June  14,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
513 
an  easy  matter  to  have  a  continuation  of  bloom.  With  good  manage¬ 
ment  they  maybe  kept  alive  for  many  years,  and  by  judicious  pinching 
in  spring  and  keeping  a  few  plants  in  a  growing  temperature — 45°  to 
50°  all  the  winter — flowers  may  be  had  at  any  time. — M,  C. 
Perennial  Asters. 
To  do  justice  to  the  perennial  Asters  and  their  usefulness  as  border 
flowers  would  require  far  more  space  than  is  available,  yet  no  survey, 
however  condensed,  of  hardy  border  flowers  could  be  considered  anything 
like  complete  which  did  not,  at  least,  give  a  resume  of  the  genus  and  a 
Fig.  138. — Astek  nov.e-angli.e  puLCHELbus, 
brief  mention  of  some  of  the  most  valuable  species  and  varieties.  As  a 
dwarf  plant  for  the  front  of  the  border  we  have  the  charming 
A.  alpinus  with  its  blue  flowers,  only  raised  above  the  soil  from  6  to 
10  inches.  It  is  surpassed  by  the  varieties  superbus  and  speciosus,  and 
those  who  wish  a  white  flower  of  similar  character  will  find  it  in  the  white 
variety.  A.  alpinus  is  easily  grown,  but  it  has  the  fault  of  being  a 
favourite  of  the  slugs,  which  are  very  destructive  of  it  in  autumn. 
A.  Amelins  is  a  fine  plant  of  comparatively  dwarf  habit  and  with  very 
large  flowers.  They  are  of  a  fine  blue,  but  they  are  rather  inferior  to 
the  varieties  bessarabicus  and  Riverslea. 
Aster  cordifolius  and  its  varieties  are  very  pleasing  on  account  of 
their  graceful  habit  and  the  multitude  of  flowers  they  produce. 
Cordifolius  elegans,  major,  and  Photograph  may  all  be  named  with 
confidence,  Acris,  with  its  variety  dracunculoides,  are  of  good  bushy 
habit,  and  give  plenty  of  lilac-purple  flowers.  A  charming  flower  is; 
Coombe  Fishacre,  which  has  fine  flesh  coloured  fiowers,  and  is  most 
pleasing  when  in  full  bloom.  Amethy  stinus  is  a  rather  nice  flower,  though 
some  of  the  newer  varieties  are  superior.  A  favourite  of  the  writer  is 
diffusus  horizontalis,  which  is  a  late  bloomer,  and  gives  a  profusion 
of  its  red  and  white  flowers,  which  are  exceedingly  small.  The  variety 
pendulus,  which  has  white  flowers,  is  also  a  desirable  one.  Then 
ericoide  s  is,  of  course,  indispensable  with  its  elegant  sprays  of  white 
fiowers.  Its  variety  Clio  is  lovely  also  ;  it  has  beautiful  blush 
blooms.  A  neat  dwarf  plant  is  dumosus,  which  grows  about  18  inches 
high,  and  has  mauve  flowers.  A.  Isovis  has  fine  long  sprays  of  dtep  blue 
flowers,  and  its  rather  numerous  varieties  are  well  worthy  of  attention. 
Ariadne  and  Calliope  may  be  mentioned  as  good  varieties  of  this  species. 
A.  grandiflorus  is  unfortunately  too  late  in  flowering  for  most  ganders 
This  is  to  be  regretted,  as  its  flowers  are  so  fine  in  size  and  in  the 
violet-blue  colour  they  give.  Lindleyanus  and  its  variety  nanus  are 
also  good,  the  latter  being  a  good  plant  for  rock  gardens.  A.  linosyris,. 
the  old  “  Goldilocks,”  is  the  only  yellow  Starwort  I  know  of.  In 
addition  to  its  colour,  its  Flax-like  foliage  is  an  attraction  to  many.  In 
Aster  novas-angliae  and  iis  varieties  we  have  a  most  valuable  set  of 
plants,  giving  us  not  only  some  shades  of  purple,  but  also  some  of  rose 
and  crimson — both  of  much  value  in  the  season  at  which  they  bloom. 
Eoseus,  ruber,  Wm.  Bowman,  Woolston,  and  pulchellus  (fig.  138)  would 
make  a  good  selection. 
