Chapter II: Part 2

But of all the flowers of winter, the most beautiful is the fragrant _Iris reticulata_. No description can convey a tithe of its effect. Two grass-green sheaths drape the lower part of the flower-stalk, the sheath on the convex side becoming at its margin so thin and transparent as to seem to melt into the stem itself. The flower-stalk up to this point is of a curious green colour veined with purple, but gradually, as the flower is reared, the purple increases so as to colour the whole surface of the stem; and, indeed, at the root of the petals the stem becomes almost black. Nor is the flower itself unworthy so dainty a support, for the colouring and form are exquisite. The falls, which are coloured on the outside a dull purple with centrally some green spotting, turn at about one quarter way from their extremities suddenly outwards almost at a right angle, thus forming horizontal landing-places. The inside of the fall is of a rich light violet colour, running up the centre from the claw's root being a white patch with yellow and dark purple markings, terminating at the horizontal blade in glowing orange. The effect is slightly reminiscent of that produced by a leopard's skin. The standards are bright violet with relief of yellow pollen just below the centre, above which are little stigmatic ledges which brush pollen from entering insects. The flower stalk is definitely arched as though the flower were too heavy for its strength, but near the flower itself the stalk becomes erect, thus giving the whole an appearance of health and vigour. The early Irises are not difficult to grow in moderately light and well drained soil, but they should usually be afforded a warm and sheltered site. Other fragrant species which bloom in winter or very early spring are the soft blue _Iris stylosa_, of which there is an equally beautiful white variety, and the purple and rose _Iris histrio_, somewhat resembling _Iris reticulata_ in habit and colouring.

The flowers which usher out the winter and announce the near approach of the spring, the winter gilliflowers or snowdrops, have long been among the treasures of English gardens. Naturalised in grassy lawns or orchards, or grown undisturbed in shrubbery borders, the single and double common snowdrops (_G. nivalis_) almost invariably thrive and increase. The common snowdrop is on the whole the most important and most valuable, but in light warm soil the handsome _Galanthus Elwesi_ should be grown, and in any soil the broad-leaved _G. latifolius_, and a fragrant hybrid derived from it, _G. Alleni_, with large flowers and leaves almost like those of the tulip.

Several of the periwinkles, notably the lilac _Vinca acutiloba_, bear flowers during the months of December and January, and in warm sheltered spots violets and roses may often be picked in the open air.

Among the shrubs, several of the most beautiful bear their flowers in the depth of winter. The fragrant yellowish flowers of the Winter Sweet (_Chimonanthus fragrans_), which is one of the many gracious gifts of Japan, are among the best of winter blossoms. The Chimonanthus is worth a place against a warm wall facing south. After flowering, the young shoots should be pruned back to the old branches. The variety known as Grandiflora bears somewhat larger flowers. The scarlet flowers of _Cydonia japonica_ (the Japan Quince), are familiar to everyone although it is but a nineteenth century introduction into this country. Other species and varieties of Quince, however, are equally well worth growing. _C. Mauleii_, with orange-red flowers freely produced seemingly over the entire plant, _C. nivalis_, with large white flowers, and _C. cardinalis_ are all good.

When the climate is mild, and the soil not too heavy, the Laurustinus (_Viburnum tinus_) is of great value in winter and early spring. The yellow Jasmine and the shrubby Honeysuckles, _Lonicera fragrantissima_ and _L. Standishi_, are easy to grow, and should be seen in every open-air winter garden, as also should the old Daphne Mezereon, single and double, the double Furze (_Ulex Europaeus flore pleno_), and the evergreen _Garrya elliptica_ with its hardier variety _Thuretii_. The Garrya is hardy enough in many gardens, but in exposed or cold situations profits by being afforded the shelter of a wall or other screen. Many other winter flowering shrubs and flowers might be named, but I must refer readers to the list of winter bloomers which forms an appendix to my "Chronicle of a Cornish Garden."

Great, however, as is the importance of growing as many as possible of the plants which bear flowers through the months of winter, the value of evergreen and evergrey foliage must not be overlooked. Among the latter may be named Lavender, Rosemary, Pinks, Carnations, Mulleins, Alyssum, Lavender Cotton, Stachys chrysantha, Achillea umbellata, Achillea moschata, Silene maritima, Hieraceum villosum, H. gymnocephalus, Cistus (of sorts), Artemisia lanata, Agrostemma, Senecio leucophyllus, Teucrum aureum, Cerastium tomentosum, Arabis variegata, Gypsophilum repens, Festuca glauca, Sedum Turkestanicum, Olearia insignis, Agrostemma coronaria, Onopordon arabicum. To give a list of useful evergreen plants would require much more space than I have to spare, but the following names may possibly be of some help. Of evergreen trees and shrubs, Yew, Hollies, Box, Tree Ivies, Pernettyas, Ruscus racemosus, the silver-edged Euonymus radicans variegatus, Berberis aquifolium, Aucuba Japonica (and other kinds), Kalmia latifolia, Rhododendrons, Ericas, Sand Myrtles, Dwarf Partridge Berries, Andromedas, Skimmias, Olearia Haasti and Phillyrea Vilmoriana, are among the most useful and interesting. The number of valuable evergreen border plants is almost infinite; the following list includes some of the best:--

Saxifrages, kinds numerous.
Sedums, do.
Sempervivums, do.
Gentiana acaulis.
Gentiana verna.
Primulas, kinds numerous.
Helleborus, do.
Dwarf phloxes.
Forget-me-nots.
Thymus, of sorts.
Acanthus.
Iris, kinds numerous, especially valuable being I. fœtidissima with
brilliantly red seeds.
Omphalodes, of sorts.
Aubrietia.
Arabis.
Vinca.
Violas and Violets.
Iberis.
Sternbergia.
Megaseas.
Aquilegias.
Asarum, of sorts.
Wallflowers.
Cyclamen, of sorts.

