HOUSE AND GARDEN 
222 
October, 1911 
If blue is preferred next to 
arabis nothing is better 
than Phlox divaricata 
Boltonias are somewhat like 
the wild asters. They 
come in August 
Speedwell, or veronica, is 
worth while for its state¬ 
ly blue flowers 
Dielytra spectabilis 
Iris Germanic a 
Dianthus plumarius 
Delphinium formosum 
Phlox paniculata 
pink 
yellow, purple 
pink, white 
blue 
pink, white 
Veronica longifolia subsessilis blue 
Gail lard ia grand id ora 
Lilium speciosum 
Boltonia astcroidcs 
red and yellow 
pink, white 
white 
May 
June 
June — July 
July — August 
August 
August — September. 
The plant that heads the list, because of its blooming season, 
has the common name of rock cress, but is almost invariably 
called arabis. It is among the most valuable of the early spring 
perennials and should be in every hardy garden. The little blos- 
A more satisfactory perennial than the or¬ 
dinary Iris Germanica would be hard to 
find. Its blossoms are beautiful both for 
form and color 
m 
§ $ 4 
IS 
Alyssum saxatile lends to the border a mass of the sunniest 
shade of yellow well appreciated in the early spring 
soms begin to ap¬ 
pear in April and 
soon they are so nu¬ 
merous as to form a 
sheet of white. It is 
a plant so low of growth that it should be placed on the edge of 
the border, and is all the prettier if allowed to sprawl over the 
garden path, which should be below the level of the bed—a good 
rule in the case of all the carpeting plants. New growth sets, in 
immediately after the flowering period, and the foliage is present¬ 
able all summer. When a plant is three years old it is apt to be 
rather scraggly; so I prefer to keep a fresh stock going by tak¬ 
ing cuttings in June. These cuttings root easily and bloom the 
next year, making good-sized plants the year following. There 
are two species sold, A. albida and A. Alpina, and you may get 
the one for the other without being any the wiser. The double 
kind is much handsomer than either and better for cutting, though 
the effect is less snowy. 
Quite as indispensable to tbe spring garden is the rock mad- 
wort, or “basket of gold” Alyssum saxatile. It lends to the bor¬ 
der a mass of the sunniest shade of yellow—a color always appre¬ 
ciated when the garden year is young. The plants branch freely 
after the first season's blooming and become quite sprawly, but 
will last for years if they are on well-drained ground and are not 
allowed to get tangled up 
with a rake. Plant it next to 
arabis for a charming com¬ 
bination or, if blue is pre¬ 
ferred, there is nothing bet¬ 
ter than Phlox divaricata. 
I confess that I don't like 
to single out any hardy 
primula; I am so fond of 
them all. But, everything 
considered, I feel that I must 
choose the glorified cowslip 
known as Primula verbs su- 
perba. It is fully entitled to 
the adjective superb, nothing 
else doing justice to its 
trusses of pale yellow blos¬ 
soms with orange centers. 
In effect, if not in fact, it is 
a polyanthus. This is by no 
means a common perennial. 
Its hardiness and ease of 
culture, not to mention its 
The bleeding heart is one of the peren¬ 
nials that do well in partial shade 
