Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers

Perennials and Old Fashioned
Flowers, by John Wood

Project Gutenberg's Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers, by
John Wood This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost
and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it
away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers Describing the
Most Desirable Plants, for Borders, Rockeries, and Shrubberies.
Author: John Wood
Release Date: July 26, 2006 [EBook #18913]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARDY
PERENNIALS ***

Produced by Paul Murray, Janet Blenkinship and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Illustration: A CORNER OF THE AUTHOR'S GARDEN AT
KIRKSTALL.]

HARDY PERENNIALS
AND
Old-Fashioned Garden Flowers:
DESCRIBING
THE MOST DESIRABLE PLANTS FOR BORDERS, ROCKERIES,
AND SHRUBBERIES,
INCLUDING
FOLIAGE AS WELL AS FLOWERING PLANTS.
* * * * *
BY JOHN WOOD.
* * * * *
ILLUSTRATED.
* * * * *
LONDON: L. UPCOTT GILL, 170, STRAND, W. C.
1884.
LONDON: PRINTED BY A. BRADLEY, 170, STRAND, W. C.

PREFACE.
At the present time there is a growing desire to patronise perennial
plants, more especially the many and beautiful varieties known as
"old-fashioned flowers." Not only do they deserve to be cultivated on

their individual merits, but for other very important reasons; they afford
great variety of form, foliage, and flower, and compared with annual
and tender plants, they are found to give much less trouble. If a right
selection is made and properly planted, the plants may be relied upon to
appear with perennial vigour and produce flowers more or less
throughout the year. I would not say bouquets may be gathered in the
depth of winter, but what will be equally cheering may be had in blow,
such as the Bluet, Violet, Primrose, Christmas Rose, Crocus, Hepatica,
Squills, Snowdrops, and other less known winter bloomers. It does not
seem to be generally understood that warm nooks and corners, under
trees or walls, serve to produce in winter flowers which usually appear
in spring when otherwise placed.
There are many subjects which, from fine habit and foliage, even when
flowerless, claim notice, and they, too, are described.
Many gardens are very small, but these, if properly managed, have their
advantages. The smaller the garden the more choice should be the
collection, and the more highly should it be cultivated. I shall be glad if
anything I say tends in this direction. From my notes of plants useful
memoranda may be made, with the object of adding a few of the freest
bloomers in each month, thus avoiding the error often committed of
growing such subjects as mostly flower at one time, after which the
garden has a forlorn appearance. The plants should not be blamed for
this; the selection is at fault. No amount of time and care can make a
garden what it should be if untidy and weedy plants prevail. On the
other hand, the most beautiful species, both as regards foliage and
flowers, can be just as easily cultivated.
The object of this small work is to furnish the names and descriptions
of really useful and reliable Hardy and Perennial Plants, suitable for all
kinds of flower gardens, together with definite cultural hints on each
plant.
Perhaps flowers were never cultivated of more diversified kinds than at
the present time; and it is a legitimate and not uncommon question to
ask, "What do you grow?" Not only have we now the lovers of the
distinct and showy, but numerous admirers of such species as need to

be closely examined, that their beautiful and interesting features may
gladden and stir the mind. The latter class of plants, without doubt, is
capable of giving most pleasure; and to meet the growing taste for these,
books on flowers must necessarily treat upon the species or varieties in
a more detailed manner, in order to get at their peculiarities and
requirements. The more we learn about our flowers the more we enjoy
them; to simply see bright colours and pretty forms is far from all the
pleasure we may reap in our gardens.
If I have not been able to give scientific information, possibly that of a
practical kind may be of some use, as for many years, and never more
than now, I have enjoyed the cultivation of flowers with my own hands.
To be able to grow a plant well is of the highest importance, and the
first step towards a full enjoyment of it.
I have had more especially in view the wants of the less experienced
Amateur; and as all descriptions and modes of culture are given from
specimens successfully grown in my own garden,