Evergreen ferns should be grown in gardens much more than they usually are. The following are a few of the hardiest kinds:--

Asplenium angustifolium.
Asplenium ebenum.
Aspidium Floridanum.
Camptosorus rhizophyllus.
Dictogramma Japonica.
Lastrea marginalis.
Lastrea Standishi.
Lastrea aristata.
Lastrea corusca.
Lastrea fragrans.
Lomaria alpina.
Niphobolus lingua.
Polystichum acrostichoides.
Polystichum setosum.
Phygopteris alpestris.
Woodsia alpina.

The British species of Asplenium, Blechnum, Ceterach, Polypodium, Polystichum and Scolopendrium are often useful and always available.

THE GARDEN IN SPRING

The dividing line between the seasons is, of course, quite arbitrary, for Nature progresses evenly, gradually, unceasingly, and not in the jerky way which our clumsy divisions of time imply. Still it is convenient, almost necessary indeed, to adopt some such broad classification of the periods of the year as that into the four seasons which has done duty for so many centuries. One may take the flowering of the snowdrop to indicate the onset of spring, though itself belonging more especially to winter. Yet the Dutch Crocus seems to be the earliest real spring flower, and a brighter little herald of the glories to follow could not be selected. The parents of most of the Dutch Crocuses are two species which grow wild in South-Eastern Europe, _C. aureus_ and _C. vernus_. The latter is sometimes considered to be a native British plant, but in all instances of its discovery in English hedges or meadows its presence is most likely due to removals of garden soil or garden rubbish.

There are nearly seventy distinct species of Crocus known to botanists, and most of these are well worth growing, though more bloom in the autumn than in the spring. Even in the seventeenth century, Parkinson described as many as thirty-one kinds, but probably some of these were merely garden varieties.

_Crocus imperati_, found wild near Naples, is one of the earliest species to flower as it is also one of the most beautiful, the inside of the petals being coloured a deep purple, whilst the outside is of a lightish brown, the stigma standing as a brilliant orange lamp in the centre of the flower's cup.

The Crocuses will grow and prosper in almost any good soil, especially if it rest on chalk or other porous subsoil. The commoner kinds may advantageously, especially in soils not too heavy and wet, be left in the ground undisturbed for many years, and there are few floral sights more beautiful than that afforded by a skilful grouping of yellow crocuses naturalised in grass either under deciduous trees or in the open. The very early species should be grown in a warm and sheltered position, where the winds and frosts of January will not be able to destroy their beauty. Almost as valuable as the crocus, and even more easy to grow, are several of the species of scilla, a bulb long cultivated in English gardens. Two of the species, which are especially worth growing on account of their beauty and extreme earliness, are the dark-blue _S. bifolia_ (with its varieties, _præcox_ and _taurica_) and _S. sibirica_, with its intense, vivid blue colour, as of some gem resting on the dark green leaves. Later, larger and sturdier, though scarcely so valuable, are the well known light blue Spanish Scilla, _S. campanulata_, and the numerous varieties of our beautiful wild bluebell, _S. nutans_. Scillas, like crocuses, should be planted in bold natural groups among other plants, or naturalised in woodland glades or shady lawns and meadows. Somewhat resembling the Scillas, though even more beautiful, are the recently introduced Chionodoxas (_C. Luciliae_, _C. Sardensis_, and _C. grandiflora_), which exhibit every shade of purest blue, mingled in varying proportions with white. In light soils they increase very rapidly both by division of bulbs and by seed.

A stately flower, which formerly held a much more respected place in the garden than it now occupies, is the Crown Imperial (_Fritillaria imperialis_). In rich, deep, garden soil, or in a rich shrubbery border, it usually thrives; and when well established is an interesting and showy plant, growing upwards of four feet to the top of its flower stalk in April or May. There are varieties displaying various combinations of red, yellow and orange. Parkinson placed it "before all other Lilies," and Chapman referred to it as "Emperor of Flowers." Valuable as it is, one is not disposed to place it on quite such a pinnacle to-day. Most of the other Fritillaries are dwarf bulbous plants, which thrive in rich, light soil, preferably in the partial shade of deciduous trees. The commoner kinds are very suitable for naturalisation in grass or woodland. Most of the Fritillaries produce sombre-coloured, curiously-chequered, snaky-looking, pendulous flowers.

Even in the seventeenth century Parkinson describes twelve varieties, but since his day numerous species have been discovered. Among those best for growing are _F. Meleagris_ and its varieties; _F. Moggridgei_, an Alpine species, with yellow bells beautifully marked with brown and red on their inner surface; _F. aurea_, and the brilliant, though somewhat tender, _F. recurva_. The Fritillary was so called because of its chess-board-like markings, and for the same reason Gerard spoke of it as the Ginnie-hen flower.

The Grape-Hyacinths, or Muscari, do not seem to have developed in popularity, as their beauty in colouring and hardiness would have led one to expect. In rich, deep, sandy soil, in the rock garden or border, these bulbs thrive and multiply. Parkinson enumerated eight varieties, which he called "The Ash-Coloured Musk Grape Flower, the Red Musk Grape Flower, the White Musk Grape Flower, the Dark-blue Grape Flower, the Sky-coloured Grape Flower, the Branched Grape Flower, the White Grape Flower, and the Blush Grape Flower." The varieties which are most worthy of garden cultivation are _M. racemosum_, with its fruit-scented purple flowers and long drooping leaves; _M. botyroides_; _M. armeniacum_, which blooms later than most other kinds; and _M. moschatum_, with little fragrant yellow bells. The allied Feather Hyacinth, _M. comosum monstrosum_, is equally well worth growing for the beauty of its feathery lilac blooms.

The Snowflakes, or Leucojums, are again becoming popular and better known. They have not the characteristic grace of the Snowdrop, the stems being sturdier, the arch being quite different in character, and the petals being all of the same length; but they have much beauty of their own and are easy to grow. Most of the Alliums are interesting, and should be planted where there is space at disposal, as also should _Tritelia_, or _Milla uniflora_.

