Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers Part 48

The beautiful variegated form of the well-known "Meadowsweet," other old names being "Mead-sweet," and "Queen of the Meadows." The typical form, at least, needs no description, it being one of the commonest and most appreciated plants of the British flora. This variety, however, is less known; it differs only as regards the markings of the foliage. When the crimped leaves are young, the broad golden patches are very effective, and when the plants are fully grown, the markings of the older foliage become lighter coloured, but not less rich. Of the value of this as a "fine foliage" plant there can be no doubt; it is very telling, and always admired. As regards its flowers, they ought not to be allowed to develope. I only mention this subject for the sake of its beautifully coloured leaves.

Requirements: Ordinary garden loam, in a moist situation; propagated by root divisions during autumn.

Flowering period, May to August.

Spiraea Venusta.

QUEEN OF THE PRAIRIE; _Nat. Ord._ ROSACEae.

A comparatively new species of the herbaceous section, from North America. In good deep loam it grows to the height of 3ft. or more.

The flowers are of a soft red, after the manner of those of _S.

palmata_, but rather differently arranged, viz., in cl.u.s.tered sprays or cymes, which bend outwards; they are durable and very effective, even when seen at some distance in the garden, whilst for cutting they are flowers of first-cla.s.s merit; the leaves are large, somewhat coa.r.s.e, pinnate, segments sharply lobed and irregularly serrated.

I find this plant to flower indifferently under the shade of trees, but in a fully exposed situation, planted in a deep retentive loam, it thrives and flowers well. It is perfectly hardy, and easily propagated by division during autumn.

Flowering period, June to August.

Statice Latifolia.

BROAD-LEAVED SEA-LAVENDER; _Nat. Ord._ PLUMBAGINACEae.

This hardy perennial is all but evergreen in this climate. Probably there are two varieties of it, as although the plants in growth and form correspond, there is a notable difference in the habit of some specimens, as regards the greenness of the foliage in winter; whilst one shrivels and blackens the other will remain more or less green. It is possible that the native countries from which they come may have something to do with this fact. The species was introduced from Portugal in 1740, and again from Siberia in 1791. It need not be wondered at if the variety from the northern habitat proved the more verdant, notwithstanding its becoming acclimatised. Its lofty and diffuse panicles are ornamental and lasting; it is a subject which may be grown in almost any part of the garden, and hardly seem misplaced, notwithstanding its height of 3ft., because only the slender stems, furnished with their minute flowers, rise above the ground, and from the cloud-like effects more dwarf flowers can be easily seen, even when behind them. In many such cases, therefore, this gauzy-flowered Sea-lavender proves of advantage.

The bloom is lilac-coloured, each flower being very small. The stout scape at a short distance above the ground becomes much branched; the branchlets, as already indicated, are slender, and furnished with the soft blue bloom. The leaves are radical, and arranged in somewhat rosette form, and for the most part prostrate; many of them are quite a foot long and 5in. broad, or long egg-shaped; they are wavy, of leathery substance, and a dark shining green colour.

Of all the genus, this is, perhaps, the most useful of the hardy species. Either in a growing or cut state, the flowers are much admired; cut, they need not be placed in water; and for a year, until the plant yields fresh supplies, they will remain presentable and even bright. Its culture is simple, though there are positions where I have found it to simply exist, viz., on rockwork, unless it was given a part where moisture would be abundant about the roots, in search of which its long woody roots go deeply; if planted in deep loam of a light nature, there will be little fear as to its thriving, but if well manured and mulched, specimens would grow to nearly double size. Propagated by root division.

But often the crowns are all on one stout root, and then it is not a safe or ready operation; still, with a sharp knife, the woody root may be split its whole length--this should be done in spring, when the divisions can begin to grow at once. Another and safer plan would be to divide the root for an inch or more from the crowns downwards, insert a few pebbles to keep the parts open, and put back the specimen in freshly dug earth, where, during a season of growth, the cut parts would produce vigorous roots.

