A SELECTION OF CANNAS.
| C. | Annei | C. | *elegantissima rustica | C. | peruviana purpurea |
| “ -discolor | Ferrandii | “ robusta | |||
| atronigricans | gigantea | *purpurea spectabilis | |||
| atropurpurea | grandiflora-floribunda | *Porteana | |||
| *Auguste Ferrier | iridiflora | *picturata-fastuosa | |||
| aurantiaca-splendida | “ -hybrida | “ -nana | |||
| aurantiaca-zebrina | “ -rubra | Pie IX. | |||
| *Amelia | insignis | Prémices-de-Nice | |||
| Barilletti | *Imperator | Rendatleri | |||
| Bihorelli | *Krelagei discolor | rotundifolia-metallica | |||
| Bonetti | Lavallei | “ -rubra | |||
| *Chatei-discolor | Liliiflora | Thibauti | |||
| “ -grandis | limbata | Van-Houttei | |||
| Député Hénon | macrophylla | zebrina-nana | |||
| discolor | musæfolia | “ -elegantissima | |||
| *excelsa-zebrina | maxima | ||||
| expansa | Maréchal-Vaillant | ||||
| “ -rubra | *nigricans |
*Cannabis sativus (Hemp-plant).—A well-known annual, native of India and Persia, and largely cultivated in Europe for the sake of its fibre. In ordinary situations it grows from 4 ft. to 10 ft. high, but in Italy, under very favourable circumstances, it sometimes grows as high as 20 ft. In plants growing singly the stem is frequently much branched, but when grown in masses it is generally straight and unbranched. The leaves are long-stalked, and composed of from five to seven long, lance-shaped, sharp-pointed leaflets, radiating from the top of the stalk, and with the margins cut into sharp saw-like teeth. This well-known plant is useful where the tenderer subtropical plants cannot be enjoyed. Single well-grown plants of it look very imposing and distinct, and are good for the backs of borders or mixed groups. For these purposes, it should be sown early in April in the open ground. To get large plants it would no doubt be worth while raising it in frames. It loves a warm, sandy loam.
*Carduuse riophorus (Woolly-headed Thistle).—A remarkably conspicuous native plant, with a much-branched, furrowed, hairy stem 3 ft. to 5 ft. high, and very deeply cut and undulated spiny leaves, the lower ones often 2 ft. long. The flower-heads are very large, of a purplish-red colour, and surrounded on the under side with a dense white cottony web. There are few plants more handsome or novel in appearance than an established one of this. It is suitable for borders, or groups of hardy fine-foliaged plants, and grows well in any ordinary garden-soil. Seed.
*Carex paniculata.—A very large sedge, growing somewhat like a dwarf tree-fern, with strong and thick stems, and with luxuriant masses of drooping leaves. The roots form dense elevated tufts, frequently elevated from one to three feet above the surface of the ground; and when the plant is in flower, it generally exhibits a large and spreading panicle. The leaves are rough and broad, and the flower-spike from 3 ins. to 6 ins. long. A few tufts of this are very effective on the margins of water near groups of picturesque plants. The finer specimens are of great age, and must be procured from the bogs where the plant occurs wild.
*Carex pendula.—A very handsome plant, unlike any of the other British Carices, growing in large round tufts, with numerous flowering-stems and barren shoots, which attain a height of from 3 ft. to 6 ft. The leaves are often 2 ft. or more in length, and are chiefly at the base of the plant. It is most attractive when in flower, from the graceful disposition of its pendent spikes, which are usually about half-a-dozen in number, and each from 4 ins. to 7 ins. in length. Very suitable for the margin of water or for boggy or moist spots.
*Carlina acaulis.—A hardy perennial, rather interesting from its foliage, which has some resemblance to the leaves of a miniature Acanthus, and is disposed in a broad, handsome, regular rosette very close to the ground. Its single yellowish flower, 3 ins. or more across, is borne on a very short, erect stalk in the centre of the rosette. Although too dwarf for association with plants of more imposing stature, it is well worthy of a place on a bank or slope, or on the margins of low beds or groups, where its pleasing aspect and very distinct habit will be
seen to best advantage. It thrives best in dry, stony, calcareous soil, and is easily multiplied by sowing. In the mountainous districts of France the flowers are gathered by the inhabitants, and used as a substitute for artichokes. Central Europe.
