December  20,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
563 
AnemoDe  ranunculoides. 
We  have  now  so  many  Anemones  in  our  gardens  from  other  lands 
that  the  various  species  native  to  our  own  country  are  in  danger  of 
being  neglected  by  even  those  who  do  not  think  any  the  less  of  a  plant 
'■because  it  grows  as  a  wilding  in  our  British  Isles.  Among  these  native 
Anemones  and  their  varieties  few  are  so  little  grown  as  A.  ranunculoides, 
a  modest  little  yellow  flowered  species.  It  is  seldom  met  with  in 
gardens  where  hardy  flowers  are  prized.  This  is  not  surprising,  as  it 
does  not  often  appear  in  nurserymen’s  catalogues,  whence  so  many 
draw  information  about  flowers  they  can  grow.  Nor  is  it  often 
mentioned  in  the  horticultural  press,  so  eagerly  read  by  our  keenest 
gardeners — amateur  or  pro- 
•fessional  —  who  are  con¬ 
tinually  on  the  search  for 
good  flowers  they  should 
secure.  One  does,  it  is 
true,  sometimes  meet  with 
brief  notes  from  a  few  who 
have  failed  to  grow  it  and 
who  are  seeking  for  guid¬ 
ance  in  its  cultivation.  The 
experience  of  these  is,  as 
may  be  expected,  not  very 
flattering  to  the  plant  as  a 
garden  flower. 
The  Ranunculus  Anemone 
is  not,  however,  at  all  a 
troublesome  plant  to  grow, 
and .  its  failure  generally 
results  from  its  not  having 
become  sufficiently  estab¬ 
lished  before  the  time  it 
naturally  goes  to  rest,  or  to 
its  being  planted  too  late 
before  winter  sets  in.  In 
the  former  case  its  tubers 
get  dried  or  do  not  acquire 
sufficient  hold  of  the  soil  : 
while  in  the  latter  it  is 
uplifted  by  the  frost  and 
its  roots  destroyed.  Some 
think  that  the  soil  in  which 
it  is  tried  is  the  cause  of 
failure,  but  one  finds  that  it 
will  often  grow  in  exactly 
the  soil  in  which  it  is  said 
not  to  succeed.  Its  proper 
position  is  surely  indicated 
by  that  in  which  it  is  found 
in  a  wild  state,  where  it 
grows  in  woods.  In  these  it 
is  shaded  in  the  height  of 
summer  by  the  trees,  but 
these  are  not  in  full  foliage 
when  the  plants  come  into 
bloom  in  March  and  April. 
There,  too,  they  have  the 
benefit  of  an  annual  mulch 
in  winter  of  the  fallen  leaves, 
which,  as  well  as  the  herb¬ 
age  in  which  this  Wind¬ 
flower  often  grows,  preserve 
it  from  the  utmost  severity 
of  the  weather.  Yet  some  expect  a  plant  which  has  these  advantages 
in  our  own  climate  to  flourish  in  a  bare  border,  where  it  is  exposed 
in  summer  to  drought  and  sun,  and  is  in  winter  deprived  of  its 
natural  protection !  Little  wonder  is  it  that  there  are  so  many 
failures  with  this  native  plant.  I  grow  it  in  a  peaty  soil  in  a  place 
where  it  gets  little  sun  all  the  year,  but  where  the  foliage  of  dwarf 
plants,  and  in  winter  their  dead  leaves  form  a  protection  to  it.  It 
gets  little  wind,  and  opens  yearly  a  number  of  its  pretty  flowers.  The 
rook  or  the  wild  garden  is  the  place  for  this  Windflower,  as  there  its 
wants  can  be  better  studied  than  in  the  border  among  the  flowers 
usually  found  there. 
A  picture  of  a  single  flower  of  this  Anemone  gives  a  poor  idea  of 
its  attractions,  even  if  accompanied  with  a  representation  of  the  leaf. 
Before  me  is  a  coloured  drawing,  excellently  done,  bat  only  a  travesty 
of  what  may  be  seen  in  the  garden  in  its  season,  when  above  a  carpet 
of  finely  cut  green  leaves  rise  many  little  bright  yellow  flowers.  It  is 
hard  to  say  whether  one  prefers  the  type,  with  its  deeper,  or  the 
variety  pallida,  with  its  pretty  paler  hues.  Either  is  worth  growing,  and 
one  has  confidence  in  putting  in  a  plea  on  behalf  of  this  simple  English 
flower.  Simple  may  be  its  beauty,  but  its  simplicity  is  one  of  its 
highest  charms. — S.  Aenott. 