Flowering period, August to October.

Statice Profusa.

PROFUSE SEA-LAVENDER; _Nat. Ord._ PLUMBAGINACEae.

A hybrid hardy form, not to be confounded with the hairy-leaved and tender kind commonly grown under gla.s.s, which has the same name. All the Sea-lavenders are profuse blooming, but the one now under notice is more especially so, as may be seen by the ill.u.s.tration (Fig. 100). The seed of this genus is prolific in varieties, and, although the name of this variety, or even the plant, may not be generally known, and the parentage, perhaps, untraceable, it appeared to such advantage, when grown by the side of such species as _S. bellidifolia_, _S. echioides_, _S. gmelina_, _S. incana_, _S. latifolia_, _S. sereptana_, _S.

speciosa_, _S. tatarica_, _S. tormentilla_, _S. virgata_, _and_ _S.

Wildenovi_, that I considered it worth a short description, more especially as the object of this book is to speak of subjects with telling flowers or attractive forms. It is well known that the Statices have insignificant blossoms, taken individually, though, from their great profusion, they have a singular beauty. The variety now under notice, at the height of 2ft., developed a well branched panicle about the latter end of August; gradually the minute flowers expanded, when, in the middle of September, they became extremely fine, the smaller stems being as fine as horsehair, evenly disposed, and rigid; the head being globular, and supported by a single stem.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 100. STATICE PROFUSA.

(One-tenth natural size.)]

The flowers are of a lively lilac, having a brownish or snuff-coloured spiked calyx, the effect being far prettier than the description would lead one to imagine. The leaves are radical, 6in. to 8in. long, oval, or somewhat spathulate, waved, leathery, shining and dark green, the outer ones prostrate, the whole being arranged in lax rosette form.

The flowers are very durable, either cut or in the growing state; they may be used to advantage with dried gra.s.ses, ferns, and "everlastings;"

or the whole head, when cut, is a good subst.i.tute for gold-paper clippings in an unused fire grate; our people have so used one for two years, and it has still a fresh appearance. It needs no words of mine to explain that such a plant as is represented by the ill.u.s.tration will prove highly decorative in any part of the flower garden. There is nothing special about the culture of the genus. All the Sea-lavenders do well in sandy loam, enriched with stable manure. Some sorts, the present one included, are not very readily propagated, as the crowns are not on separate pieces of root, but often crowded on a woody caudex. I have, however, sometimes split the long root with a sharp knife, and made good plants; this should only be done in spring, when growth can start at once.

Flowering period, August to frosts.

Stenactis Speciosus.

_Syn._ ERIGERON SPECIOSUS; SHOWY FLEABANE; _Nat. Ord._ COMPOSITae.

This has not long been cultivated in this country; but though a native of the warm climate of California, it proves to be one of the most hardy of herbaceous perennials; it begins to flower in early summer, but August is the heyday of its showiness, and it continues at least a month longer. Its more recent name, _Stenactis_, is, according to Paxton, a happy and appropriate derivation, and tends much to explain the form of flower, "_Stene_, narrow, and _aktin_, a sunbeam, from the narrow and sunlike rays of the expanded flower." It belongs to a genus of "old-fashioned" flowers, which, moreover, is that of the most modern fashion in flowers. As a garden plant it is not only effective, but one of that cla.s.s which will put up with the most offhand treatment; tenacious of life, neither particular as to soil nor position, constant in fair and foul weather, and doing duty alike in town or suburban garden, these qualities go to make it a worthy subject. Whilst it is nearly related to, and much resembles, the starworts or Michaelmas daises, it far exceeds in beauty the best of them, with only a third of their ungainly length of stem.

The flowers are fully two inches across, of a light purple colour; the disk is somewhat large and of a greenish yellow; the florets of the ray are numerous, full, narrow, and slightly uneven at their points, giving the otherwise dense ray a feathery appearance. These large flowers are produced in bunches of six or ten on each branch, at the height of about eighteen inches; there are many stems, and each one is well branched, the species being very floriferous; the leaves are herb-like, lance-shaped, pointed, amplexicaul, and smooth; root-leaves spathulate.