But more important than most of these are the various Anemones, both the "fair and frail" wild species which is found in our own woods (_A. nemorosa_) and the numerous kinds--all beautiful--which have been introduced into our gardens from Southern Europe. The old Poppy Anemone (_A. coronaria_) is a favourite with everyone, blooming as it often does during all the early months of the year. It is easy to raise from seed sown in light soil in the open during March, April or May. The seedlings should be pricked out in September, and that is also the month for planting the roots, should that method of obtaining plants be adopted. In warm soils _A. coronaria_ lives on from year to year if left undisturbed, but in other soils it is sometimes necessary to raise fresh plants annually. The Scarlet Anemone (_A. fulgens_) is the most brilliant flower of early spring, whilst _A. Apennina_, _A. blanda_ (two species with flowers of the loveliest sky-blue), _A. sylvestris_ (the Snowdrop Wind-flower), and _A. ranunculoides_ (a charming yellow-flowering kind), are all beautiful and hardy plants in most garden soils.

Anemones are not bulbous plants, but their tubers are usually listed in the florists' catalogues with bulbs, and in many ways this is a convenient arrangement; but of all bulbous plants those which have most attracted the attention of florists and hybridists are undoubtedly the Tulip and the Daffodil. The Daffodil has won the heart of the poet as well as of the florist, and English verse is full of references to the "darling Daffodils" (as Marvell called them) and "faire Narcissus." Keats named these graceful flowers as an example of those things of beauty which are joys for ever, and Shelley, whose garden of the Sensitive Plant contained many beautiful flowers, referred to the Narcissus as "the fairest among them all."

Perdita's description of Daffodils,

"That came before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty,"

is familiar to all who read their Shakespeare. The daffodil is indeed an old-fashioned flower, for dry specimens of Narcissus Tazetta have been found in Egyptian mummy cases dating back nearly four thousand years. Mr Burbidge thinks that many species of Narcissus were introduced into England by the Phœnicians when they came to Cornwall for tin, "and, as Cornwall has a climate and soil eminently suited to daffodils, these have been there perpetuated." Daffodils will grow in almost any garden soil, but in many gardens, especially in very rich soils or in soils which are badly drained, they tend to disappear in the course of one or two seasons. A little shade from the heat of the sun is desirable, as also is a little shelter from cold winds. Stiff loam of moderate richness is suitable for most varieties of daffodil, and the bulbs should be planted by the end of August. After being planted they should in suitable soils be left undisturbed for from two to six years; and when lifted they should be placed to ripen in a shady place, and replanted in the course of a month. The bulbs should be planted from four to six inches apart, and from four to six inches deep, according to the size of the bulb and the lightness of the soil. Where all the varieties are beautiful it seems hopeless to select. To a beginner, perhaps, the following list may be of some help:--Poeticus-ornatus, Obvallaris, Emperor, Leedsii Minnie-Hulme, Empress, Golden Spur and Grandee; to which should be added the sweet Campernelle Jonquil.

For naturalising in grass, the poet's and star narcissi, as well as some of the trumpet daffodils, are particularly suited.

In the whole history of the craft, few things have occurred so calculated to throw ridicule on gardening and gardeners as the celebrated outbreak of Tulipomania in the seventeenth century, though at times the contemporary Daffodilmania threatens to rival it. The Tulip was introduced into England towards the end of the sixteenth century, and but half a century later Parkinson describes a hundred and forty varieties. Apart from the various species which the florist has not as yet seriously taken in hand, the bulk of the tulips commonly grown in gardens are of two great classes, the short stalked April-flowering tulips which are descended from _T. suavolens_, and the taller May flowering descendants of _T. Gesneriana_ which are known as "Florist's Tulips." These garden varieties are of every shade of colour and do well in any rich well-drained garden soil. It is advisable to lift them every year, or in light soils every three years, as otherwise they tend to become crowded and poor. The bulbs should be planted in October, about four inches deep and four inches apart, and, like all other bulbs, if grown for decorative effect, should have the earth between them carpeted with some dwarf surface-rooting plants as elsewhere suggested. Far better for ordinary garden decoration than any of the florists' striped or feathered varieties is the parent of the race, the brilliant red or crimson Gesner's tulip. Its effectiveness is much increased by the great dark brown blotch at the bottom of its cup, and this is even more marked in the variety _spathulata_. Many of the self-coloured Darwin tulips are also delightful and vigorous growers. The early dwarf species, _T. Greigi_, with its brilliant red flowers and quaintly marked leaves, is well worth cultivating either in small groups or bold masses, as also is the native species, _T. Sylvestris_, with pale yellow flowers of great beauty. Among other species and varieties specially worthy of a place in the garden are _T. Elegans_, _T. retroflexa_, _T. australis_, the dwarf _T. kolpakowskyana_, _T. viridiflora_, _T. clusiana_ (introduced early in the seventeenth century), _T. vitellina_, and the kinds known as Golden Eagle, Picotee, and Bouton d'Or. To modify the observation of a writer of the seventeenth century, "The tulip is a queenly flower, and asketh a rich soil and the hand of a lover." And indeed given these conditions tulips may be easily and successfully grown.

