowers. ’ We 
may, however, compare the foliage to that 
of a Larkspur, than which it is even finer. 
By August the stems will have reached a 
height of 2^4 ft. or 3 ft., bearing narrowlv 
pyramidal spikes of scarlet flowers more or 
less spotted with white. A packet of seeds 
frequently gives a variety of colours, in 
which the scarlet is more or less washed 
out, uniformly or irregularly striped and 
flaked with white. The darkest colours 
are certainly the most handsome, though 
the lighter ones serve to give variety. It 
is a native of North America. 
Rodg-ersia pinnata. 
Maclaren and Sons. 
