FLOWER BORDERS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXX, Issue 8578, 4 September 1888, Page 6

FLOWER BORDERS .

Helianthus.—The perennial sunflowers are flue plants for the bask row. The best are decapetalus, sft, flowers 2in across, deep yellow; angusfcifolius, 3ft, bright yellow; and multiflorus, double yellow, 4ft. Helleborus, the Christmas roses.—All the species are good, the best being Niger and its numerous varieties, with white flowers, and Colchicus, coppery plum colour, height one foot, strong loam. Hemorocallis, the day lilies.—A handsome group, with large lily-like flowers. EL Kwanso, from Japan, has pretty striped foliage. Flava and lutea have different coloured flowers, but are otherwise similar. Gramineus has very narrow grassy foliage. All these grow three feet high, and like a loose soil. Hepatica. Very showy dwarf plants, blooming in August and Septembr, and thriving in rich loam, slightly shaded. There are single and double varieties, either red, pink, blue or white, of the common Hepatica, and a new sorb from America, H. angulosa, with large blue flowers.

Hesperia (the rocket).—H. matronalis, the sweet rocket, should be in every garden. There are single and double, white or purple varieties ; 2ft. Heuchera.—A family of saxifrages, from tho Rocky Mountains, with pretty foliage and branches of small red flowers. H. sanguines and H. rubesceus are the best; Ift; light soils. Hypericum (the St John’s Worts). —Bat few of this large family ai’e good things. The best are the so-called Rose of Sharon; H. calycinum, which creeps widely and bears numerous yellow flowers 3in across; the shrubby H. patulum, the best of the family, with golden yellow flowers, 2in wide, and the little H. nummularium, 3in high, yellow. Ibaris (the Candytufts).—Most of these are annual, but there are a few good perennial species. Such are—Tenoreana, purplish, 6in; sempervirens, Iffc, white; jucunda, 3in, rose; Giberaltarica, white, 6in; and Pruiti, snow white, 4in. Inula helanium is a large striking plant, growing 4ft high, with fine leaves 3ft long, and many heads of bright yellow flowers. Iris. —This is a large and varied family, from which it is difficult to make a selection. In large gardens, all the species obtainable should be grown. In a small one, the following will give satisfaction : — : I. Germanica, purple, 3ft, sandy soil ; I. Plorentina, pure white, 3ft; I. pallida (the German iris), numerous varieties, 2 to 3ft; I, pumila, various colours, 6in; I. cengialti, blue, Ift; I. bicolor, yellow and black, 2ft; I. violacea, blackish violet, 2ft ; I. Kaempferi, various, 31t; I. Siberica, 2ft, purple, and I. Susiana (the mourning iris), 18in, with curious black and brown markings. The last requires a warm soil, and Kaempferi requires a moist situation. Latnyrus latifolius and its varieties, alba (white) and splendens (purple) are fine climbing sweet peas, suitable for covering trellises or fences in summer.

Libertia, tussock lilies, all have white flowers, rising from grassy tufts of swordshaped leaves. The best sorts are Formosa, 3ft; ixioides, Ift; piilchella, Ift; macrantha, 61 n; and grandiflora, 2 ft—loamy soli. Linaria (the toadflax family).—Most of this family are annual. The best of the perennial species are alpina, Gin, violet; Macedonica, 2ft, yellow; cymbalaria, 3in, purple; lutea, Ift, yellow; aud vulgaris, Ift, yellow. Linum (flax). —Three species of flax are pretty plants, viz. : —Mouogyuum, 2(t, white; perenae, 2it, blue; aud llavum, Iffc, yellow. Lobelia.—Herbaceous lobelias have been much neglected, although they are among the most stately of hardy flowers. L. fulgens, scarlet; L. Victoria Regina, 3ft, scarlet; L. cardinalis, 3ft, scarlet; and L. syphilitica, pale blue, are among the best; most soils.

Lupinus (the lupins).—The best of the perennials are L. polypbyllus, of which there are many varieties—blue, white, purple, or variegated, 2ft; and L. Nootkaensis, Gin, purple or blue; sandy soils. Lychnis (the Campions.) Fine freegrowing plants. L. diurna, rose; viscaria, rosy purple; chalcedonica, scarlet or white, 3ft; flosouculi, pink, and lagasete, rose, are among the most desirable sorts. Lysimachia. L. nummularia, “ the creeping jenny," forms pretty green carpets, with yellow primrose like flowers. Lythrum r.jEeum and salicaria ate tali plants, with fine spikes of rose flowers. Malva (the mallows). —The best perennials aro'M. alcea, rosy purple, 4ft; M. moschats, 2ft, purple and its white form, pure white, 2ft. Mimulus. —Any of tho numerous forms of cuprea may be grown in moist spots. Morina. —Thistle-like plants, with handsome spikes of red or yellow flowers. M. Wallichi, M. Coulteri, and M. longifolia are the best.

