June  9,  lb98. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
479 
NOTES  ON  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS. 
One  is  often  very  much  interested  in  the  notes  which  appear  from 
time  to  time  about  herbaceous  plants  and  hardy  bulbs,  althoush  one  is 
sometimes  taken  aback  when  one  reads  of  the  large  numbers  which  some 
amateurs  cultivate.  Thus  we  read  of  hundreds  of  plants  of  Primula 
rosea,  and  then  we  think  of  our  own  little  plot  of  two  or  three,  and 
wonder  whether  anything  we  can  say  can  be  of  much  value  or  interest. 
But  then  comes  the  reflection,  if  I  want  to  get  any  information  lor  myself 
I  look  for  it,  not  from  large,  but  from  small  growers  ;  for  it  is  not  merely 
that  the  former  have  these  great  quantities  to  revel  in,  but  they  have  also 
more  help,  and  so  are  able  to  overtake  their  work.  Then  seasons  vary, 
and  the  experience  of  one  is  no  guide  for  another  ;  thus,  for  instance, 
this  year  the  long- continued  dry  weather  in  spring  has  evidently  told 
injuriously  on  some  plants,  which  have  either  perished  or  been  much 
crippled  in  their  growth  ;  and  one  thing  has  struck  me  very  forcibly,  the 
same  character  marks  similar  flowers  all  over  the  country.  Thus  I  had 
considerable  disappointment  with  Iris  reticulata  and  its  allies,  but  I  found 
the  same  complaints  were  made  by  growers  in  Scotland  and  various  parts 
of  England. 
Anemone  palmata  alba. — This  has  flowered  very  well  with  me 
this  spring,  and  it  is  certainly  a  handsome  plant.  I  should  much  like  to 
know,  however,  why  I  am  not  able  to  manage  equally  successfully  the 
type  A.  palmata.  Its  yellow  flowers  would  be  such  a  pretty  contrast  to 
the  white  ones  that  I  should  be  glad  to  see  them  in  flower  together,  but  I 
never  can  succeed  with  it. 
Abnebia  echioides.— The  drought  has,  with  me,  affected  ihis  plant, 
for  although  it  has  grown,  and  is  in  flower,  yet  neither  the  foliage  nor 
the  flower  stem  is  as  strong  as  they  usually  are.  It  is  a  very  pleasing 
shade  of  yellow,  and  the  curious  spots  on  the  petals,  which  disappear 
after  the  flower  has  been  open  a  few  days,  make  it  attractive,  and  visitors 
are  always  pleased  with  what  is  called  the  Prophet’s  Flower. 
Andeosace  saementosa.  —  Coming  from  the  Himalayas,  this 
beautiful  little  alpine  has  made  large  masses,  which  are  now  covered  with 
its  umbels  of  pretty  pink  flowers  with  white  eyes.  The  foliage  is  peculiar, 
very  silvery,  and  in  the  form  of  rosettes,  from  which  shoots  run  out  that 
easily  take  root  if  pegged.  In  winter  the  plant  might  be  well  taken  for  a 
Saxifrage.  I  see  that  some  persons  advise  that  it  should  be  covered 
during  winter  with  a  sheet  of  glass,  but  I  have  never  found  this  necessary. 
There  is,  however,  another  Himalayan  species,  A.  lanuginosa,  which,  as 
its  name  implies,  has  very  woolly  foliage,  and  so  is  liable  to  retain  the 
moisture  and  decay,  and  this  I  have  always  found  necessary  to  cover  over 
in  the  winter  months.  It  is  curious  that  one  finds  it  much  easier  (at 
least  I  do)  to  grow  these  Himalayan  species  than  our  European  ones, 
for  I  have  never  succeeded  in  obtaining  for  any  time  A.  carnea,  or  its 
variety  eximia.  It  is  true  that  they  are  different  in  habit  and  smaller  in 
foliage,  but  I  have  tried  over  and  over  again  to  keep  them,  and  have 
failed.  i 
Aubeietia  Leichlini. — A  large  clump  of  this  with  its  rosy  crimson 
flowers  has  been  very  beautiful  this  spring,  and  is  certainly  the  brightest, 
as  far  as  I  know,  of  this  charming  tribe  of  spring  flowering  plants.  Its 
habit,  too,  is  dwarf  and  vigorous,  and  when  allowed  to  fall  over  pieces  of 
rock  forms  a  handsome  object.  There  is  also  another  vigorous  bright 
rosy  pink  variety  which  was  raised  many  years  ago  by  the  late  Mr. 