Carludovica palmata.—A very ornamental, palm-like plant, from 4 ft. to 7 ft. high, with rich dark-green leaves from 2 ft. to 3 ft. broad, and divided into four lobes, each of which is again divided at the apex into narrow segments. The leaf-stalks are round, smooth, and without spines, and are of the same colour as the leaves. This interesting plant will stand the open air in summer, from early June till October, but requires warm house treatment in winter, with plenty of water at all times. Seed. Peru and New Granada.
Caryota sobolifera.—An elegant Palm, with a slender stem and shining light-green bipinnate leaves. The leaf-stalks, when young, are clothed with a short, black, scaly tomentum, which falls off as the plant grows older. It is often confounded with C. urens, but may be easily distinguished from it by the suckers which it produces very freely from its base. Similar treatment and uses to those given for C. urens, with which it is of much the same value for the open garden. Malacca.
Caryota urens.—An East Indian Palm, with a stout stem, and an elegant crown of spreading bipinnate leaves, from 3 ft. to 12 ft., or more, in length, of a dark-green colour, the leaflets being 6 ins. to 9 ins. long by 2 ins. to 4 ins. wide. When young, it should be potted in equal parts of loam and vegetable mould, with a little sand; the pot to be well drained, and water given liberally during the growing season. It is generally seen in a small state in this country; and though it stands the open air in summer, from June till the end of September, pretty well, it can never be of much importance for our open-air gardening.
*Cassia marilandica.—A hardy, graceful perennial, 3½ ft. to 5 ft. high, with pinnate leaves, resembling those of the Acacia, and slender stems, bearing yellow flowers, in numerous small clusters in autumn. It is somewhat late in growth, but once commenced, grows with great rapidity. It thrives best in a position with a south aspect, and may be multiplied either by division in spring, or by sowing from April to June. It should always be planted in a warm, deep, sandy loam, and is very suitable for borders or association in groups with the finer hardy subjects, its graceful leaves qualifying it for a place in a group of hardy foliage-plants. In naturally warm, deep, and well-drained soils it will prove a noble subject for the back parts of borders. N. America.
*Centaurea babylonica.—Among the Centaureas there are a few subjects which might be used among hardy fine-leaved plants, but by far the most distinct and remarkable is the very silvery-leaved C. babylonica. This is quite hardy, and when planted in good ground, sends up strong shoots, clad with yellow flowers, to a height of 10 ft. or 12 ft. The bloom, which continues from July to September, is not by any means so attractive as the leaves; but the plant is at all times picturesque. In groups, or, still better, isolated, on rough or undulating parts of pleasure-grounds, it has a very fine effect. A free sandy loam suits it best. Seed. Levant.
Centaurea Clementei.—A plant of robust growth (resembling C. ragusina, but much larger in every part), with broad crowns of leaves, which are deeply serrated and cut into lobes. To the elegance of the foliage must be added its beauty of colouring, the leaf in a young state being covered with down as white as snow, and when fully matured and developed still retaining a silvery appearance. This plant, which I first saw in M. Boissier’s garden, near Lausanne, I have no experience of as a hardy plant in this country; but whatever its value in this respect may be, there can be no doubt that for the summer garden it will prove as effective as either C. gymnocarpa or C. ragusina, both exceptionally fine and useful plants. The same treatment will suit it.
Centaurea dealbata is a dwarf hardy species from the Caucasus, with elegant foliage, white underneath, and rosy flowers: suitable among dwarf hardy subjects.
Centaurea gymnocarpa.—A half-shrubby plant from the South of Europe, nearly 2 ft. high, with hard, branching, bushy stems, and elegantly cut, arching leaves, which are covered with a short, whitish-satiny down. A variety (C. plumosa) has the leaves much more divided, and not so white. This plant is somewhat hardier than C. ragusina, but both require greenhouse treatment in winter. Same soil, positions, and treatment as for C. ragusina. Useful as this is as an edging or bedding plant, it is when grown as fine single specimens that its beauty is most seen.