Myosotia (the forget-me-nots).—A large family of lovely little alpines. Moat of them like shade, and plenty of water in summer. Tbe best sorts are rupicola. Sin, blue; sylvatica, blue or white, Iffc; palustris, blue or white, Gin; macrantha, Gin, yellow; dissitiflora. Gin, blue ; depressa, 3in, white; and Traversa, Gin, lemon yellow. CEnothera (the evening primrose).—A very numerous family, but mostly annual. The best of the hardy perennial ones are acaulis. Gin, white; pumila, 4in, yellow; taraxacifolia. Din, white, and speciosa, 2ft, white.

Omphalodes.—Verna Is one of the gems among spring flowers. It creeps in shady places, and bears large brilliant forget-me-not-like flowers in loose spikes early in spring. Onosma taurica is the ” golden drop,” a boraga-like plant with small yellow flowers, and O. Hookeri is similar, but purple. Orobus.—A neglected genua of pretty, easily grown plants, like minature sweet peas. 0. niger, 2ft, rosy purple; O. vernus azure, blue or white, and 0. ( sylvafcicus, white and blue are well worth growing. Ourisia. —O.coccinea, scarlet; 0. macrocsrpa, white; O. macrophylla, white; 0. glandulosa, white; and 0. otevpicosa, white, are pretty little alpines for rich soil in shady situations. Oxalis.—This is a large family of beautiful little plants, butseldomseen in gardens. The following are well worth growing in the smallest gardens;—o. Valdiviana, yellow; cernua, yellow; Peruviana, rose or white; floribunda, rose or white; Bowiei, deep rose;, hirta, rose or pink ; pojypbylla, pink; elongata, pink; caprea, white ; and cataractac, white; they mostly like sandy loam.

Pteonia (the peonies).—All the florist sorts aro worth growing in the hardy flower border, and also the beautiful wild single forms, which are rare in cultivation. Eichsandy loam suits them beat. Papaver (the poppies). There are several good perennial poppies which, if not so showy as the annual sorts, certainly give less trouble. The best arc alpinum, white, Ift; bracteatum, scarlet, Ift; and nudicaule, 18in, yellow; loam. Pentstemon. The numerous florist varieties arc among the most useful border plants; to these may be added for variety, P. Murrayanue, scarlet, 3ft; barbatus, red, 3ft; acuminates, violet purple, 2ft; Cobma, 2ft, purple; glaber, Ift, blue; and humilis, Gin, blue; all from the Eooky Mountains, Phlox.—Besides the fine florist varieties, P. subulata, white and rose, and P. Nelsoni, white, should bo grown. Both aro low cushion plants. Plumbago Larpentre (properly Yaloradia) is a very pretty dwarf plant with blue flowers. It thrives on dry sandy soils. Podophyllum Emodi is one of the most .singular alpines in cultivation. ■ It has