The bulbs already named are but a few of those worth growing for effects of beauty in the spring garden, for a complete enumeration would occupy many times the amount of space at disposal. There is, however, one other bulbous plant which should be included in any collection of spring flowers, the Erythronium or Dog's Tooth Violet. The beautiful European species, _E. dens-canis_, has been grown in England for nearly three hundred years, and, in light soil and an open sunny site, produces its rose coloured flowers with freedom. The more recently introduced American species are equally worth growing. Spring is the great season for the flowering of bulbous plants for the very obvious reason that only plants with an accumulated store of last season's solar energy can produce flowers so early in the year. For like reason it is that the thick-rooted primroses and other species of primula are such early bloomers. The hybrid primroses (mostly descendants of _P. acaulis_ and _P. altaica_) often produce their variously coloured flowers long before the native _P. vulgaris_ begins to bloom. The primroses rejoice in moderately rich soil and partial shade. It is well to divide and replant every two or three years--especially in the case of the pretty _P. rosea_. In July it is a good plan to top-dress them with a fine and well rotted mixture of manure, leaf mould and loam. Most of the primroses are easily raised from seed, sown as soon as ripe in light soil kept shaded and slightly moist. The old double primroses cannot of course be raised from seed, and are by no means so vigorous as the single kinds. They require partial shade, and are somewhat intolerant of frequent interference.

Oxlips, Cowslips and Polyanthuses are all beautiful and easily grown. Among other species of Primula which are easily grown and worth growing are _P. denticulata_, with long stems surmounted by large mauve flower heads, _P. d. Cashmeriana_, similar to _denticulata_ but with yellow centres to the flowers, _P. cortusoides_, with beautiful rose-coloured flowers, and the many varieties of the handsome _P. japonica_, which specially likes moisture and shade.

Given a well-drained, yet not too dry, situation, the various Alpine Auriculas are not difficult to grow, and include varieties with many beautiful colours.

The charming _Hepatica Angulosa_ and _H. triloba_, in its many kinds, are lovers of shade, leaf-mould, moisture and non-interference. Of the Gentians, the two species best worth cultivating are the little _G. verna_ and the old Gentianella (_G. acaulis_), both bearing flowers of the purest blue. They are not plants which thrive everywhere, but they like well-drained soil, an open situation, and moisture in summer. The Gentian of Pliny was probably the medicinal _G. lutea_, which is not very valuable for garden decoration.

Candytuft, Violets, Doronicums, Aubrietia, Alyssum, Adonis vernalis, Double Daisies, Thrifts, Lilies of the Valley, Wallflowers, Dog's-tooth Violets, Asphodels, Trilliums, Dodecathons, Veronica prostrata, Saponaria ocymoides, Lithospermum prostratum and some of the species of Trollius are but a few of the very many beautiful spring flowers which may be grown in the open borders of English gardens.

To give the names of trees, shrubs and climbing plants which flower in spring is unnecessary, for everyone must be well acquainted with the blossoms of Apple, Pear, Plum and Cherry, of Hawthorn, Wistaria, Guelder Rose, Syringa, Lilac and Laburnum. There are, however, a few good shrubs which are not grown nearly as much as they should be. Those who can afford warm and sheltered sites should certainly try to grow the magnificent Magnolias, especially _M. conspicua_ and _M. stellata_; and everyone may grow _Forsythia suspensa_, with long sprays of yellow flowers in April and May, _Spiræa Thunbergii_, the leaves of which turn a crimson in autumn, as also do the leaves of _S. prunifolia_, which is covered with white double-daisy-like flowers in spring, and _Exochorda grandiflora_ (The Pearl Bush), which likes plenty of sun and hates being cramped or cut.

THE GARDEN IN JUNE

The flowering of the Columbine is the beginning of summer. Tulips and Double Narcissi and stray Anemones may still afford bright colour or sweet fragrance, but they do not charm us any longer, for they are of the spring, and the spring is past. What a beautiful old flower it is--"the Columbine commendable," as Skelton called it four hundred years ago! Indeed, all the old garden writers mention it, its vigour and grace having always earned it a secure place in the English garden, where it has been grown for centuries "for the delight both of its form and colours." The Columbines of our ancestors were all varieties of the wild English species (_Aquilegia vulgaris_), and so vigorous and handsome do some of these plants become under garden cultivation, that it is questionable if any of the newer kinds surpass them in beauty. However, the various species of Aquilegia which have from time to time been added to our garden flora are to be counted with the most valuable of plants, among the best of them being the very curiously coloured red and orange species known as _A. Skinneri_, the tall golden _A. chrysantha_, and, perhaps most beautiful of all, the Rocky Mountain Columbine, _A. cærulea_, with its quaint green "horns of honey."

This is the month when the Pyrethrums and Pæonies, of which such splendid varieties have been raised by Messrs. Kelway and others, are in their glory, as also are the Snapdragons, Bride Gladioli, Pansies, Ranunculuses (of which the old _R. asiaticus_, though somewhat tender, may be easily grown in rich light soil if planted in February at a depth of two inches and kept well watered during the growing period), Madonna Lilies (which must be planted in good garden soil and left alone), _Lilium elegans_, and _L. longiflorum_, with its beautiful varieties (which like well-drained spongy soil containing plenty of leaf-mould).

If asked what was the typical garden flower of June, I suppose that nearly everyone would name the Rose. As a matter of fact, however, the great bulk of the Roses now grown in gardens--that is the members of the two great classes known to gardeners as Hybrid Perpetuals and Tea-Roses--are not seen at their best before July. But it is in June that the Wild Dog Roses of our English hedgerows are in their glory, as also are most of the Briars imported from other countries, together with the old Provence and other "Summer Roses." And, with the possible exception of some of the Teas, it may well be doubted if any roses surpass in beauty such "unimproved" species as the deliciously fragrant Macartney Rose (_R. bracteata_), the trailing Rosa Wichuriana with its pure white cups, or the sweet Eglantine. Speaking of the Eglantine, one is reminded of the lovely hybrids derived from it, known as the Penzance Briars, which combine the fragrant foliage of the Sweet-briar with various beautiful blossoms according to parentage. Perhaps the most beautiful of all of them is the variety known as Lady Penzance--descended from the Austrian Copper Briar and the Eglantine--which has single flowers of the most delicate blend of pink, yellow and orange. One great advantage which these single-flowered briars, as well as most of the June-flowering roses, have over the Hybrid Perpetuals is that they may be left practically unpruned, and so display the naturally graceful habit which is as important a part of the beauty of the Rose as is the flower itself.

