Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers Part 24

The flowers are produced on forked stems, and are accompanied by finely-cut floral leaves, nearly sessile and palmate; the radical leaves are large, pedate, downy underneath, having long stalks, and remaining green throughout winter. The habit is to push the stout flower stems well up above the foliage, sometimes as high as 18in.; the flowers are very durable, at least the major parts--as the sepals--are, the stamens and petals falling somewhat sooner than those of most species; if different positions are given to a few specimens, flowers may be had from Christmas to Lent, according to amount of shelter or exposure therein obtained for the plants.

There are facts connected with this plant, as other than a garden subject, which can hardly fail to be generally interesting. "This is the Black h.e.l.lebore of the ancients," so that, though _H. niger_ bears the name and is known to be largely possessed of properties similar to those of the oriental species, it is proved to be wrongly applied. So much was claimed by ancient doctors for the Black h.e.l.lebore as a medicine in mania, epilepsy, dropsy, and other ills to which mortals are heirs, that naturally the true plant was sought with much zeal. Dr. Woodville laments the want of proper descriptions of plants and the consequences, and in his "Botany," p. 51, points out some ridiculous errors made in reference to the Black h.e.l.lebore previous to 1790; he gives the names of many plants which had been mistaken for it and actually employed, and he a.s.sumes that at the time of his writing all such errors had not only been discovered, but corrected, by what he then described as, and we now call by the name of, _H. niger_, being the true Black h.e.l.lebore; and after all, the potent herb of the ancients has been identified in a plant (a near relation, it is true) other than the white Christmas Rose--it may be some time before we come to think of our present subject as the true Black h.e.l.lebore, especially when an otherwise popular species bears the name.

Cultivation, as for _H. niger_.

Flowering period, December to April.

h.e.l.leborus Purpurascens.

PURPLISH h.e.l.lEBORE; _Nat. Ord._ RANUNCULACEae.

A native of Podolia and Hungary, introduced sixty to seventy years ago.

It belongs to the section whose flowers appear before the root leaves, having branched flower stalks and the cut floral leaf. It is a dwarf kind, and varies very much; I have now an established specimen in bloom at the height of 3in., and others at 8in. or 9in. It also differs in the depth of bloom-colour; some of its flowers may be described as purplish-green and others as greenish-purple, slaty and dove-coloured; others have a tinge of red more visible. The flowers are few, on twice-forked stems, are 2in. or more across, and commonly, as the name implies, of a purplish colour; the inner surface of the sepals is a slaty shade, the purple prevailing on the outer surface; the form of the flower is nearly round and slightly cupped, from the nearly round or kidney shaped sepals, which neatly overlap each other, and are also incurved at the edges; the petals are very short and green; the stamens and anthers of a creamy white; the floral leaf is nearly stalkless; segments unevenly toothed. The radical leaves are "p.u.b.escent on the under surface, palmate, with the segments cuneated at the base, and from three to five lobed at the apex." The habit is robust and free blooming; the flowers slightly droop, and, though the colours are not showy, they are attractive from the way in which they are borne on the straight stems and the absence of the larger leaves. It is a desirable species for the garden; a few specimens grown amongst a ma.s.s of the "winter aconite" are enough to make one forget that it is winter.

Cultivation, as for _H. niger_.

Flowering period, February to April.

Hepatica Angulosa.

_Nat. Ord._ RANUNCULACEae.

This is a very distinct species. It comes from North America, and is twice the size of _H. triloba_ in all its parts; the leaves are more cut, and very woolly; the flowers are bright mauve, and 1in. across.

All the Hepaticas are slow growers, but _H. angulosa_ is the more vigorous. Some say they should be grown in peat, but I never saw them so fine in peat as in strong loam, well drained and manured; they are the better with slight shade. I do not object to peat, as possibly it may be more suitable than the natural soil of some gardens. Still, if I had to make up a compost for Hepaticas, I should freely use strong loam on a well-drained site. With me they have been in flower nearly three months, commencing in February.

It seems desirable to increase these fine spring flowers, but they are most impatient of being disturbed, and, after all, the increase can exist in no finer form than in big clumps, though when they are to be propagated the roots should be divided before the new leaves are produced, which is during the blooming period. A deeply-dug and well-manured plot should be prepared for them, and their long roots should not be doubled up in the least; they both need and deserve great care.

Flowering period, February to April.

Hepatica Triloba.

_Syns._ ANEMONE TRILOBA _and_ ANEMONE HEPATICA; _Nat.

Ord._ RANUNCULACEae.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 50. HEPATICA TRILOBA.

(One-third natural size.)]

The well-known common Hepatica, of which there are so many beautiful varieties. It is a hardy perennial, one of the "old-fas.h.i.+oned" flowers of English gardens, and is said by some to be a British species; anyhow, it was well known and admired in this country 300 years ago.

Well-established specimens form neat tufts of three-lobed leaves on long stems, which are not evergreen in this climate, though the Hepaticas are known to be so in North America, one of their most extensive habitats.

Here, under cultivation, they produce much finer flowers, and more of them. The cut (Fig. 50), however, shows the foliage in more perfect form than it is commonly seen to be in this climate during the period of bloom, when the old is usually sered, and the new scarcely visible. The varieties of _H. triloba_ differ only in the colour and form of their flowers, there being blue, purple, white, and pink. Of the first and last named there are double varieties as well.

Cultivation, the same as for _H. angulosa_.

Flowering period, February to April.