curious finger-shaped foliage, and email whitish flowers succeeded by handsome scarlet fruits. Polemonium caeruleum. The old "Jacob’s Ladder,” with blue flowers, is worth growing, and so is P. reptans, a creeping species. Pratia.—Small creeping plants, allied to lobelia; very useful for carpeting below larger growers. The best are three native species, P. littoralis, P. macrodon and P. angulata, all with white flowers. Potentilla.—Showy very hardy trailing plants, with yellow or crimson flowers. A good many fine hybrid forms have been raised, mostly from the Himalayan atrosanguinea. Other good sorts are alpestris, yellow; alba, white; fruticosa, and argentea yellow. Polygonum (the knotweeds). —Two or three of these are well worthy of culture—cuspidatum, 6ft, white, and amplexcaule, pink, 3ft, are the best. Primula (the primroses).—This is a very large family, mostly alpine, and more or less fond of moisture; in fact, the majority arc natives of bogs and moist alpine meadows, and are usually kept too dry in gardens. On dry soils none of the kinds give much satisfaction; but on moist, somewhat peaty, or humid soils, most of the species can be grown with a little care. The numerous varieties of the common English primrose do well on good soils, and so do the polyanthuses and auriculae; but these are surpassed in beauty by many of the wild species of the Himalayas and European Alps. Nearly all the Himalayan species, such as cspitata, blue; involucrata, white; Sikkimensis,yellow; rosea, rose (the finest of all); denticulata, lilac; and Stuarti, yellow; do best grown in pots of fibrous peat, and plunged in two inches of water during the growing season. The other sorts are more accommodating, and only require a good soil and plenty of water during dry weather. The Japanese P. Japonica is a fine • plant where it does well, and so is the other Japanese species, P. Sieboldii (erroneously grown as P. cortusoides in New Zealand), a fine deciduous plant, with large umbels of flowers varying in colour from magenta to pink or white. Both these Japanese species do best in shade. The little Scotch gem, P. Scotica, growing Sin high, with an umbel of rich purple flowers, may be grown in damp, sandy soils, and so may the bird’s eye primrose of the English Lake district, P. farinosa, 6in high, with lilac flowers. Among the easiest to grow are—P. marginata, 4in, violet rose; P. Palinuri, 9in, yellow; and P. purpurea, dark purple. Prunella (the self-heal) .—Bather coarse, but useful dwarf plants. The best are grandiflora, purple, with white and variegated varieties, and P. pyrenaica, rich dark bine. Eamondia pyrenaica is one of the gems of alpine flowers. It grows about 6in high when in flower, and forms dense rosettes of rough, broad leaves from which spring slender stalks, hearing curious purple violet flowers, with yellow centres. It may be grown in a sheltered aud shaded part of the border, in rich loamy soil, but must on no account be allowed to become dry. Einunculus (the buttercups).—A large and beautiful genus, mostly with yellow flowers. The finest are the native R. Lyallii, or mountain lily, which thrives in any good soil slightly shaded, 2ft, white; E. Godleyanus, golden yellow, 2ft, peaty soil; E. insignis, yellow, 18in, and R. Buchanani, white, Ift, peaty moist soil. Of the introduced kinds “ The fair maids of France,” R. aconitifolius, is a very pretty plant Ift high. E. acris, E. bulbasus, and gramineus, are all yellowflowered, either single or double, and of easy culture in any soil. Eudbeckia tpeciosa, a very handsome yellow-flowered plant, s£t high, of easy culture. Salvia. —The sage family. Most of these are coarse plants with purple flowers. The following, however, are really goodS. argentea, large woolly leaves and white flowers, .3ft; S. patens, 2ft, largo blue flowers; S. interrupta, 2ft, large masses of purple flowers ; S. fulgens, scarlet, 3ft; S. Moorcroftiana, 2ft, beautiful pale blue; S. Sibthorpii, alba, white, 2ft. All like dry soils.

Santolina incana is a small woolly leaved plant, useful for edgings. Saponaria (the soapwort).—There are a number of much neglected dwarf plants in this family. S. ocymoides and S. cmpitosa are the best yet introduced; sandy soils.

Saxifraga (the saxifrages). —These are alpine plants of neat habit, and a few of them have fine flowers. They are readily divisible into three sections, the longleaved section, the mossy saxifrages, and the ligulata or megasea section. Very few of the mossy-leaved ones have yet been introduced into New Zealand, and, in fact, but few of them are worth much trouble as hardy plants. The other sections, however, contain some tine plants fairly easy to grow on rich soils with a moist bottom. Taking the megasea section first, I can speak favourably of the newest and rarest S. Stracheyi, from the Himalayas. It forms leaves lOiu to IGin across when well grown, and very early in the spring throws up dense spikes of largo pink flowers just like apple blossoms. It does not succeed in the sun, but thrives in shady situations in rich free soils, and is the finest of all saxifrages. Other fine plants of this section are S. crassifolia, lift, red; S. cordifolia, red; S. ligulata, rose; and S. ciliata, white—all of which may be grown on any good soil. The longleaved section contains some beautiful neat plants, comparatively easy to grow. Of these the beat are S. longifolia, called the “Queen of Saxifrages,” white. Iftj; S. umbrosa, the “ London Pride,” Ift, white; S. pyramidalis, l£t, white, with pink spots ; S. Fortunei, white; and S. granulata, white, of which there is a fine double variety.