Of all the flowers of June, I should myself crown the Pink (or Pentecost flower--for such is said to be the source of its name) for its fragrance, the Spanish Iris for the beauty of its flowers, and the Rose for its grace. The Flower-de-luce, or Iris, is of nearly a hundred species and of many hundred varieties, among which are some of the most beautiful flowers which can be grown in the open air of England. Many of the irises, however, require the expenditure of much knowledge and skill that they may prosper, but the so-called Spanish Irises, which are among the most wonderfully formed and coloured of all, may be grown by anyone who can grow ordinary hardy plants. They rejoice in sun, shelter and a light, well-drained soil.

The Iris is well named, for nearly every shade given by the rainbow is represented in one or other of its kinds, though there is none of the gaudy glaringness, commonly--though wrongly--attributed to that phenomenon. Spenser appreciated the unique quality of the beauty of the Iris, although he had not met with many of the splendid kinds which everyone may now grow.

"Strow mee the grounde with Daffadown-Dillies,
And Cowslips, and Kingcups, and lovéd Lillies;
The Pretty Pawnce
And the Chevisaunce
Shall match with the fayre Floure Delice."

June is a great month for old-fashioned flowers--the flowers of sentiment, as time and literature have made them--"gold-dusted Snapdragon," "Sweet William with his homely cottage smell," "Woodbine hanging bonnilie," "Foxglove cluster dappled bells," Pæony, Lilac, Laburnum and "fresh Hawthorne," each full of tender associations, and each very beautiful in itself.

In June a spirit of indolence begins to come over the gardener who grows his flowers in the open air. All through the months of spring, the garden contains--or should contain--numerous objects of beauty and numerous objects of interest, but not until June does the garden become swamped by a great sea of beauty, in the presence of which the modest gardener can but stand aside and gaze with wonder and enjoyment.

HOW TO GROW ROSES

Roses are lovers of pure air and are therefore difficult to grow in large cities, though even there beautiful specimens are occasionally to be seen. They require the shelter of a high hedge on the north side, and also dwarfer shrubby screens at a little distance on the east, south and west in order to break the force of winds from those quarters. Yet these screens must not be sufficient to shade the plants, for roses are great sun lovers.

Like other hardy plants, they rejoice in deep, rich, well-drained soil containing plenty of humus derived from the decomposition of stable or farm-yard manure. Most of the hybrid perpetuals do best in a rather heavy soil, though sandy loams are often to be preferred for the culture of Tea roses.

Purchase roses grown on the briar stock or on their own roots, and insist on the plants having plenty of fibrous roots.

Order from a reliable florist early in October, requesting that the roses may reach you early in November. The ground having been trenched and manured some weeks previously, the roses should be carefully planted immediately on their arrival. For each rose should be dug a hole about a foot square, and of such a depth that the planted rose shall have the junction of its stock and scion about two inches below the surface of the soil. In this hole the plant should be placed, and its roots (which may with advantage be dipped into a pail of water just before being planted) carefully spread out and covered with a few inches of fine soil. This should be firmly trodden in and the hole then filled with the ordinary soil. If the weather be dry, yet not frosty, it is well to settle the soil above the roots by means of a heavy watering. If the roses are to form a bed, they may, if dwarfs, be planted at an average distance of about eighteen inches apart.

But a bed of roses, beautiful as it is, is but one expression of the culture of these precious flowers. Over walls, trellises, arches and arbours they should be allowed to trail and climb at will, showing the graceful curves of briar stem, as well as the beautiful flowers themselves. Many roses, too, can be used to form hedges either alone, in the case of such varieties as the Ayrshires and Evergreens, Rosa Brunonii, the Crimson Rambler, the Scotch Briars and some of the Penzance Sweet Briars, or with other shrubs in the case of more leggy and straggling kinds.

In the April of each year, cut out all weak sappy growths, and, in the case of hybrid perpetuals, cut back to about eight inches from the surface of the ground the strong shoots which remain. Teas, if required for garden decoration, need only be thinned out, any dead wood being removed at the same time, and similar treatment is applicable to most of the summer roses.

It is difficult to select a few varieties as specially worthy of cultivation where so many are excellent. The old Provence, Gallic and Moss Roses bloom only in June and July, but are well worth growing for their fragrance, beauty and associations, as are also such summer bloomers as that vigorous hybrid China known as Blairii No. 2, and the very floriferous white Madame Plantier. The hybrid sweet briars, notably Lady Penzance and Anne of Geierstein, are of the easiest culture, but a warm sheltered situation is required by the beautiful Austrian copper briar, which is not everyone's rose.

Easiest of all roses to grow are the Climbing Evergreen and Ayrshire varieties, of which Bennett's Seedling bears white flowers, most of the other kinds producing flowers of sundry shades of pink. The Japanese roses (_R. Rugosa_) are almost equally vigorous and rampant, and are specially valuable for their scarlet fruits which help to brighten the garden in late autumn.

But, after all, it is the so-called perpetual bloomers on which most gardeners will place the highest value, and here the choice of good varieties is very great. There are seven principal classes of perpetual or autumnal roses, known respectively as Hybrid Perpetuals, Teas, Hybrid Teas, China Roses, Bourbons, Noisettes and Hybrid Moss Roses. From these classes, if I were asked to select eight varieties for a beginner to "learn on," I should name Madame Berard (Tea), Marie van Houtte (Tea), Blanche Moreau (Moss), Celine Forestier (Noisette), Souvenir de la Malmaison (Bourbon), Ducher (China), Prince Camille de Rohan (Hybrid Perpetual) and Viscountess Folkestone (Hybrid Tea).