Spring  Gardening. 
I  AM  desirous  of  saying  a  few  words  upon  spring  gardening,  and 
■  I  will  divide  my  subject  into  four  classes — first,  shrubs ;  second, 
!  annuals  ;  third,  herbaceous  plants ;  and,  lastly,  bulbs.  I  first  mention 
some  varieties  of  shrubs  I  think  suitable,  and  of  which  a  stock  can 
I  be  procured  at  any  respectable  nurseryman’s.  Amongst  the  tree 
varieties  of  Ivy  Silver  Queen  is  most  effective  ;  Gold-blotched  aud 
'  Raagneriana  are  very  fine.  There  are  two  very  pretty  scarlet-berried 
plants — viz.  Skimmias  oblata  and  japonica.  Euonymus  japonica 
variegata  and  radicans  variegata  are  useful  plants,  and  also  Gold  and 
Silver  Queen  Hollies.  The  Cupressus  tribe  affords  good  varieties, 
such  as  glauca  and  minima  viridis.  The  best  golden  variety  is 
undisputably  Lawsoniana 
lutea,  as  it  retains  its  beau¬ 
tiful  golden  hue  throughout 
the  winter  months,  the 
absence  of  that  enduring 
quality  being  only  too  com¬ 
mon  amongst  the  golden 
Conifers.  I  should  also  select 
from  the  Junipers  chinensis 
aurea,  hispanica,  and  excelsa 
.'•triata.  Retinosporas  are, 
from  their  graceful  and  com¬ 
pact  habit  of  growth,  very 
useful  for  spring  gardens, 
and  I  should  choose  from 
them  plumosa  aurea  (a  very 
beautiful  plant),  squarrosa, 
and  ericoides.  I  should 
also  recommend  Thuiopsis 
dolabrata,  laevigata,  and 
Standishi  ;  amongst  Yews 
elegantissima,  pyramidalis 
variegata,  and  the  Golden 
Irish  ;  in  green  varieties 
epacrioides  and  japonica ; 
Box  minima,  argentea  nova, 
and  chinensis.  The  Ber- 
beris,  a  graceful  type  of 
shrubs,  gives  us  Hookeri, 
japonica,  and  Fortunei. 
Yuccas  are  very  effective  in 
ihe  centre  of  shrubs,  and 
plicata,  recurva,  and  stricta 
are  hardy,  cheap,  and  remain 
a  long  time  of  a  manageable 
size. 
I  now  come  to  the  hardy 
annuals,  a  class  within  the 
reach  of  the  humblest  culti¬ 
vator,  and  suitable  for  'the 
smallest  garden.  The  fol¬ 
lowing,  which  are  of  easy 
cultivation,  will  be  found 
effective,  especially  when 
judiciously  arranged  as  to 
colour  and  height : — Silene 
pendula  compacts,  pink  and 
also  white;  Myosotis  sylva- 
tica,  sylvatica  alba,  azorica, 
and  palustris,  the  last  being  the  most  valued  in  the  South  of  England; 
Limnanthes  Douglasi,  yellow ;  Saponaria  calabrica,  white  and  also 
pink ;  and  for  edging  Nemophila  insignis,  beautiful  blue.  The 
Nemophila  forms  a  charming  edging  to  the  other  annuals.  In 
addition  to  the  annuals  I  have  already  named  I  would  recommend 
a  few  biennials,  such  as  the  Brompton^Stocks  and  the  red  and  Belvoir 
Castle  dwarf  yellow  Wallflowers. 
I  will  now  deal  with  the  third  division — viz.,  herbaceous  plants, 
such  as  Ajuga  reptans,  Arabis  lurida  variegata  and  albida,  Aubrietia 
grseca  and  variegata,  Iberis  gibraltarlca.  Primulas  in  both  single  and 
double  varieties.  Polyanthuses,  Saxifrages,  Daisies,  useful  and  pretty ; 
Victoria,  white,  dwarf  red,  large-striped,  and  aucubaefolia  being  good, 
the  last  especially  for  edging  ;  and  Dactylis  glomerata  variegata  is 
a  most  useful  Grass.  I  must  also  draw  attention  to  those  most 
useful  spring  bedders,  the  Violas  and  Pansies,  of  which  varieties 
conspicuous  for  their  beauty  and  free  blooming  propensities  must  be 
chosen. 
The  last  division  is  that  most  esteemed  and  brilliant  tribe,  the 
bulbs,  which  comprise  the  most  beautiful  flowers  that  adorn  the  spring 
parterre,  the  showy  Tulip,  the  stately  Hyacinth  and  Narcissus,  and 
