10. 
. freely. It is one of the earliest in the spring 
_to bloom, and the autumn is well advanced 
before its display ceases. Its color may be 
described as alternately marked purplish- 
viclet and pale lavender, sometimes almos’ 
white—E. G. 
HARDY WHITE FLOWERS. 
‘The number of pure white hardy flowers 
is not great, but the following are among 
the most useful: In October and Novem- 
ber, Narcissus poeticus and its varieties, 
and in the latter month Anemone sylves- 
tris* and A. s. fl-pl., Arabis albida fl-pl, a 
new and valuable plant for cutting; in 
December Achillea mongolica, and in the 
latter part of the same month single white 
_Pyrethrums, also Achillea ptarmica fi-pl., 
and the variety known ag the Pearl. In the 
same period, too, are the several varietics 
of Campanula persicifolia, all good and dis- 
tinct. Then Galega officinalis alba for De- 
cember and January, and Galtonia candi- 
cans in the latter, though perhaps the most 
valuable plant at this time is the white 
perennial pea (Lathyrus latifolius albus*), 
and with the new kind now being distri- 
buted—viz., L. latifclius albus grandiflorus 
—make a fine pair. At this time also flower 
the many kinds of white perennial Margue- 
rites or’ Leucanthemums, of which there 
are quite a dozen that vary but little in 
size and form and in other ways. In 
autumn white-flowered subjects are not 
plentiful, but the best plant undoubtedly 
is Anemone japonica alba, and there are 
white forms of some of the Michaelmas 
daisies. Those marked with an asterisk 
may be cbtained from seeds, but it is often 
quite a slow method and not always satis- 
factory. 
THE DWARF FLAXES. 
One character which the Linums present 
is a lightness and elegance of contour, to 
which the usually narrow leaves, slender 
stems, and delicate peduncles which sup- 
‘port the individual flowers, all tend to con- 
tribute. This speciality is equally patent 
to those who are familiar with our com- 
mercial flax (Linum usitatissimum), whose 
cultivation extends over large fields in some 
parts of the country, and where, when in 
full blessom, such fields can be ccmpared to 
nothing more appropriate than an .zure 
gea, varied only in its lights and shades as 
it is gently rippled by the summer’s breeze, 
or in the condition with which most people 
are familiar, as cultivated in its perennial 
form (L. perenne) as a border plant, pos- 
sessing with neatness of habit a long con- 
tinued blooming season. : 
Alpine Flax (L. alpinum).—This flax,’ 
growing only from 3 in. to 8 in. high, bears 
very large dark-blue flowers in summer. It 
is easily distinguished by its external se- 
pals being acuminately pointed, and the 
internal ones obtusely pointed. A charm- 
ing rock-plant, native of the Alps, Pyre- 
nees, and many hilly parts of Eurcpe, 
thriving well in warm well-drained spots on 
rockwork, in a mixture of sandy loam and 
peat. There are several varieties; L. aus- 
‘habit, and seeding more freely. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER, 
triacum is intimately related to it, aud 
scarcely sufficiently distinct from a garden 
point of view. 
Evergreen Flax (L. arboreum).—This is 
a neat, glaucous-leaved, dwarf, spreading 
shrub, with a profusion of clear hand:ome 
large yellow flowers, an inch and a half 
acrcss. Although said to be rather ten- 
der in the colder parts of the countny, it 
thrives wel lin others in the open alr, even 
as a border plant, and in all is well 
worthy of a position on rockwork. <A 
native of hilly parts of South-Eastern 
Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa ; 
usually propagated by cuttings. It is 
sometimes grown as a frame and green- 
heuse plant, but should be tried every- 
where in warm spots on dry borders, 
banks, or rockwork. It begins to bloom in 
early summer. 
Yellow Herbaceous Flax (L. campanu- 
latum).—An herbaceous plant, with gol- 
den-yellow flowers in corymbs on stems 
from. 12 in. to 18 in. high, distinct from 
anything else in cultivation, and well 
worthy of a place in collections of alpine 
and herbaceous plants. A. native of the 
South of Europe, flowering in summer and 
flourishing freely in dry soil on the warm 
sides of banks or rockwork, and propagated 
by seeds. This is a very distinct plant 
from that usually grown ag L. flavum, tlie 
leaves much narrower, more stoutly set, the 
plant altogether dwarfer and neater in 
| Tt also 
flowers more freely on much shorter stems. 