A few more names of good roses are these--Among Hybrid Perpetuals: Fisher Holmes, Ulrich Brunner and Mrs John Laing; among Hybrid Teas: Mrs W. J. Grant, Bardou Job, La France and Kaiserin Aug. Victoria; among Teas: Marechal Niel, Hon. Edith Gifford, Niphetos, Madame Lambard, Belle Lyonnaise, Madame Hoste, Madame Falcot and Souvenir de S. A. Prince; and, among Noisettes: William Allen Richardson, Aimée Vibert, Madame Alfred Carrière and l'Idéal. To mention Gloire de Dijon is, of course, superfluous, though I am inclined to regard its general utility as somewhat overrated.

THE GARDEN IN JULY

A flower with a history, with a name long honoured, full of that blue blood which a genealogical tree is supposed to imply, the Carnation needs no apology or recommendation. It was among the most admired of the flowers used by the Greeks and Romans in the making of chaplets, and hence derived its name of Coronation by which Spenser and other early writers knew it. Its generic name, Dianthus, or Flower of Jupiter, equally points to the high honour in which it was held by the Latins. It was formerly much used both medicinally, "wonderfully above measure comforting the heart," and for the flavouring of liquors--whence it obtained its name of Sops-in-wine:--

"And many a Clove Gilofre,
To put in ale,
Whether it be moist or stale."

The beautiful form of the flowers of the various species of Dianthus--Pinks, Carnations and Sweet Williams--partly accounts for its distinguished position, but the characteristic fragrance has been even more contributory to its reputation. The old name of July-flower, gilli-flower, or gylofre was but a corruption of caryophyllus--the nut-leaved clove tree--which name it earned by its delicious spicy scent. Much more regard was paid to fragrance by the old gardeners and flower-lovers than seems to be the case to-day, and it is very much to be regretted that many of the most beautiful of the newer varieties of carnation are nearly scentless, or as nearly scentless as any member of the family can be. In ordinary good garden soil most of the carnations can be easily grown. It is a good plan thoroughly to prepare and enrich the ground in August, and to raise on it a crop of mustard, digging in the latter a month later, at which time the Carnations should be planted. Two varieties which I would recommend to a beginner are the pure white clove variety, Gloire de Nancy, and the old Crimson Clove. It should be borne in mind that carnations do not thrive in the shade, and that they will not tolerate the presence of rank manure. They are, however, among the plants which can be grown in the muggy atmosphere of cities.

Blue is the only colour which is not to be found among the carnations, and indeed it is a colour not very common in the garden flora. Gentians, Forget-me-nots, Veronicas, Borage, and a few others are the only blue flowers commonly to be seen, but among these few others there is one of the stateliest and most beautiful of the ornaments of the July garden. The Larkspur, Lark's-heels, or Delphinium (Dolphin flower) is one of those few old fashioned flowers which have been really improved in every way by the selection and hybridising of the florist. The varieties raised during the past few years by Messrs Kelway of Langport and others are more robust and more beautiful than the original species or than any of the old garden kinds. The sepals are of every shade of blue and their beauty is enhanced by the white petals within. The foliage too is very beautiful, and, the plant being of the same width throughout--cylindrical rather than conical in form--the leaves, with the exception of those near the ground, are finely divided in order to allow light to reach the leaves below. The Delphinium is elaborately equipped with machinery for securing effective cross fertilisation by its bumble-bee visitors. The stamens ripen before the pistil, and are so placed that the bee cannot get at the honey without covering its head with pollen, which it then bears to another flower. The stigma is not in evidence until the stamens have died, when it occupies a similarly obstructive position in the road of the pollen-covered bee. Martagon Lilies, Alstroemerias, Montbretias, English Irises, Hollyhocks, Lupins, Perennial Peas, Coreopsis, Scabious, Galega officinalis alba and all the species of Campanula are among the July bloomers. Pretty as they are, the old blue and white Canterbury Bells are by no means so graceful as many of the other Bellflowers. _C. pyramidalis_, _C. persicifolia_ and _C. glomerata_ are among the best of the tall kinds, whilst from the dwarfer species may be selected _C. isophylla_, _C. carpatica_, _C. alpina_, and _C. turbinata_.

In July also the handsome plants of the Thistle family are at their period of greatest beauty. _Echinops ruthenicus_, _E. ritro_, _Eryngium amethystinum_, _E. Oliverianum_, _E. giganteum_ and _E. glaciale_ are among the finest, but those habitants of the kitchen garden--the Cardoon and the Globe Artichoke--require much excellency in their peers.

July is the month of climax for the gardener who grows only annual flowers raised afresh each year from seed. A very fine show he may have, too, during his somewhat brief season. To the grower of herbaceous plants who aims, and wisely aims, at having flowers all the year through, July is but one month out of twelve. Spring means for him not a season for sowing, so much as a very flowery season, full of Crocuses and Anemones, of Primroses and of Hepaticas; for him even winter itself is not flowerless, since he has his Hellebores and winter Aconites and fragrant Coltsfoot. But with annual flowers the case is different. It is true that, by sowing in July or August, one may obtain such beautiful flowers as those of Erysimum, Nemophila and Saponaria calabrica in the spring, but the great bulk of annual flowering plants are summer bloomers. Many of them are among the most beautiful, and certainly among the most showy, of our garden occupants. Sweet-peas, Convolvuli and Nasturtiums are as beautiful as any perennial climber; and one has but to name Cornflowers, Mignonette, Coreopsis, Escholtzias and the glorious and gaudy army of Poppies in order to show what a garden of annuals may offer in the months of summer.

I know of no floral sight more brilliant than that of a garden full of poppies in full bloom. Each flower is bright almost to gaudiness, yet with petals so thin and flimsy that no insect can rest on them, and each cup is accordingly furnished with a substantial alighting stage in its centre. Shirley poppies in every shade of red; Iceland poppies in every shade of white, yellow and orange; scarlet Tulip poppies; white Alpine poppies--one knows not which to prefer. The poets have generally used the poppy only for its assistance in pointing a moral. Thus, for example, Burns--

"Pleasures are like poppies spread--
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed."