This plant needs no cultural care; its only requirements are a place in the garden and some one to appropriate its beaming crop of flowers, which cannot fail to be serviceable. As a border plant, among suitable companions, bold clumps are fine, especially when seen by twilight; in lines, too, it may be profitably used. Propagated by division of the roots at any time.

Flowering period, June to September.

Stokesia Cyanea.

JASPER-BLUE STOKESIA, _or_ STOKES' ASTER; _Nat. Ord._ COMPOSITae.

This handsome, hardy, herbaceous perennial was brought from Carolina in the year 1766. It is the only species known of the genus, and was named after Jonathan Stokes, M.D., who a.s.sisted Withering, the botanist, in his arrangement of British plants. The order which includes it is a very extensive one, and it may be useful to add that it belongs to the sub-order _Carduaceae_, or the Thistle family. The mention of this relationship may not help our subject much in the estimation of the reader, but it must be borne in mind that in plant families as well as others, there are individual members that often contrast rather than compare with their relatives, and so it is in the Thistle family, for it embraces the gay Doronic.u.ms, silky Gnaphaliums, shining Arnica, and n.o.ble Stobaea and Echinops. But the relationship will, perhaps, be better understood when it is stated that as a sub-order the _Carduaceae_ stand side by side with that of the _Asteraceae_, which includes so many well-known and favourite flowers. Let me now ask the reader to glance at the ill.u.s.tration (Fig. 101), and he will, I think, see marks of affinity with both the thistle and the aster; the few th.o.r.n.y teeth at the base of the larger leaves, and the spines on the smaller divisions of the imbricate calyx, are clearly features of the former, whilst the general form of the plant and flowers are not unlike the aster.

Of all herbaceous plants, this is one of the latest to bloom; in favourable situations it will begin in October, but often not until November and December in northern parts of the country; and, I hardly need add, unless severe frosts hold off, it will be cut down before its buds expand. There is much uncertainty about its flowering, when planted in the ordinary way, so that, fine as its flowers are, the plant would scarcely be worth a place in our gardens, if there were no means by which such uncertainty could be at least minimised; and were it not a fact that this plant may be bloomed by a little special treatment, which it justly merits, it would not have been introduced in this book, much less ill.u.s.trated. The plant itself is very hardy, enduring keen frosts without apparent damage, and the bloom is also durable, either cut or on the plant.

I scarcely need further describe the flowers, as the form is a very common one. It has, however, a very ample bract, which supports a large imbricate calyx, the members of which have stiff bristle-like hairs.

Each flower will be 2in. to 3in. across, and of a fine blue colour. The leaves are arranged on stout round stems, 18in. high, being from 2in. to 6in. long, somewhat lobed and toothed at the base, the teeth rather spiny; their shape varies very much, but generally they are lance-shaped, concave, often waved at the edges, and otherwise contorted. The foliage is more thickly furnished at the upper part of the plant, it has a glaucous hue, is of good substance, smooth and shining, like many of the gentians. It will, therefore, be seen that this is far from a weedy-looking subject, and throughout the season has a tidy and shrub-like appearance, but it grows top-heavy, and, unless supported, is liable to be snapped off at the ground line by high winds.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 101. STOKESIA CYANEA.

(One-sixth natural size.)]

In order to get it to bloom before the frosts cut it, the soil and situation should be carefully selected; the former cannot be too sandy if enriched with manure, whilst cold, stiff soil is quite unsuited to it. The position should not only have the sunniest possible aspect, but be at the base of a wall that will ward off the more cutting winds. In such snug quarters many things may be had in bloom earlier, and others kept in flower through the winter, as violets; whilst fuchsias, crinums, African and Belladonna lilies, and similar roots, that would perish in more exposed parts, will live from year to year in such situations.