_H. t. splendens_ is a charming Windflower, and one which, from its extra brilliancy, is sure to become a favourite, as, indeed, the whole genus _Anemone_ is. It is a new variety of _H. triloba_, and is yet somewhat scarce, differing from the more generally known kinds of the same species in only two points, so that, beyond the mention of them, no other description is needful: (1) Its flowers are single red, but so much deeper in colour, brighter, and of better substance, as to be quite distinct, and merit the name "_splendens_." (2) It flowers earlier than the commoner red kind. This handsome seedling of the common Hepatica is very suggestive of what can be done by raising seed from carefully-selected sorts, and within the last few years something has been done in that direction, so that in a little time we may expect to see other good varieties. I may add that seedlings are three years before they bloom, and even longer before a proper idea can be formed of their qualities.

Cultivation, the same as for _H. angulosa_.

Flowering period, February to March.

Hesperis Matronalis Flore-pleno.

DOUBLE SWEET ROCKET, _or_ DAMES' VIOLET; _Nat. Ord._ CRUCIFERae.

There are several double forms of this very popular old flower, such as purple, ruby, and pure white, the last named being by far the greatest favourite. A few years ago it was said to be very scarce, and in some parts of the country it certainly was so, but when the present taste for the good old flowers became general, it was not only found, but quickly propagated, so that now the double white Sweet Rocket may be had everywhere, and certainly no more beautiful flower can occupy the garden borders, its perfume being strong and deliciously fragrant. The parent plant of these double kinds is widely distributed over Europe; all are perfectly hardy.

They vary in height from 12in. to 18in., branching candelabra-like, the flowers being produced in terminal spikes, arranged in the way of, and very much resembling, the double stocks--in fact, the Hesperis used to be called "Queene's Gilloflower." The leaves may be briefly described as oval, lance-shaped, toothed, and veined; dark green, and often spotted or blotched. Gerarde's description, too, may be given, as it is always pleasant to recognise the old plants of 300 years ago: "Dames' Violets hath great large leaues of a darke greene colour, somewhat snipt about the edges; among which spring up stalks of the height of two cubites, set with such like leaves; the flowers come foorth at the toppe of the branches--like those of the Stock Gilloflower, of a verie sweete smell."

These desirable flowers have a long blooming period, and their cultivation is simple; there is, however, one special point to be observed, otherwise these double kinds will die off. It should be remembered that they produce no seed, and propagation must be carried out by divisions of the roots and cuttings; old plants, too, have a habit of forming their perennial crowns nearly out of the soil, so that the roots going down from them are often bare and unestablished; the older parts, too, are frequently attacked by ground vermin. No doubt these causes would tend greatly to the former scarcity of the finer kinds, but all the difficulties, if they can be called such, may be overcome by the very simple process of either putting in cuttings like wallflower slips during summer, or, as soon as the old plants are past their best bloom, dividing and replanting the various parts deeper, whereby all of them, however small, will make good plants the following season.

This mode of keeping up the stock will be found to make the plants vigorous and free blooming, and also will prove a remedy for the complaint so often given expression to in such words as "I lost all my double Sweet Rockets; I cannot keep them above two years."

Flowering period, June to August.

Heuchera.

ALUM-ROOT; _Nat. Ord._ SAXIFRAGACEae.

This is a small genus of hardy perennials suitable for the decoration of the English garden from their bold and finely-shaped leaves, which are well marked with various pleasing tints, also because of their perpetual verdure and neat habit. It takes its name from J. H. de Heucher, a botanist. The species, as many of them as are known, are from American habitats; nearly all have been introduced within the last sixty years; the well-known _H. Americana_, however, is an old plant in English gardens, having been cultivated for 223 years. The order, as given above, together with the ill.u.s.tration figuring one of the species (see Fig. 51), will give some idea of the usefulness of the genus, especially when it is remembered that in the depth of winter the foliage is fresh, and even in a growing state.

The flowers are of little value for ornamental purposes; they are very small and numerous, and are arranged in panicles or racemes, on rather tall and mostly leafless stems, round, and somewhat wiry; calyx, petals, and stamens have a mixed appearance, the whole flower being of a dingy colour, often resembling some of the panicled bloom of meadow gra.s.s, when seen at a short distance; the calyces, however, are persistent, they crown the capsules; these and the naked stems, from their durable nature, mar the beauty of the foliage for several weeks, unless cut off.

The plants are more ornamental without the flowers, as they impart a seedy appearance; at no time does the foliage show to more advantage than in January, when most herbaceous plants are dormant, and when their handsome tufts are alike beautiful, either bedewed with fogs, crystallised with h.o.a.r-frost, or glittering in the suns.h.i.+ne. As a genus, _Heuchera_ is sometimes placed after _Saxifraga_ and before that of _Tiarella_; the latter it much resembles, as well as the genera _Mitella_ and _Tellima_. Anyone knowing these will at once admit the usefulness of the plants under notice.

Not only do they make good edgings or lines to borders, but the leaves in a cut state are of great service for table decoration, doing duty repeatedly around dishes, &c., either with or without flowers; after being so used, if placed in water, they may be kept a fortnight in good form. I am told that the leaves are sold in Covent Garden Market for similar purposes. I have seen them used in the autumn with the large white anemone, and in winter with the Christmas rose, one flower arranged and tied on the face of a single leaf. These placed round dishes, &c., have a pretty effect.

They grow freely in any kind of soil, excepting stiff clay, and are readily increased by division of the crowns. This may be done any time, but, perhaps, spring is the best.