Centaurea ragusina.—This fine and distinct plant, which has lately become one of the most popular of our flower-garden ornaments, cannot be passed by in a book on fine-leaved plants. It is so abundantly used as a bedding and ribbon-plant, etc., that nothing need be said of it in these respects, but it will be seen to great advantage in single, well-grown tufts or small groups, as its silvery leaves would contrast finely with many of the dark green and glossy things recommended for this purpose. Readily increased by seeds, or by cuttings. Should be planted out in May. S. Europe.
Chamædorea.—A family of Mexican palms, with smooth, fine green stems, resembling those of the bamboos, seldom more than 15 ft. or 20 ft. high and 1 in. or 2 ins. thick, surmounted by tufts of eight or nine pinnate or almost entire leaves, nearly 8 ft. in length. Among the most ornamental species are C. elatior, C. elegans, and C. Ernesti-Augusti. These elegant palms may, with advantage, be placed in the open air in early summer, in sunny but sheltered nooks, and taken in at the end of September. Their small, elegant heads particularly fit them for placing here and there among groups of medium-sized, fine-leaved plants, or among mixed masses of dahlias, cannas, etc.
*Chamæpeuce diacantha.—A spiny-leaved biennial of remarkable habit, growing in tufts of six or eight stems, from 2 ft. to nearly 3 ft. high, which, in the following season, are terminated by dense, spike-like clusters of purplish blooms. It requires light, well-drained soil and a warm position, and should seldom be watered. As the stems are not produced until the second year, the radical rosettes of the first year may be advantageously used in forming edgings, or on the margins of groups, for which
their light-green, silver-veined leaves are very suitable, or they may serve to fill a vacant space in the mixed border. Multiplied by sowing in spring or autumn. The plants require the shelter of a house in winter, and are only effective for edgings in the young or rosette stage.
*Chamærops excelsa.—A hardy species, with an erect stem, 20 ft. or 30 ft. high in its native country, and dark-green, erect, fan-shaped leaves, deeply cut into narrow segments. The leaf-stalks are from 3 ft. to 6 ft. long, and are enclosed at the base in a dense mass of rough fibres, and armed at the edges with small, tooth-like spines. This plant remains out during the winter in the neighbourhood of Paris, in sheltered positions, the stem being protected in severe frosts with a covering of straw, etc., and it is worth a trial in the south with us.
*Chamærops Fortunei (The Chusan Palm).—This species is often confounded with C. excelsa, from which, however, it differs in being of a stouter habit, having a more profuse matted network of fibres around the bases of the leaves and crown, the segments of the leaves much broader, and the leaf-stalks shorter and stouter, from 1 ft. to 2 ft. long, and quite unarmed. It grows 12 ft. or more in height, and has a handsome, spreading head of fan-like leaves, which are slit into segments about half-way down.
It may not be generally known that this palm is perfectly hardy in this country. A plant of it in Her Majesty’s gardens at Osborne has stood out for many winters and attained a considerable height. It is also placed out at Kew, though protected in winter. On the water-side of the high mound in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent’s Park, it is in even better health than at Kew, though it has not had any protection for years, and stood the fearfully hard frost of 1860. If small plants of this are procured, it is better to grow them on freely for a year or two in the greenhouse, and then turn them out in April, spreading the roots a little and giving them a deep loamy soil. Plant in a sheltered place, so that the leaves may not be injured by winds when they grow up and get large. A gentle hollow, or among shrubs on the sides of some sheltered glade, will prove the best place for it. The establishment of a palm among our somewhat monotonous shrubbery and garden vegetation is surely worthy of a little trouble, and the precautions indicated will prove quite sufficient.
Chamærops Palmetto (Palmetto Palm).—This is a rather slow-growing species, but valuable on account of its hardiness. It grows to a height of about 15 ft., and has glaucous or sea-green, fan-shaped leaves, divided into long narrow segments. The stem is smooth or without prickles. It is a very fine object when planted out; and, grown in tubs in a cool house or conservatory, stands the open air in summer well, and should be put out at the end of May.