Scabiosa (the scabious). —Well-known sweet-scented,easily grown plants. Thebest are the rare S. Caucasica, pale blue; S. Knautia, pale blue, 2ft; and the many improved forms of the old S. atropurpurea; dry soils. Sohizostylis coccinea is one of the finest plants of recent introduction. Flowers scarlet, 2ft. Sedum (the sfconecrops).--A very large family, thriving on dry soils, rocks or walls, and of the simplest culture. They are not very showy, but useful to cover places too dry for other plants. The best tire Spectabile, pink, Ift; Sieboldii, pink, Ift j glaucum. Gin, yellow; Angheum, 3in, white; sarmentosum, 6in, pink ; fabarium, Ift, purple; and rupesfcre, 9in, yellow. Sempervivum (tbebouseleeks). —Curious succulent plants related to the last, and, like them, suitable for dry ground or rocks. They form dense rosettes of fleshy leaves of differing shades. of preen, and bear small yellow or pink flowers in panicles. They are grown mainly for the foliage. Among the, best for our climate are:—S. tectorum, the common English houseleek; S. caspitosum; S. pomellii, with curious cobwebby hairs; S. glaucum and S. Wulfenii. In conjunction with the half-hardy succulents they may be used for bedding. Senecio (the groundsels). This, the largest known family of plants, contains comparative!” few good hardy herbaceous species. Among those worthy of culture may be mentioned:—S. speciosa, purple, Ift; S. puloher, purple, 2i't; S. Kaempferi (Parfugium), yellow, 2ft, with variegated foliage; S. Lyallii, various, 2ft; S. campestris, yellow, Ift; and S. Haastii, 2ft, with. yellow flowers; and silvery foliage. Silene (the catchfly). —A numerous family, but mostly rather weedy. The following are worth growing :—S. acaulis. Gin, dark rose; S. alpestris, Gin, white; S. orientalis, rose, 2ft, and S. Schsfta, rose. Gin.

Spiraea.—One of the best families of hardy plants. The best herbaceous species are Filipendula, single or double, white, Ift; palmata, crimson, 2ft; S. Ulmaria, white, 3ft; and S. venusta rose, 2ft. All like rich, sandy loam. There are variegated leaved forms of most of the species. Statioe. —Not many of this tine family are available for outdoor culture in our climate, the following being perhaps the best of the hardy ones : —S. latifolia, 3ft, light blue ; S. tatarica, Iffc, rose ; and S. elata, 3ft, blue. Trachelium cscruleum. —A very handsome, little-known plant, with large flat clusters of dark blue or pure white flowers. Tradescantia (the spider-worts).— Only

one species, T. Vfrginica, is hardy. There are white, red, violet, and blue varieties, 2ft; sandy loam. Tritoma.—A splendid family of Cape plants, forming large tufts of narrow, grassy leaves, with numerous spikes of tubular flowers. T. uvaria, called "the red hob poker ” from its appearance, 4ft, red. T. Saundersii, 6ft to Bfb, red and yellow; T. oaulescens, 2ft, red, are the best sorts. Rich sandy loam. Trolling (the globe flower).—Fine dwarf plants, like buttercups, with large yellow flowers. The best are T. Europeans and T. Asiaticus,

Tropesolum.— The nasturtiums are much neglected in gardens, but are among the very finest of herbaceous climbers. All the following do welT in New Zealand on rich soils:— T. pentaphyllum, 10ft, fed; T. polypbyllum, yellow, 3ft; T. speciosum, 10ft, red; and T, tuberosum, yellow, lOfb.Verbascum.— A large family, but mostly biennial. Two very good perennials are V. Olympicum, Bft, yellow, and V. phceniceum, 12ft, purple. .

Verbena.—Two handsome species of verbena may be pronounced hardy in our climate, viz., V. venosa, bluish violet, 2ft, and V. Maoneltii, 6in, purple or striped. Veronica.—Many of the smaller species of veronica are very beautiful plants. Among the exotic species may be mentioned V. formosa, fine blue lilac; 2ft; V. saxatilis, 6in, deep blue; V. spicata, blue, 2ft; V. longifolia, Ift, blue ; and V. Gehtianoides, Ift, blue. Of the native sorts, the best for border culture are V. Eaoulti, lilac, Ift; V. hulkeana lilac, 2ft; V. pinguifolia, l£t, white; I V. Lavandianfc, rose and white, Ift; V. Armstrong!!, 3£t, white; V. Bidwillii, pink and white, 6in; V. glauco-cserulea, blue, 2ft; and V. Chathamica, white, 6in.

Vinca (the perry winkles).—'Two pretty sorts are almost unknown in the Colony, viz., V. minor, with pretty blue flowers, and V. herbacea, purple. Viola (the violets). —Besides the common violets usually grown, the' following ate worthy of cultivation:—V. altaica, deep violet; V. biflora, yellow; V. calcarata, blue; V. cornuta, blue; and V. pubescena, yellow, all dwarf plants. Zaueohneria .California (the so-called Californian fuchsia). —Avery pretty plant, about 20in high, coveied in summer with numbers of vermillion-coloured harrow, tubular flowers; sandy soils.