May 1, 1905 
in greater abundance, are disposed in 
large fascicle-like racemes at the summit 
of the branches and branchlets; they are 
of a very pleasing pale primrose-yellow 
eclour, and-often 1 inch in diameter. The 
plant is sometimes literally covered with 
its delicate Convolvulus-like flowers. The 
propagation. of Linum tetragynum is not 
limited to cuttings only, as this pretty 
species produces underground suckers, by 
which it may also readily be increased. 
SMALL ANNUALS IN POTS. 
The effect of the cold conservatory during 
summer can be considerably beautified by 
the use of annuals grown in pots, as we all 
know; but I want to put in a plea for the 
pot culture of some of those small subjects 
that are scarcely ever seen except in beds 
and borders where annuals are extensively 
cultivated. 
Schizopetalon is a charming half-hardy 
annual to begin with; the tiny cruciform 
cream. flowers are deliciously Almond 
scented. Seeds of this, ay of the other 
plants to be mentioned, may be sown 4 in. 
apart in the pots direct ; then, if the soil is 
rich and sweet, no pricking out will be 
needed, only judicious watering and the 
occasional application. of weak soot water. 
The pots should be glass covered’ directly 
the seed is sown, and should stand on a 
sunny window sill. 
Nemophilas and Lobelias are known to 
all. Kaulfussias are good for this pur- 
pose; K. amelloides is the blue, K. atro- 
violacea the purple, and K. Kermesina the 
carmine variety. Alyssum maritimum, 
the dwarf, white Sweet Alyssum, will be 
popular for its honey sweet perfume. Arc- 
totis breviscapa will give orange flowers 
in sunshine, so pots of it will prettily adorn 
a sitting-room window ledge, and! the blue 
and the white Campanula Attica are my 
own, favorites for dinner table ornamenta- 
tion. 
Clintonia pulchella, blue and white, and 
alba, white; Collomia coccinea, sherry 
scarlet Godetia Bijou, a white, dark spot- 
ted variety that only grows 6 in. high; 
Tonopsidium acaule, white and violet, 2 to 
3 in. high ; Leptosiphons of all colors ; Lim- 
nanthes Douglasii; Mesembryanthemums 
of several varieties; Oxalis rosea; Poly- 
gonum capitatum, pink, 3 in. high; San- 
vitalia procumbens, yellow; 
calabrilca, rose, and S. alba; 
dula compacta, pink; ditto Empress of 
India, crimson with purplish! foliage, and 
S. p. c. albai flore pleno, ai 6-in. double white. 
Veronica glauca, royal blue, and Portulacas 
of various hues can. all be recommended for 
pot growing, so afford ample choice. 
M. Hawrnorne. 
see eeeeeeees ‘ 
Silene pen- 
By Herbert GREeENnsMitH. 
It would scarcely seem necessary to call 
attention at this early season of the year 
to hardy perennials; they are so beamiti- 
fully tucked away, in many cases, deep un- 
der the snow, needing no thought or care of 
ours; but the time of the singing of birds 
is at hand, and the glorious long looked 
Saponaria, 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER, 
for spring resurrection is rapidly drawing 
nigh. Are we ready for it? What about 
that show, or sample bed of hardy plants 
which we can invite our prospective cus 
tomers to look alt? There 1s much more 
satisfaction in buying when one can see 
what he is getting than in purchasing from 
a catalogue of bewildering names. Have we 
decided to plant that unsightly corner, 
which is perfect in its adaptability to many 
hardy plants, and to make it a thing of 
beauty by a judicious embellishment with 
these everincreasing popular plants? 
There is a great campaign of educational 
work to be done along the line of growing 
herbaceous plants; who is to do it? The 
opportunity lies at the door of every pro- 
gressive American florist. He can and must 
be the instructor. . 
Many wide-awake florists are already en- 
tering the field, and others are in. search of 
information, enquiring what is the best and 
most feasible way to get at it. I would 
emphasize the suggestion made above—have: 
a bed or a corner of some kind neatly and 
decently laid out, containing, if nothing 
more, a few of the choicesti kinds: Rud- 
beckia Golden Glow, Helianthus multiflo- 
rus, always useful, but well known. Diy 
lilies and the more common kinds I would 
exclude if room is at a premium, because 
they are well known, and as occasion, re- 
quires, are cheaply and readily secured. 