The Taurian Yellow Flax (Linum fla- 
yvum).—For many years L. campanulatum. 
was known by this name, and so generally 
had the misnomer become established that 
even at the present day the mistake is fre- 
quently perpetrated ; nevertheless the two 
plants are amply distinct. This species is” 
an herbaceous plant in the strictest sense 
of the word, dying down annually to a short 
woody subterranean root stock, from which 
year by year arise several erect’ flowering 
stems, sharply angled and clothed with dack 
olive-green foliage, ovate, slightly cordate 
at th base and gradually narrowing up- 
wards; the flowers, which are produced in 
February, being of a rich golden-yellow. 
It is perfectly hardy, and forms a hand- 
some and long-lived herbaceous plant, and 
should certainly receive a larger meed of 
attention that it has hitherto done. By 
some authors it is named L. tauricum, be- 
ing abundant in the Taurian Mountains, 
and, in fact, is generally met’ with in the 
upland meadows in. Eastern Europe. 
Red flax (L. grandiflorum) is a showy 
hardy annual from Algeria, with deep red 
blossoms. By successive sowings it may be 
had in bloom from October till April. Seed 
sown in, autumn will give plants for spring 
blooming, and sowings made from Septem- 
ber- to December will yield a display 
through the summer and autumn. By sow- 
ing seeds ini pots in good rich soil in sum- 
mcr, and plunging in a sunny border with 
plenty of water, plants may be obtained for 
the greenhouse or window during April and » 
May. 
June 1, 1905 
New Zealand Flax (lL. monogynum).— 
A beautiful kind with large pure white 
blossoms opening in summer. It grows 
about 14 ft. high in good light soil, and its 
neat and slender habit renders it parti- 
cularly pleasing for the borders of the rock 
garden or for pot culture. It may be 
readily increased by seed or division; it is 
hardy in the more temperate parts of Eng- 
land, but in the colder districts is said to 
require some protection. L. candidissimum 
is a finer and hardier variety. Both are 
natives of New, Zealand, 
The Narbonne Flax (Linum: narbon- 
nense)—A  heautiful and distinct sort, 
bearing during the summer months a pro- 
fusion of large, light sky-blue flowers, with 
violet-blue veins. A. fine ornament for bor- 
ders, the flower garden, or the lower flanks 
of rockwork, as may be seen, by our illus- 
tration, on rich, light soils, forming lovely 
masses of blue from 15 in. to 20 in. high. 
A. native of Southern Europe, distinguish- 
ed from. its relatives by its sepals tapering 
to a long point, its anthers being three 
times as long as broad, its long thread-like 
stigmas, and its large flowers. 
Perennial Flax (Linum  perenne).—A 
plant found in some parts of Britain, par- 
ticularly in the Eastern counties, but very 
rare. Usually grows in dense tufts from 
12 in. to 18 in. high, with bright cobalt 
blue flowers more than an inch in diameter, 
the stamens in some being longer than the 
styles, in others shorted, the petals over- 
lapping each cther at the edges. L. peren- 
ne album is also an ornamental plant, and 
there is also a variety with blue flowers 
variegated with white, known in gardens 
as L. Lewisii variegatum, but this marking 
is not very conspicuous or constant. LL. 
sibiricum and L. provinciale are also in+ 
cluded under perenne. Off very easy cul- 
ture in common garden soil, it is a useful 
border plant, and may also be used in rough 
rocky places. 
White Rock Flax (L. salsoloides) is a 
dwarf half-shrubby species, essentially a 
rock garden plant; its flowers, white with! 
a purplish eye, reminding one of some of 
our creeping white phloxes. In the rock 
garden ,in a well-exposed sunny nook, the 
plant is hardy, and trails over stones, flow- 
ering abundantly. It produces seeds 
rarely, sc that it must be increased by cut- 
tings of the short shoots taken off about 
midsummer; these will strike freely, and 
make vigorous plants when potted in the 
following spring. L. viscosum, with pink 
flowers, is a closely allied plant. Moun- 
tains of Europe. 
CINERARTA. 
The seeds should be sown in a compost 
of 1 part of loam, 1 part of well decayed 
leaf mould, and sufficient sand to keep it 
porous. When they have made their 
second rough leaf prick them out singly 
inte thumb pots, and as soon as the pots 
‘aro filled with roots shift on into 3-inch 
pots; in a few weeks they will be ready 
for their final shift into 6-inch pots. For 
the last two pottings use a compost of 1 