*Chenopodium Atriplicis.—A vigorous-growing Chinese annual, with an angular, erect, slightly branched, reddish stem, over 3 ft. in height, the young shoots and leaves covered with a fine rosy violet powder. The leaves are very numerous, nearly spoon-shaped, and long-stalked. This plant is very ornamental in foliage, and well adapted for planting on grass-plats or grouping with
other plants in pleasure-grounds. May be treated as a half-hardy annual.
Cineraria maritima.—A very handsome bushy perennial, with finely-cut leaves, covered on the under side with a silvery down. It bears numerous heads of bright yellow flowers in summer. When the effect of its foliage only is desired, the flowering-stems should be pinched off on their first appearance. The plant then becomes more leafy and more branching. Multiplied easily by seeds. Useful on the margins of shrubberies, or isolated on banks, or on the grass of the pleasure-ground, where it would form an agreeable variety among the Acanthuses and various other dark-green subjects recommended for this purpose.
Cineraria Acanthifolia is a fine variety of the preceding, and well worthy of cultivation.
Cladium Mariscus.—This vigorous native fen-plant grows from 2 ft. to 6 ft. high, and, when in flower, is crowned with dense, close, chestnut-coloured panicles, which are sometimes 3 ft. in length. The radical leaves are glaucous, rigid, and often 4 ft. long. Worthy of a place near such subjects as Carex pendula or the Typhas on the margin of water.
Colea Commersonii.—A shrub from Madagascar, with very large opposite leaves, each consisting of pairs of oval-obtuse leaflets. This has been used in the subtropical garden at Battersea Park, but it is not likely to be of any practical importance in our outdoor gardening. Indeed it must be a very fine plant in this way which would produce so good an effect as young plants of Ailantus glandulosa.
*Comptonia asplenifolia.—This is a quaint-looking little shrub, fern-like in leaf and neat in habit. The leaves are long, and cut into numerous rounded lobes, somewhat like those of the Ceterach; and the habit of the shrub is spreading and pleasing. It likes peaty soil, and may be increased by layers, suckers, or seeds. It should be used as an isolated specimen on the grass, or associated with such things as the oak-leaved Hydrangea and Aralia japonica. A very pretty object in the woods of New Jersey and many other parts of N. America, where it is called the Sweet Fern. It would be peculiarly appropriate for similar positions in this country, when we have it plentiful enough to naturalise.
Cordyline indivisa.—A magnificent New Zealand plant, with a simple stem, from 2 ft. to 5 ft. high, and well distinguished by its excessively thick and leathery leaves, which are from 1 ft. to 5 ft. long, and 4 or 5 inches broad, lance-shaped, of a dark shining green colour, the midrib and veins being of a rich deep orange. The flowers are white, and very densely crowded, in a large drooping panicle. This fine greenhouse plant may be placed out of doors in summer, from the end of May till October, with a very good effect; best, perhaps, as an isolated specimen, the pot being sunk in the grass.
Corypha australis.—A noble Australian palm, over 30 ft. high in its native country, and forming a very effective subject for the subtropical garden in summer, from June till October. The leaves are nearly circular, often more than 5 ft. broad, of a dark green colour, very much plaited, and divided round the edge into narrow segments, and supported by spiny leaf-stalks, from 6½ ft. to nearly 10 ft. long. It requires abundance of water, and should have a warm, sunny, and sheltered position. Few places, however, can afford to have subjects of this character in the open air, except where there are large conservatories, in which it is a relief to get more room in summer.
*Crambe cordifolia.—This is unquestionably one of the finest of perfectly hardy and large-leaved herbaceous plants. It is as easily grown as the common Seakale—more easily, if anything; and in heavy rich ground makes a splendid head of leaves, surmounted in summer by a dense spray of very small flowers. In planting it, the deeper and richer the soil the finer the result. It will prove a capital thing for any group of fine-leaved hardy plants, and may also be planted wherever a bold though low type of vegetation is desired.