Ingram  of  Belvoir,  from  whom  I  received  it,  and  I  am  glad  to  retain  it 
in  my  garden,  not  only  for  its  intrinsic  beauty,  but  as  a  memento  of  that 
good  man  and  able  gardener. 
Dodecatheon  meadia. — Why  this  is  called  the  American  Cowslip 
I  have  always  been  at  a  loss  to  understand,  as  its  curious  flowers  more 
resemble  a  Cyclamen  than  a  Cowslip.  It  is  a  lover  of  moist  places,  and 
hence  I  suppose  the  dry  season  has  not  suited  it,  for  the  plant  which  I 
have  now  had  for  some  years  is  not  half  its  usual  height.  It  is,  however, 
healthy,  and  will,  I  hope,  recover  after  the  heavy  rains  that  have  fallen 
of  late. 
COEYDALIS  NOBTLis. — This  pretty  Fumitory  has  succeeded  well, 
although  one  could  hardly  have  expected  it  during  this  mild  winter,  it 
being  a  native  of  Siberia.  It  is  a  showy,  strong-growing  perennial,  and 
deserves  a  place  in  every  garden.  It  is  rather  too  tall  for  the  rockery, 
and  is  therefore  better  suited  for  the  border.  I  do  not  find  it  at  all 
particular  as  to  situation  or  soil. 
Gentiana  acaulis, — My  experience  with  this  lovely  plant  this 
season  has  been  somewhat  singular.  I  suppose  that,  owing  to  the  mild 
winter,  it  bloomed  rather  freely  in  January  and  February,  and  conse¬ 
quently  there  is  a  scarcity  of  bloom  now.  One  can  hardly  lay  down  any 
rule  as  to  its  position  or  the  soil  it  likes,  for  I  have  seen  it  growing  and 
blooming  profusely  in  ordinary  garden  soil,  and  also  in  very  heavy  loam. 
I  have  known  a  garden,  not  at  all  sunny,  where  the  borders  were  edged 
with  it  nearly  a  foot  wide  ;  the  soil  was  a  heavy  loam,  and  anything 
more  luxuriant  than  the  growth  or  profuse  than  the  blooming  could 
hardly  be  imagined.  I  know  also  a  long  border  fully  exposed  to  the  sun 
with  ordinary  garden  soil,  and  here  it  succeeds  admirably.  Yet  I  have 
heard  people  over  and  over  again  say  they  could  do  nothing  with  it. 
That  still  more  beautiful  Alpine  gem  Gentiana  verna  has  often  been  a 
trouble  to  growers  of  Alpine  plants,  yet  it  is  a  native  plant,  and  is 
abundant  and  luxuriant  in  the  limestone  formation  of  the  West  of  Ireland, 
where  it  grows  from  within  3  feet  of  sea  level  up  to  1000  feet.  I  have 
often  tried  it,  and  often  failed  ;  but  I  hope  my  plants  of  it  are  now 
establishing  themselves.  I  have  planted  them  in  the  midst  of  Arenaria 
balearica,  that  charming  dwarf  plant  with  its  tiny  white  flowers,  which  so 
soon  spreads  itself  over  the  rockery.  It  is  now  showing  up  its  flowers, 
and  I  hope  it  will  be  in  bloom  before  the  end  of  the  month.  It,  of  course, 
should  not  be  disturbed,  and  this  condition  is  somewhat  like  what  one 
has  seen  in  the  short  pastures  of  the  upper  regions  of  the  Alps,  which  are 
often  thoroughly  blue  with  its  beauteous  flowers. 