"Faire without and foule within" has generally summed up its popular reputation, though Ruskin has spoken with appreciation of its beauty and delicacy.

All the hardy annuals are easy to grow, their requirements being ample sunshine, deeply dug soil, finely broken up and moderately, though not excessively, enriched, and ample space for individual development. Where failure occurs, it may usually be traced to omission of one or other of these conditions--most commonly, perhaps, of the one last named. There are few annuals which will thrive in the shade, though Forget-me-nots, Venus's Looking-glass and Nemophilas will succeed in damp situations if the shade be not too intense.

Personally, although I should not like to grow annuals alone, I should regretfully miss my hedge of Sweet-peas, my Poppies, and the soothingly fragrant, though insignificant, flowers of my Mignonette.

One other annual flower is the prettily and appropriately named Love-in-a-Mist, with the daintiest of blue flowers enveloped as in a green cloud. If our poets were wont to look at flowers for themselves instead of copying one another's natural history, they might be referred to this delightful plant. Mr Swinburne, I think alone among poets, has used it as subject for one of his roundels. Fortunately, the neglect of poets has little influence on the beauty of flowers.

NIGHT IN THE GARDEN

During the heated days of late summer, few but the most enthusiastic of gardeners care to loiter in the open garden until evening. Then, the sun having sunk in the west, we venture forth from the shade of house or of trees, and leisurely walk the round of our paths, refreshingly fanned by the little rippling breeze which makes the leaves flutter as it rhythmically comes and passes. The last bees have reached their hives, laden with the sweet product of their hard labour. The honeyed flowers, which look to their visits and to the visits of other sun-loving insects for aid in fertilisation, have, so far as possible, covered their tempting cups to avoid the damping or loss of the precious pollen within. Snails and slugs crawl from hidden caves, prepared to work in darkness the evil which fear of feathered warders hinders by day. Except for these workers of ill, these foes of beauty, the garden is apparently going to sleep. But wait. Wherefore is this increasing fragrance streaming from the honeysuckle trellis into the cooling air--a fragrance surely not without seductive purpose? Straight as the course of a homeward bound bee, a hawk-moth flies to the expanded blossoms and extracts the honey from the narrow tubes, too deep for bee or wasp to sound. Look, too, at this bed which but an hour ago showed nothing but a green mass of leaves serrated as those of dandelions. Great white flowers, three inches or more across, have now appeared and produce a truly wonderful effect. These are the flowers of one of the evening primroses (_Oenothera taraxicifolia_), originally imported from America. Not so pure a white are the larger blossoms of another evening primrose (_Oe. marginata_) which is just beginning to send forth from the border a fragrance as of magnolias. The old double white Rocket (_Hesperis matronalis_), or Damask Violet, as it was formerly called, smells more strongly as evening draws in, and its scent now takes on the character of the scent of Violets. Even more noticeable is the delicious fragrance which begins to be yielded by the Night-scented Stock (_Hesperis tristis_), a fragrance which will continue until the commencement of the dawn. In the presence of these happenings, we begin to realise that the garden is not after all asleep. Indeed, we see that a part at least of the living beauty of nature only awakes at the approach of night.

Convention rules over us, and in the most unlikely places we see those unadaptive, stereotyped results which mark the realms where she is sovereign. How otherwise can we account for the fact that, although evening is the best time for enjoying the flowers of our gardens during the months of July and August, few gardeners ever think of devoting any part of their borders to the cultivation of flowers which bloom at night? Yet the pleasure to be obtained from them is very great, and the possible variety is considerable. Nearly all are fragrant, as otherwise it would be difficult in the darkness for them to attract the moths which they mostly desire as pollen bearers.

None of these flowers of night are more remarkable than _Silene nutans_, one of our native catchflies (so called from their viscid stems which prevent ants and creeping things from reaching and robbing the honey stores), which may occasionally be seen growing on limestone rocks. This plant bears many large white flowers during June and July, each flower living but for three nights. At about seven o'clock of the first evening, the flower quickly opens and emits a strong scent as of hyacinths. Five of its stamens quickly develop, the pollen ripens and the anthers burst. At three o'clock in the morning, or thereabouts, the scent ceases to be produced, the five anthers wither, and the corolla closes. During the following day the flower looks as though dead or dying. At the same hour as on the previous evening, however, it again opens and again becomes fragrant. Five more stamens develop and ripen their pollen, after which the plant again closes as before. The proceeding is again repeated on the third night, the pistil, however, now developing instead of the stamens. The stigma having been fertilised with pollen brought by moths from another flower, the corolla closes as before in the early morning, and never again reopens. Other of the Silenes, such as _S. noctiflora_, _S. inflata_, _S. vespertina_, and _S. longiflora_, also bloom at night and are equally interesting.

Almost a shrub in size, the Marvel of Peru (_Mirabilis jalapa_) is one of the handsomest of night blooming plants, opening its variously coloured ephemeral flowers at about eight o'clock, and closing them again for good and all before three o'clock the following morning. It is a somewhat delicate plant and will only thrive in warm soils and sunny situations. A plant not often seen in gardens is the fragrant Sand Verbena (_Abronia fragrans_), a Californian perennial of fairly vigorous trailing habit, producing a quantity of beautiful flowers of purest white which open and yield a vanilla-like fragrance at night.

Although too delicate to be grown all the year through in the open air of this country, several of the Thorn apples or Daturas can easily be grown as half-hardy annuals, and during July and August are objects of great beauty. The mauve-tinged white trumpets of _D. Ceratocaula_ which open and afford sweet fragrance at night are especially handsome, but some of the other kinds are almost equally worth growing.

