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Some Novelties of Merit
Basket of Gold Alyssum saxatile compactum, or basket of gold, is a well-known and popular perennial for the rock garden and for the herbaceous border. Its intense, vivid, mustard-yellow flowers are borne in such profusion that if it is used in large masses it is almost overpowering and is something of which one soon wearies. A vast improvement on this older type are the varieties bearing flowers of delicate primrose-yellow. Silver Queen, which has lately been introduced from England, is especially desirable. A few nurseries in America already list the plants and one of the well-known English seed firms is now offering seed which will put this choice variety within easy reach of all gardeners who desire it. Incidentally Alyssum saxatile compactum is one of the easiest of all perennials to raise from seed, and it is to be hoped that the new variety has inherited this happy characteristic from its parent. Alyssum saxatile citrinum is another recent introduction, also bearing pale yellow flowers.
Anchusa myosotidiflora This new and most delightful little forget-me-not-flowered anchusa has come to us from far-away Russia and has received a hearty welcome on the part of American gardeners. It has much to commend it. It is a hardy perennial of dwarf habit, reaching a height of about one foot. The leaves are large, of a deep, cool green, in shape resembling the leaf of a wild violet. The abundant flowers are of a clear forget-me-not blue--a blue so welcome in our spring gardens--and they resemble the bloom of the forget-me-not in form as well as in color.
This new anchusa is an adaptable little flower. It is perfectly at home in the open border or in the rock garden, and seems to thrive equally well in either full sun or partial shade.
Anemone vernalis One of the loveliest alpines of recent introduction is this variety called "lady of the snow." The large, pure white flowers, flushed with tints of lavender on the outer side of the petals, bloom very early in the spring. The plants prefer a rich, woody soil and a sunny location and when well established they give much joy and very little anxiety. The small tufts of leaves, growing very close to the ground, stay green nearly all winter and offer tempting tidbits for hungry rabbits, so that it is well to be on guard and to provide some rabbit-proof protection about the plants. One should not let a lovely stranger from foreign lands suffer the indignity of being eaten by an American rabbit!
Chinese Forget-me-not (Cynoglossum amabile) A little-known but delightful annual is this flower, which so closely resembles the forget-me-not in both color and form. For best results the seed should be sown indoors in February or early March and the seedlings later transplanted to the garden. It can, however, be sown in the open ground where the plants are to flower. The plants are of vigorous growth, reaching a height of about eighteen inches, and are of the easiest possible culture, having no particular preferences for soil or location. From midsummer until frost they give lavish bloom. The flowers are particularly useful for cutting as they last well in water and combine agreeably with other blossoms. When the merits of this stranger--which has come to us from far-away China--have become more widely known, it will undoubtedly become one of the most popular of our annuals. In mild climates it may be greeted as a biennial. The Heavenly Blue Morning-glory (Ipomoea rubro-caerulea) Such a marvelous color as it is! No words can describe the quality of its blue. It is breath-taking when first one comes upon it, so intense, yet so exquisite!
The seeds of the heavenly blue morning-glory should preferably be sown under glass early in the spring and planted out when the weather permits. They may, however, be sown directly in the garden where they are to flower, although their bloom will be considerably delayed. They prefer a hot, sunny exposure and plenty of freedom; they resent being crowded in with masses of other vines. And surely in every garden there is some bit of latticework where a little space can be spared to them. If one cannot offer them anything in the way of a trellis, one can at least train them up somewhere on strings, if it be but over the back porch. But have them one should, in order to know the joy of coming out early some summer morning to discover the first ecstatic bloom! Purple Petunias I think that if a gardener were being psychoanalyzed according to the Freudian method, he would, upon being given the word "petunia," immediately say "magenta." Somehow these two are very closely associated in the mind, and in order to avoid magenta one usually endeavors to avoid petunias. Some of our clever hybridizers, however, realizing the possibilities in these much maligned flowers, have been busy with them of late years and have given us great, ruffled beauties, and other types with wonderfully fine colorings. Perhaps the best of all are the purple petunias, so perfect in coloring, so velvety in texture, so lovely in form!
The flowers do not always come true from seed, some being blotched and streaked with white or of rusty hue, so that it is best to purchase young plants in the spring from some reliable nurseryman or florist. Plants so purchased have usually been propagated from cuttings and are of absolutely true color.
For garden beds and borders and for porch and window boxes these purple petunias offer valuable possibilities.
Sweet Cicely The Myrrhis odorata of English gardens is very little known in this country. It is a stately flower with finely cut, fern-like foliage of delicate green. It forms a most attractive background for early spring bulbs, and as it grows in either full sun or partial shade it is useful also for planting in the foreground of shrubbery groups.
It flowers in May, bearing panicles of cream-white blossoms. If the full-grown leaves are removed after the plant has blossomed, young, vigorous growth will come up which will remain fresh for the balance of the season. The plants are very hardy and when well established they will prove a delightful addition to any garden.
Viola cornuta (Jersey Gem) is one of the hybrids of the true horned violas and was introduced several years ago by a well-known nursery. It attained instant popularity and has become one of the most beloved of all the violas. The faintly scented flowers of pure, rich violet are borne on stems about six inches long, and if the fading blooms are removed the plants will flower almost continuously from May until early autumn. The plants are of vigorous growth and thrive well in any good garden soil, preferring a sunny position. They are particularly suitable for edgings and are delightful also when used in small clumps near the front of the border. Jaunty and appealing, these little violas have already made many friends among the gardeners of America.