Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers | Page 2

I hope I may have at
least a claim to being practical.
I have largely to thank several correspondents of many years' standing
for hints and information incorporated in these pages.
J. WOOD.
WOODVILLE, KIRKSTALL,
November, 1883.

ERRATA.
For the placing of capital letters uniformly throughout this Volume to
the specific names at the cross-headings, and for the omission of many
capitals in the body of the type, the printer is alone responsible.
Numerous oversights fall to my lot, but in many of the descriptions
other than strictly proper botanical terms have been employed, where it

seemed desirable to use more intelligible ones; as, for instance, the
flowers of the Composites have not always been termed "heads,"
perianths have sometimes been called corollas, and their divisions at
times petals, and so on; this is hardly worthy of the times, perhaps, but
it was thought that the terms would be more generally understood.
Page 7, line 8. For "lupin" read "Lupine." Page 39, line 31. For "calyx"
read "involucre." Page 40, line 27. For "calyx" read "involucre." Page
46, line 1. For "corolla" read "perianth." Page 47, lines 3 and 6. For
"corolla" read "perianth." Page 48, last line. For "lupin" read "Lupine."
Page 60, line 16. For "pompon" read "pompone." Page 64, line 36. For
"corolla" read "perianth." Page 102, line 27. For "Fritillaries" read
"Fritillarias." Page 114, cross-heading. For "Ice-cold Gentian" read
"Ice-cold Loving Gentian." Page 213. For "Tirolensis" read
"Tyrolensis." Page 214, cross-heading. For "Cashmerianum" read
"Cashmeriana." Page 215, cross-heading. For "Cashmerianum" read
"Cashmeriana." Page 275, line 26. For "corolla" read "perianth." Page
284, line 25. For "calyx" read "involucre." Page 285, line 1. For "calyx"
read "involucre."
JOHN WOOD.
November 14th, 1883.

HARDY PERENNIALS
AND
OLD-FASHIONED GARDEN FLOWERS.

Acæna Novæ Zealandiæ.
Otherwise A. MICROPHYLLA; Nat. Ord. SANGUISORBEÆ, or
ROSE FAMILY.

The plant, as may be seen by the illustration (Fig. 1), is small, and its
flowers are microscopic, hardly having the appearance of flowers, even
when minutely examined, but when the bloom has faded there is a
rapid growth, the calyces forming a stout set of long spines; these,
springing from the globular head in considerable numbers, soon
become pleasingly conspicuous, and this is by far the more ornamental
stage of the plant. It is hardy, evergreen, and creeping. It seldom rises
more than one or two inches from the ground, and only when it
approaches a wall, stones, or some such fixed body, does it show an
inclination to climb; it is, therefore, a capital rock plant. As implied by
its specific name, it comes from New Zealand, and has not long been
acclimatised in this country.
The flowers are produced on fine wiry stems an inch or more long,
being nearly erect; they are arranged in round heads, at first about the
size of a small pea; these, when bruised, have an ammoniacal smell.
Each minute flower has four green petals and brownish seed organs,
which cause the knob of flowers to have a rather grimy look, and a
calyx which is very hard and stout, having two scales and four sepals.
These sepals are the parts which, after the seed organs have performed
their functions, become elongated and of a fine rosy-crimson colour;
they form stiff and rather stout spines, often ¾in. long; they bristle
evenly from every part of the little globe of seed vessels, and are very
pretty. The spines are produced in great abundance, and they may be
cut freely; their effect is unique when used for table decoration, stuck in
tufts of dark green selaginella. On the plant they keep in good form for
two months. The leaves are 1in. to 2in. long, pinnate; the leaflets are of
a dark bronzy colour on the upper side and a pale green underneath,
like maidenhair, which they also resemble in form, being nearly round
and toothed. They are in pairs, with a terminal odd one; they are largest
at the extremity, and gradually lessen to rudimentary leaflets; the
foliage is but sparingly produced on the creeping stems, which root as
they creep on the surface.
[Illustration: FIG. 1. ACÆNA NOVÆ ZEALANDIÆ.
(One half natural size.)]

The habit of the plant is compact and cushion-like, and the brilliant
spiny balls are well set off on the bed of fern-like but sombre foliage.
During August it is one of the most effective plants in the rock garden,
where I find it to do well in either moist or dry situations; it grows fast,
and, being evergreen, it is one of the more useful creepers for
all-the-year-round effect; for covering dormant bulbs or bare places it is
at once efficient and beautiful. It requires light soil, and seems to enjoy
grit; nowhere does it appear in better health or more at home than when
carpeting