There is another species, *C. juncea, a dwarf kind, with white flowers and much-branched stems, the ramifications of which are very slender and elegant. This is also effective, but not so valuable as C. cordifolia.
*Cucurbita perennis.—A climbing or trailing plant, well adapted for covering walls, ruins, trellises, steep slopes, etc. It is a very vigorous grower, its stems sometimes attaining a length of nearly 40 ft. in one year; but it will probably never do this in our climate. The leaves are strong, rough, and of a glaucous colour; and the shoots run about freely if the plant be in very rich soil. Where a bold trailing plant for high trellis-work, or rough banks, or shaggy rockwork is desired, it will be found useful; but withal we cannot give it a place in the front rank, and the small select garden without any of the above-mentioned appendages will certainly be better without it. For the botanical garden and curious collections it is indispensable. It is strong and lasting when well established, and may be allowed to trail over rough places, stumps, or similar positions. The flowers have a rather strong odour of violets, and are succeeded by roundish fruit, the size of a small orange, of a deep green colour barred and speckled with white. Requires a deep, light soil, and a warm but airy position. Seedlings and plants in exposed places should be covered in winter with litter or leaves. It is easily multiplied in spring by division of the young tuberous stems, or by sowing in light, substantial, well-drained soil from April to July, or in pots in a lukewarm hotbed in March and April. It has not, so far as I am aware, fruited in our climate.
Cyathea dealbata.—This very handsome fern, known in N. Zealand as the Silver Tree-fern, has a slender, branched, almost black stem, 4 ft. to 8 ft. high, ending in a fine crown of broadly-oblong twice-divided fronds of a dark green colour above and milk-white below; the rachis and midribs when young are covered with brown scales, and afterwards with pale deciduous down. This plant may be placed in the open air, in the southern and milder districts, during the summer months from the end of May till the end of September.
Cycas revoluta.—A graceful and well-known plant, with a very stout stem, sometimes, though rarely, reaching a height of from 6 ft. to 10 ft. from the top of which issues a beautiful crown of dark green pinnate
leaves, from 2 ft. to 6 ft. long. It is one of the most valuable of the greenhouse plants that may be placed in the open air in summer from the end of May till October, and is particularly graceful in the centre of a bed of flowering plants, or isolated with the pot or tub plunged to the rim in the turf, always in a warm and sheltered position. Increased by seeds, or by separation of the suckers which are occasionally thrown up.
*Cynara Scolymus (French Artichoke).—This plant, although chiefly grown for culinary purposes, possesses sufficient merit as a foliage-plant to entitle it to a place amongst ornamental subjects. Its long, deeply-divided leaves, white and downy beneath, its height (4 ft. to 5 ft.), its purplish flower-heads, and distinct habit render it very suitable for planting on the irregular and rougher parts of pleasure-grounds, grass-plats, etc., which are often occupied by subjects far less striking.
*Cyperus longus (Galingale).—The stiff, erect, tapering, triangular stem of this plant, which is from 2 ft. to 3 ft. high, is crowned by a handsome loose umbellate panicle of chestnut-coloured flower-spikes, at the base of which there is an involucrum of three or more unequal leaves. These are often 1 or 2 feet long, the lower ones arching gracefully and of a bright shining green, giving the plant a very distinct and pleasing appearance. The rootstock is thick and aromatic, and was formerly much used in medicine as a tonic. A rare native plant, suitable for the bog-bed or the margin of water.
Dahlia imperialis (Lily-flowered Dahlia).—The common Dahlia gives us no more idea of this than the little vernal Scilla of Britain does of Scilla peruviana. The Imperial Dahlia has very large and graceful, much divided leaves, and flowers of a pure and beautiful French white, thrown up in a great cone-like mass, and resembling such lilies as L. tigrinum Fortunei, which, instead of merely developing a head of flowers, shoot up a great candelabrum laden with them. The flowers of this dahlia do not, like most of the flowers of composite plants, open so wide as to stare at you with the brazen look of a sunflower, but, on the contrary, hang pendulous and half open, with some of the modesty of the white lily. There is little chance of this species producing its flowers in the open air in this country, but it will, notwithstanding, be of service both in the flower-garden and conservatory.