In addition to the evening primroses already referred to, there are several other very attractive species, some being delightfully fragrant. They are quite easily grown in almost any soil, and night-gardeners should cultivate all of them. _Oenothera eximia_, which likes a light soil, is one of the best of the white-flowered kinds, its scent somewhat resembling that of the magnolia. _Oe. speciosa_ (white to rose), _Oe. odorata_ (yellow), _Oe. fruticosa_ (yellow), _Oe. macrocarpa_ (yellow), _Oe. biennis grandiflora_ (yellow), and _Oe. triloba_ (yellow) are but a few names. Some of the evening primroses remain more or less open in the daytime, in which case they are usually visited by bees as well as by their guests of the night.

The catchflies are a family of night-bloomers, and their relative, the Soapwort (_Saponaria officinalis_), resembles them in this respect, for its large rosy flowers open and become fragrant much after the manner of those of _Silene nutans_. The common pinks, too, which are allied plants, yield increased fragrance during the hours between sunset and sunrise, and are then frequently visited by moths.

The petunias are not often capable of being grown as hardy perennials in English gardens, but are easily grown as half-hardy annuals. They lend much beauty and fragrance to the night-garden, the white _P. nyctanigiflora_ being especially good. All the scented pelargoniums are delightful, the night-scented _P. triste_ and _P. atrum_ being as good as any. The hardy terrestrial orchids, _Habenaria bifolia_ and _H. chlorantha_, which yield their spicy fragrance at night, are easily grown in the bog garden, or indeed in any damp shady place if plenty of leaf-mould be mixed with the soil.

Although usually to be seen only under glass, it would be impossible to dismiss the subject of night blooming plants without referring to the ephemeral blossoms of the night-flowering cactuses, _Cereus grandiflora_--with its vanilla scented brown and yellow flowers, often measuring a foot across--and _C. nycticalus_, known as the Queen of the Night. The flowers of these plants open at about nine o'clock and begin to wither some six hours later.

One might go on adding to the list, but, even from the few plants here enumerated, it will be seen that the night gardener has a considerable field in which to work; whilst to those who share Baudelaire's love of scents, the realm of night-blooming flowers should be a very Paradise.

"Il est des parfums frais comme des chairs d'enfants,
Doux comme les hautbois, verts comme les prairies,
---- Et d'autres, corrumpus, riches et triomphants,
Ayant l'expansion des choses infinies,
Comme l'ambre, le muse, le benjoin et l'encens,
Qui chantent les transports de l'esprit et des sens."

THE GARDEN IN AUGUST

August is really but July continued, for no important new feature is peculiar to it. July is very distinct from June, as the latter is from May, and that again from April, but July and August are essentially alike. The weather is similar, the flowers are similar, and, as a result, it is probable that the enthusiasm of gardeners reaches a lower point in August than in any other month of the year.

Roses and Carnations are still among the most important flowers in the garden, and the majority of summer blooming annuals and perennial herbaceous plants are still flowerful.

It is somewhat depressing to observe how the beautiful race of Fuchsias has gone out of cultivation since it went out of fashion. I do not know quite when the Fuchsia was introduced into this country, but I believe it was about the middle of the eighteenth century. The Rev. William Hanbury, "Rector of Church Langton, in Leicestershire," in a two volume work in folio, entitled "A Complete Body of Gardening and Planting," published in 1771, of which I possess a copy, says that in his time only one species of Fuchsia was known. "This being the only species of the genus, it is named simply Fuchsia. Father Plumier calls it Fuchsia triphylla flore coccinea. It grows naturally in most of the warmest parts of America." Hanbury included it among stove plants, alleging that it is "very tender at all times," but as a matter of fact _F. coccinea_ can easily be grown in the open air in most districts of England, though it thrives best in the milder parts. The scarlet drops hanging from a tall bush of this plant--and it sometimes reaches a height of five or six feet, or even more--are very attractive, and one can but admire the taste of the humming birds which in its native home the Fuchsia seeks to attract.

Except near the sea and in certain warm situations, Fuchsias can hardly be regarded as thoroughly hardy plants; but, wherever they will succeed, they should certainly be grown, for they are amongst the most beautiful ornaments of the garden in late summer and autumn. Perhaps the hardiest of all is _F. Riccartoni_, with bright red flowers, but the old _F. globosa_ is almost its equal in vigour.

_F. macrostema gracilis_ is of taller and, as its name implies, of more slender habit than the other hardy kinds. It has the further advantage of producing its pretty scarlet and purple drops somewhat later in the autumn. A Fuchsia bush rarely looks shabby on account of dead and dying flowers, for, when their work is done, the petals usually fall before they have begun to wither.

I am sure that gardeners who study the native flora of England derive much more pleasure from their flowers than those who focus all their attention on the cultivated species and hybrids which are grown in gardens. The hedges and woodlands are full of examples and full of suggestions, for they show us the habit and manner of life of the English relatives of our exotic plants. By studying the wild species with their wonderful grace and simple beauty, indicative of adaptation of means to ends, we are less liable to become the slaves of the florists.

The hedges, or rather the wayside patches at the hedgerow's base, are very beautiful just at this season, with the yellow flowers of two of the Cinquefoils, the silky fern-like-leaved _Potentilla Anserina_ (Silver weed) and the creeping _P. reptans_. The Cinquefoil much resembles the Strawberry, producing its honey by means of a dark-coloured ridge which runs round the tube of the flower near its base. Its stamens and pistil however develop coincidently, whereas the stigmas of the Strawberry ripen long before the stamens, and consequently self-fertilisation is far more common than is the case with the latter.

It must have been the quinately leaved _P. reptans_ which was formerly in favor as a heraldic device. Folkard says that the number of the leaves answered to the five senses of man. The right to bear Cinquefoil was considered an honourable distinction to him who had worthily conquered his affections and mastered his senses.

Many species of Potentilla are valuable garden plants, from the little Alpine _P. nitida_, whose leaves shine more brilliantly than our Silver weed, to the showy _P. atrosanguinea_, and the hybrid varieties derived from it, which are the kinds usually seen in gardens. Among these hybrids are a number of single and double sorts, nearly all of which possess good colour--mostly ranging from yellow to scarlet.