In  the  varieties  of  A.  novi-belgii  we  are  embarrassed  by  the  wealth 
of  numbers.  It  is  by  no  means  easy  to  select  from  among  them  without 
omitting  some  of  great  beauty.  They  are  constantly  being  added  to, 
and  some  new  varieties  appear  in  trade  lists  every  year.  The  old 
Robert  Parker,  about  5^  feet  high,  has  not  yet  been  superseded,- 
although  I  believe  that  an  improved  variety  will  soon  be  in  commerce. 
There  is  more  than  an  ample  choice  among  the  remainder,  which  range 
in  height  from  18  inches  to  nearly  6  feet  in  ordinary  soils.  Of 
whites  we  have  Madonna,  John  Wood,  Harpur  Crewe  and  others.  I 
should  take  these  three  in  the  order  named.  Of  various  shades  of 
mauve-pink,  lilac,  rose,  and  blue,  one  may  name  Edith,  Ella,  F.  W. 
Burbidge,  Irene,  Maia,  E.  G.  Lowe,  Margaret,  and  Top  Sawyer,  with 
the  earlier  Imvigatus  and  its  variety  Madame  Soymier,  the  former  of 
these  two  being  a  well  known  favourite  for  bedding  when  associated 
with  early  Chrysanthemums. 
The  few  varieties  of  paniculatus  give  a  boon  for  cutting  in  the 
shape  of  the  fine  sprays  yielded  by  W.  J.  Grant,  whose  blush-white 
fiowers  are  generally  admired.  Puniceus  pulcherrimus  is  one  of  my 
favourites,  with  its  red  stems  and  blush  flowers.  Versicolor  gives  us 
blossoms  which  change  from  white  to  rose,  the  different  colours  on  the 
plant  at  the  same  time  attracting  the  attention  of  many  persons. 
Aster  vimineus,  gives  us  lovely  sprays  of  flowers  j  the  type,  Cassiope 
and  nanus  being  all  good.  Their  flowers  are  white.  Tradescanti  is 
also  the  delight  of  those  who  like  elegant  sprays  of  small  white  flowers 
and  neat  foliage.  This  brief  commentary  upon  the  Starworts  or 
Michaelmas  Daisies  cannot  be  concluded  without  a  reference  to  a 
Himalavan  species  named  Thomsoni,  which  comes  early  into  bloom  and 
is  very  distinct  from  others.  There  are  many  others,  of  course,  bub  the 
number  is  so  great  that  all  cannot  be  referred  to  now. 
It  seems  almost  needless  to  say  anything  about  the  cultivation  of  a- 
plant  so  easily  grown  and  which  needs  so  little  care.  Yet  it  has  some 
wants,  and  attention  to  these  will  result  in  a  better  display  and  in 
greater  satisfaction  being  afforded  to  the  grower.  As  a  general  rule 
the  most  of  them  are  adapted  to  border  cultivation.  Some  are,  however, 
of  rather  aggressive  habit,  and,  if  allowed  to  do  so,  will  soon  take- 
possession  of  the  space  which  should  fall  to  another  plant  as  well  as  its 
own.  Seedlings,  too,  ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  grow  up  along  with  the 
old  plants,  or  they  will  injure  the  latter.  They  may  be  transplanted 
and  put  in  some  spare  place,  where  they  may  be  selected  from  when  in 
bloom.  There  is  still  a  vast  possibility  of  improvement  in  the  Starwort, 
and  the  seedling  raiser  will  have  at  least  the  chance  of  finding  a  variety 
of  much  excellence.  Where  time  and  space  can  be  spared  a  sowing  of 
seeds  from  some  of  the  best  forms  may  well  be  made  annually. 
Some  of  the  stronger  growing  Asters  are  of  great  worth  in  the 
wild  garden,  and  many  of  the  others  make  capital  bedding  plants, 
either  alone  or  in  association  with  other  flowers.  Generally  speaking, 
all  should  have  the  best  of  soil,  though  I  have  seen  in  some  gardens 
several  of  the  taller  Starworts  so  strongly  grown  that  they  were 
unwieldy  and  less  beautiful  than  if  restricted  in  their  height.  It 
may  be  mentioned  that  the  taller  Asters  may  be  cut  down  when  they 
have  made  some  growth.  This  will  render  them  rather  dwarfer. 
— S.  AaNOir. 