Tulipa  COENUTA. — This  is  said  to  be  a  synonym  of  acuminata.  It 
is  a  curious  ragged-looking  flower  ot  bright  colour,  suited  for  the  border, 
where  it  is  always  sure  to  attract  the  notice  of  strangers.  Tulipa  retro- 
Hexa  is  a  very  beautiful  bright  yellow  flower,  of  peculiar  formation.  It 
is  said  by  some  to  be  a  hybrid  between  acuminata  and  Gesneriana,  but  it 
bears  no  affinity  to  either  of  its  supposed  parents. 
Anemone  eanunctjloides.— Much  has  been  said  of  late  about  the 
beauty  of  this  delicate  little  Alpine.  Some  persons  have  experienced 
difficulty  in  establishing  plants,  and  it  is  one  of  the  charms  of  growing 
herbaceous  plants  that  one  has  to  consult  their  tastes  as  to  soil  or 
situation  to  insure  their  growing  vigorously.  I  have  a  good  clump  of 
it  growing  on  an  elevated  and  sunny  spot  on  my  little  rockery  in  a  light 
and  somewhat  sandy  soil.  It  is  covered  with  its  pretty  little  yellow 
flowers  dotted  over  its  dwarf  foliage.  It  is  easily  propagated,  and  is  one 
of  those  plants  which  ought  never  to  be  absent  from  the  rock  garden. 
Phlox  setacea  and  Nelsoni. — These  form  iarge  clumps  on  ray 
rocs  ery,  and  are  now  very  attractive,  being  covered  with  bloom.  There 
are  several  varieties  of  various  shades  of  colour,  but  all  are  attractive. 
Deyas  OCTOPETALA.  This  is  just  beginning  to  show  its  buds,  and 
its  beautiful  foliage  will  shortly  be  covered  with  the  charming  white 
flowers.  It  is  in  a  moist  situation.  My  plant  came  from  the  AVest  of 
Ireland,  and  has  been  established  for  some  years.— D.,  Deal. 
OBSERVATIONS  IN  THE  HARDY  FLOWER 
GARDEN. 
The  spring  garden  with  its  flowers  appeals  to  us  with  a  freshness  and 
a  beauty  that  belong  to  this  happy  time.  Its  flowers  are  those  possessing 
the  grandeur  of  simplicity,  seen  as  they  are  in  their  native  habitats  in 
bold  masses.  It  seems  to  be  Nature’s  plan  to  place  her  prostrate,  low- 
growing  plants,  in  broad  and  spreading  masses,  so  that  their  pure,  soft, 
and  intense  colours  shall  light  up  the  landscape  with  beauty.  It  is  more 
than  strange  that  many  of  the  great  gardens  of  Britain  are  void  of  this 
lieauty,  as  it  should  be,  in  bold  and  telling  masses.  True,  many  practise 
spring  bedding,  but  this  is  frequently  in  mosaic  imitations  or  in  stars  and 
stripes. 
It  is  not  of  the  flower  garden  proper  I  wish  to  speak,  hut  of  the  filling 
of  many  corners  more  effectively  than  is  frequently  done.  The  plants  I 
am  alluding  to  are  from  their  dwarfness  of  growth  unsuitable  for  the 
herbaceous  border.  The  subject  was  suggested  to  me  by  recently  seeing 
these  flowers  in  unrestricted  masses.  Mounds  had  been  formed  by  huge 
boulders  which  were  half-way  buried  in  light  soil  and  were  scattered 
promiscuously  throughout  the  garden.  Each  had  one  kind  or  variety 
only  covering  its  surface. 
