83 
c 
J.riv  26.  ipoo.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Hardy  Border  Flowers. 
I  HAD  recently  occasion  to  look  up  a  reliable  book  of  reference  of 
recent  publication  for  some  information  regarding  this  genus  of  useful 
garden  plants.  It  contained  a  longer  list  of  names  of  plants  than  I  had 
expected  to  be  told  were  still  “  generally  grown.”  I  fear  I  cannot 
agree  with  the  writer  of  the  article,  as  one  may  go  into  many  good 
gardens  of  hardy  flowers  without  meeting  with  a  solitary  representa- 
2j  to  5  feet  high.  It  has  rather  pubescent  leaves,  which,  like  the 
flowers,  resemble  others  of  the  family  of  Leguminosae.  It  is  a 
remarkably  distinct  plant  for  the  border.  It  comes  from  Siberia, 
and  was  introduced  as  far  back  as  1737.  A.  alpinus,  a  native 
species,  is  of  a  prostrate  character,  and  has  bluish  flowers  in  drooping, 
short  racemes.  It  has  hairy,  ovate  leaflets.  A.  argentens,  a  silvery 
foliaged  plant,  has  bluish-purple  flowers  in  spikes  which  come  from 
the  axils  of  the  leaves.  It  grows  from  6  to  12  or  14  inches  high. 
A.  hypoglottis  and  its  variety  albus  are  native  plants  which  are  not  very 
rare  in  rock  gardens,  and  are  usually  to  be  had 
from  dealers.  The  typical  plant  has  nice  little 
heads  of  blue  and  white  flowers  and  rather  dark 
green  leaves.  Its  variety  alba  is  similar,  with  the 
exception  of  having  white  blooms.  I  find  that  slags 
are  very  partial  to  this  plant.  A.  monspessulanus 
is  a  goo.l  plant  of  evergreen,  trailing  habit.  It  has 
purple  flowers,  and  ovate  or  lanceolate,  greyish 
leaves.  Although  procurable,  it  appears  to  be  less 
plentiful  than  it  was  some  time  ago.  A.  purpureus 
has  purple  flowers  in  round-headed  spikes,  and 
grows  from  8  to  12  inches  high.  Astragalus  Rob¬ 
bins!  is  a  North  American  species  which  has  been 
recently  offered.  It  grows  from  9  to  18  inches 
high,  and  has  white  or  purple  flowers. 
Astrantlaa. 
The  Masterworts  are  old  plants,  for  a  time  little 
grown,  but  now  more  appreciated,  desoite  their 
want  of  brightness  of  colour.  They  make  capital 
<5ut  flowers  when  lightly  arranged  with  grasses  or 
other  light  flowers  or  foliage.  In  the  border  they 
are  inconspicuous,  but  are  very  interesting  while  in 
bloom.  They  are  very  easily  grown,  either  in  moist 
•or  in  dry  soil,  the  former  being,  however,  to  be 
preferred.  There  are  only  a  few  species,  although 
many  more  names  are  to  be  found.  The  best  of 
those  to  be  had  are  the  following  three  : — A.  car- 
niolica,  sometimes  called  A.  minor,  has  white  flowers 
with  a  white  involucre,  with  a  green  stripe  and 
tinged  with  red ;  it  grows  from  8  to  14  inches  high. 
A.  helleborifolia,  which  grows  from  1  foot  to  2J  feet 
high,  has  both  the  flowers  and  leaves  of  the  invo. 
lucre  of  a  pinkish  colour.  A.  maxima  is  the  name 
under  which  it  is  often  grown.  A.  major  is  a 
valuable  and  ornamental  species  with  pinkish 
flowers,  which  are  on  stems  which  grow  from  1  to 
feet  high.  It  is  an  old  plant,  which  was  intro¬ 
duced  into  our  gardens  many  years  ago.  All  the 
Astrantias  are  easily  increased  by  division  of  the 
roots  in  autumn  or  spring.  They  also  grow  freely 
from  seeds,  and  in  the  writer’s  garden  self-sown 
seedlings  are  rather  troublesome.  Although  far 
from  showy,  there  are  many  less  pleasing  flowers 
found  in  our  gardens. 
3LASS  FOR 
;IER,  Me.  F. 
SWEET  PEAS. 
Ackland,  and  Mr.  R.  Warren. 
tive  of  the  genus.  Some  few  species  are  sometimes  seen,  but  these 
generally  occur  in  the  garden  s  of  growers  of  rock  plants.  A  reference 
to  nurserymen’s  lists  will  show  that  the  number  obtainable  is  very 
small,  and  it  seems  unnecessary  to  remark  much  about  plants  not 
procurable.  I  am  a  little  doubtful  if  some  which  are  catalogued,  and 
are  occasionally  seen,  are  to  be  obtained  even  if  ordered.  Yet  it  is  a 
pity  if  an  effort  is  not  made  to  create  a  demand  for  an  interesting  and 
beautiful  class  of  plants. 
Afitragalnses. 
Astragalus  alopecuroides  is  a  singular  looking,  yet  pretty,  plant, 
with  thick,  oblong-ovate  spikes  of  yellow  flowers,  and  growing  from 
Atragene  alplna. 
Climbing  plants  have  a  useful  part  to  play  in 
the  flower  border,  where  they  may  often  be  trained 
up  poles  or  the  trees  which  are  to  be  found  in  many 
gardens.  The  Clematises  are,  of  course,  not  easily 
surpassed  for  this  purpose,  but  their  allies,  the 
Atragenes,  are  also  plants  which  are  worthy  of 
more  extended  cultivation  than  they  receive.  The 
difference  consists  in  their  having  a  number  of 
petals.  There  are  a  few  others  in  cultivation, 
but  as  yet  none  likely  to  supersede  the  old  Atragene  alpina  and  its 
variety  alba.  The  Alpine  Atragene  is  of  slender  habit,  and  produces 
Clematis-shaped  flowers  of  a  pretty  blue,  and  with  from  ten  to 
twelve  petals.  It  does  not  appear  to  flower  well  in  some  gardens, 
though  in  others  it  blooms  annually  with  considerable  freedom.  It 
is  propagated  by  seeds  sown  in  gentle  heat  in  spring,  by  cuttings, 
or  by  layering  the  branches  in  autumn. '  More  use  might  be  made 
of  flowering  climbers  as  a  background  to  herbaceous  borders,  and 
Atragene  alpina  should  not  be  overlooked  in  the  consideration  of 
how  to  make  the  most  of  the  opportunities  given  by  a  wall,  trellis’, 
or  trees. — S.  Arnott. 
