Geranium – Cranesbill, Herb Robert The plants, usually called Geraniums, are really Pelargoniums and do not come within the scope of this book. The true Geraniums are hardy perennials growing 12 inches to 18 inches tall. They range in color from lilac to rosy-purple. The most commonly cultivated species, Geranium sanguineum, has purple-crimson flowers producing a profusion of flowers through […]

Dictamnus – Gas Plant, Burning Bush, Dittany The Gas Plant is surely one of our most interesting plants. The glossy, leathery leaves are dark green and retain their deep color until late in Fall. The white, pink and purplish-brown flowers are borne on spikes 2 feet to 3 feet high. Both the foliage and flowers are fragrant and when the […]

Doronicum – Leopard’s Bane The Leopard’s Bane is one of the few hardy plants which blossom very early in the Spring and continues into the Autumn. It grows about 2 feet high and has broad, oblong leaves of a rich, soft green color which appear with the first signs of Spring. The single flowers are produced on long, stiff stems […]

Grasses, Ornamental Arrhenatherum bulbosum variegatum A dwarf, decorative grass of tufted habit growing only 8 inches high. The green and white leaves retain their clear color throughout ‘ the season. It is used where a white edging or border is desired. Arundo Donax-Giant Reed This is the tallest of the ornamental grasses, sometimes growing in rich, deep soil to a […]

Heather – Heath The American finds it almost unholy to write of Heather because his remarks may be read by a Scotchman who might wonder by what right an American obtained permission to discuss these bonny plants. There are a number of sorts of Heathers which may be grown in the northern United States, but many of the European sorts […]

Edelweiss Everyone knows of the fame of the small Edelweiss of the Alps and every tourist who travels through Switzerland learns the mysterious story of how they grow under overhanging cliff’s which means the risk of life when one wishes to get them. But ideal plants can be grown in our own gardens just as easily as any other plant. […]

Epimedium – Bishop’s Hat, Barrenwort After reading the description of the Epimedium by Miss M. R. Case in “Horticulture,” we have decided to abandon all hopes of describing this dainty flower in our own crude words. She writes: “Blossoming under a great Oak, where Maidenhair and Dicksonia ferns grow to perfection, is a dainty herb from Japan known as the […]

  Thalictrum – Meadow Rue, Feathered Columbine These graceful, feathery flowers add an airy appearance to the border of perennials. The leaves are fine and resemble the foliage of the Columbine. Some sorts arc natives of our woods, but the cultivated species are superior in the size of their plumy heads. SPECIES. Thalictrum aquilegifolium. White flowers, June, 3 feet tall. […]

Eryngium – Sea Holly, Ivory Thistle This is a prickly plant in every feature-the leaves are prickly, the flower heads are surrounded by spreading, prickly floral bracts and the flower head itself is like a small Teazle. The beauty of this plant depends upon the blue-gray effect which it presents. They grow to a height of 3 feet and bloom […]

The form of the Daisy is admired by all, so that it is strange that more persons do not grow the lovely Daisies known as Pyrethrums. The flowers are bright in color and are borne on long stems. They might be called Spring Chrysanthemums, for they bloom principally in June. Many of the sorts are attractively doubled. The colors range […]