The  plants  used  were  Alyssum  saxatile,  Aubrietia  grteca,  A.  Leichlini, 
A.  Carapbelli,  Saxifraga  hirta,  S.  aretioides,  S.  granulata  fl.-pl.,  Litho- 
spermum  prostratum,  Arabis  albida,  A.  albida  variegata,  Phlox  setacea, 
P.  setacea  atro-purpurea,  P.  Distinction,  Iberis  corifolia,  I.  semper- 
virens,  and  Thymus  citriodorus  foliis  aureis.  But  language  fails  to 
describe  the  loveliness  of  the  floral  picture. 
Before  leaving  this  subject  I  should  like  to  describe  a  quaint  old 
garden  in  North  Wales,  surrounding  a  stately  and  historic  house  of 
uncertain  date,  whose  grey  stone  walls  were  clothed  with  Wistarias, 
Roses,  Jasmines,  Chimonanthus,  and  ilagnolias.  The  quadrangular 
flower  garden  had  a  few  circular  beds  scattered  at  wide  distances  over  the 
green  turf,  while  a  fountain  splashed  its  crystal  w-aters  brought  from  the 
crags  above.  The  flower  beds  were  filled  with  “  Geraniums  ”  and 
tuberous  Begonias,  while  plunged  in  the  turf  were  large  standard 
Heliotropes  and  Japanese  Maples  (Acer  palmatum  ampelopsifolia). 
Three  sides  of  this  garden  were  bounded  by  an  elevated  broad  terrace 
walk,  and  borders  on  each  side  of  the  walk  were  planted  with  a  choice 
and  varied  selection  of  herbaceous  plants,  intermingled  with  groups  of 
hardy  and  half-hardy  annuals.  The  spring  flowers  that  I  have  alluded 
to  were  also  here  in  masses,  creeping  over  theiroad  stone  edging,  whilst 
in  summer  the  fronts  of  the  borders  were  enlivened  by  hardy  annuals, 
sown  thinly,  and  afterwards  thinned  out  so  as  to  fully  develop  and  show 
off  their  charms. 
Here  waved  Iceland  and  Shirley  Poppies,  Clarkias,  Godetias,  Sweet 
Sultans,  Cornflowers,  Corn  Marigolds,  Jacobmas,  Saponaria  calabrica, 
stately  Hollyhocks,  Phloxes,  Delphiniums,  Dahlias,  Pseonies,  Gladioli, 
Rudbeckias,  Helianthus,  Coreopsis,  Anemone  japonica,  Anthericums, 
Gesnerian  Tulips,  English  and  Spanish  Iris,  Campanulas,  Alstromerias, 
and  clumps  of  Stars  of  Bethlehem,  Schizostylis  coccinea,  and  Violas  in 
many  colours.  Here  was  beauty  of  effect,  and  one  might  gather  great 
armfuls  of  flowers  for  room  decoration  without  spoiling  the  effect. 
The  fourth  boundary  was  a  railing  of  iron,  and  in  a  border  below  on 
the  opposite  side  were  planted  and  trained  over  the  railing  Clematis 
montana,  a  wealth  of  starry  white  flowers  in  May  ;  Clematis  Jack- 
manni,  C.  Henryi,  C.  Lord  Neville  (a  pure  azure  flower),  C.  vitalba  lit 
up  the  autumn  months,  and  the  Gloire  de  Dijon  Rose  grew  and  flowered 
luxuriantly. 
How  different  the  effect  of  the  terrace  borders  here  mentioned  from 
some  that  are  too  frequently  seen,  and  from  which  scarcely  a  flower  can 
be  cut,  planted,  as  they  are,  with  straight  lines — ribbon  borders,  as  we 
are  pleased  to  call  them.  A  back  row  of  Sunflowers  and  Dahlias,  with 
lines  of  Perilla  nankinensis,  Ageratums,  “  Geraniums,”  yellow  Calceo¬ 
larias,  and  Cineraria  maritima.  I  do  not  mean  to  disparage  these 
summer  plants,  but  could  not  a  place  be  found  for  them  in  the  herbaceous 
borders,  or  in  beds  in  distinct  masses  ? — F.  Steeet. 