Planted in rich soil, and placed in a warm, sheltered position in the open air at the end of May, it grows well with us in summer, and, in consequence of its large and graceful leaves, is an ornament worthy of being used as a “fine-foliaged” or “subtropical” plant. Just at the time that it begins to gather together its flowering energies the best of our season fails, and the plant must soon fail too, if not immediately taken up and placed in a well-lighted and warm greenhouse. If plunged out in a large pot or tub during the summer, it may be taken up without injury, and will in all probability flower under glass in the autumn, and prove a magnificent ornament. We should have very small hopes of its flowering well if planted out so that its great roots must be mutilated when being taken up, and therefore the safe way will be to pot it in a very large pot, and plunge that in the ground. The roots would probably go through the pot and enter the ground, but the main mass of them could be taken up without disturbance,
and then it could if necessary be shifted into a larger pot or small tub.
*Datisca cannabina.—A distinct and gracefully-habited herbaceous plant from 4 ft. to 6 ft. high. The long stems are clothed with large and handsome pinnate leaves, and the yellowish-green inflorescence appears towards the end of summer. The male plant has long been known as a very strong, graceful, and effective herb. The female plant, however, remains green much longer than the male, and when profusely laden with fruit, each shoot droops and the whole plant improves in aspect. It should not be forgotten in any selection of hardy plants of free growth and imposing aspect. From seed will probably be found the best way to raise it, and then one would be pretty sure of securing plants of both sexes.
Dicksonia antarctica.—A very noble evergreen tree-fern, with a stout trunk, which varies considerably in thickness, and attains a height of 30 ft. or more. The fronds, which form a magnificent crown 20 ft. or 30 ft. across, are lance-shaped, much divided, of a shining dark green on the upper surface, and paler underneath, from 6 ft. to 20 ft. long, beautifully arched, and becoming pendulous with age. Perhaps the hardiest of tree-ferns, and therefore most suitable for placing in the open air in summer in sheltered shady dells, from the middle of May to the beginning of October.
*Dicentra (Dielytra) eximia.—A plant with dense and very graceful foliage, far more so than any other member of the order in cultivation; and valuable as a flowering plant too, as the brightly-coloured flowers remain on for a long time in spring and early summer. It generally grows from 12 ins. to 16 ins. high, forming thick, almost pyramidal, tufts of pale green, glaucescent, deeply-divided leaves, and bearing handsome drooping clusters of large, rose-coloured flowers, often flowering twice in the year. Although not absolutely necessary, it will be all the better to plant it in light soil. Multiplied by division of the tufts in spring. It should be associated with dwarf subjects like Thalictrum minus, or be used on the margins of mixed beds of fine-leaved hardy plants.
*Dimorphanthus mandschuricus.—A magnificent hardy shrub of erect habit, with very large, much-divided, spiny leaves, which very much resemble those of the Angelica-tree of North America, and in this country attaining a height of 6 ft. to 10 ft., which it will probably much exceed when well established in favourable positions. It is certainly the most remarkable fine-foliage shrub that has been introduced into our gardens for years, and is therefore of the highest importance for the subtropical garden. As to its treatment, it seems to thrive with the greatest vigour in a well-drained deep loam, and would grow well in ordinary garden soil. As to position, isolation in some sheltered but sunny spot will show it to great advantage; but it may also be grouped with like subjects, always allowing space for the spread of its great leaves.
*Dipsacus sylvestris.—A rather singular-looking hardy native plant, 5 ft. to 6 ft. high, with a prickly, leafy, branching stem, and longish opposite leaves joined together at their bases. The flowers are of a pretty purplish rose-colour, and are borne in conical heads 3 ins.
or more in length. Suited for the embellishment of rough, uneven ground, and will grow well in almost any kind of soil. Still more desirable than the foregoing is D. laciniatus; a native of France, the leaves of which are fringed with silky hairs instead of spines, and which has always whitish flowers. Both these plants are biennials, and are easily raised from seed.