But where space is available, plant them 
by all means, as they are among the most 
saleable stock. 
Isolated forms of many herbaceous 
plants make but a poor impression ; there- 
fore, bold grouping is necessary to be effec- 
tive. Lychnis, stokesias, arabis, candy- 
tufts, isolated plants of the dwarf phloxes 
and. others of similar nature and habits are 
never so effective or impressive as when 
massed. Of course, the taller and more 
robust} growers, such as boltonias, hele- 
niums, some forms of asters, rudbeckias, 
chelones, &c., are all right in fair sized 
clumps; but even some of these show up 
to better advantage and produce both, lar- 
ger heads of bloom and larger individual 
flowers by yearly division. Both asters and 
heleniums profit by it, and I am persuaded 
I get more satisfaction out of a single crown 
of Helenium autumnale superbum than I 
would out of a large clump, ai foot across. 
With! some varieties of helenium, the re- 
verse is the case, jas, for instance, H. Bolan- 
deri and H. pumilum; both are apt to be 
dwarfer and not so floriferous if closely 
divided every year, and, ini many cases, if 
allowed to stay over two seasons in one 
place they are likely to be entirely swept 
away by fungus. 
Speaking of heleniums, which we are 
very liable to associate with fall flowers, 
I should like to call particular attention 
to H. Hoopesii. I should think this is 
one of the prettiest and deepest colored 
sorts that grow, and, quite contrary to its 
congeners, it. blooms in early June, and in 
good soil has flowers two to three inches 
across, of a lovely orange-yellow shade. 
Very often it will produce a second crop of 
rf 
bloom toward fall.. The great’ beauty. of 
this plant is that it can be so easily raised 
from seed, which, if sown, inside in. Januany 
or February, will produce some bloom the 
first year in very late fall. But the plant 
will not be at its best till its second: season. 
Tt grows about 2 ft. high, and being of 
such a bushy habit, can be planted close. 
It is also very useful for cutting, and this is 
a factor which should not be overlooked, 
especially where room is limited, for a 
double purpose is thus gained. 
One great obstacle to overcome is, how 
best to serve this double purpose, for so. 
many hardy plants are noti good subjects 
for cut flowers, and, again, soi many people 
believe that all or nearly all of this class 
of plants bloom in a bunch toward the 
autumn. A greater mistake never was 
made, for they are the first flowers to, come 
jnto bloom, not in early spring, but-even 
in winter. In favored locations now in 
our snow-bound North, the Hranthis hye- 
malig, or winter aconite, is in flower; as is 
also Petasites fragrans in. the western part 
of New York. This plant used to bloom 
with me in February, but the flowers got 
damaged by heavy frosts. With the pro- 
tection of a frame, however, this difficulty 
could be overcome. The chief beauty of 
the plant lies in its sweet, delicious, helio- 
trope-like fragrance, which is very pro- 
nounced, and lasts well long after the 
flower is cut. 
I am not quite sure but a great) many 
of us would be delightfully surprised. if we 
were ‘to go out and dig down under the 
show and leaves even. now, and there find 
signs of life already at hand. We would 
see that the plants are getting ready for 
their spring work. Where tha ground is 
not frozen too hard, they are actually mak- 
ing root and pushing up their leaves, buds, 
and flowers. Last year the Japanese 
ccltsfoot (Petasites japonica gigantea) ac- 
tually worked up its flower heads through. 
the frozen ground and ice, and flowered 
early in March. On February 26 two years 
ago the Japanese Joss flower, Adonis da- 
vurica, without any protection, came into 
bloom while the ground was still hard 
frozen. Last winter ‘being more severe, 
1t opened its blooms on March 11, with a 
slight covering of snow still on! the frozen 
ground. I have seen Symplocanpus foetida, 
common in our meadows and swamps, do 
the same thing. Of course, the flowers of 
these are not of much real value to the 
average florist, but these remarks only go 
show that hardy plants, by judicious selec-- 
tion, may be had in bloom every month in 
the year. 
To say just whati should or should not be 
planted in a sample bed or border. would 
depend very much upon the space and sit- 
uation. The border might be alongside a 
fence, a wall, or building; then, of course. 
select tall-growing, showy, useful plants for 
the back of the border, and the more dwarf 
ones for the front and intermediary rows. 
Neither would the writer, even in a limited 
space, confine himself strictly to those var- 
ieties exclusively usefull for cutting, as, for 
