94 



THE f LOEAL WORLD AND aARDEN GUIDE. 



variety of the well-known and beautiful speedwell, from Mr. Salter, who sent 

 also variegated varieties of Lunaria biennis and Symphitum ofBcinale. Mr. 

 Salter has now the largest and most curious collection of hardy variegated 

 plants ever brought together. 



GEEEN HOLLIES. 



Amid the wreck of the winter, which has 

 made many a garden that had cost years of 

 hibour and large periodical outlays a mere 

 waste, less attractive than a heath, the 

 hollies remain as fresh and bright as ever, 

 and are now showing their new growth in 

 a way that pi'oves them hardiest of the 

 hardy, and the best of our old garden 

 friends. HoUies'are always beautiful, even 

 if out of place, and they are so adaptable 

 to every variety of scene, the finished belt 

 flanking a flowery lawn, the less artistic 

 shrubbery, the sequestered walk, the dark 

 wilderness, or the nook beside a cottage - 

 wall, that it is no easy matter to plant 

 them where they ought not to be. Fine 

 single specimens towering up conspicuously 

 at the break in a walk, or assisting to 

 enrich masses of mixed evergreens, are 

 among the noblest elements of the garden- 

 esque, and for masses there is nothing to sur- 

 pass them for splendour of foliage and their 

 glorious colouring when loaded with berries. 

 The holly ought not to come before us in 

 these pages without at least a page or two 

 of memoranda, as to its place in history, 

 and the name and fame it beai-s in its asso- 

 ciation with the muses and the household 

 gods ; but we cannot now turn aside from 

 the practical department, for this is the 

 time to plant the liolly, and where the 

 losses among evergreens are now thoroughly 

 ascertained, a few notes may be of special 

 value to those who wish to plant at once, 

 and repair some of the waste caused by the 

 cruel winter. Xext month we may be able 

 to find room for observations of another 

 kind that may be interesting. At present 

 garden-work is in our mind, as it is heavy 

 on our hands, and we suppose our readers 

 to be situated as ourselves, with more to 

 do out of doors than hands can accoiujilish, 

 and the right way to do it a matter of the 

 first importance. 



We have been favoured b}' Messrs. Paul 

 and Son, of Cheshunt, Avith specimens of 

 all the leading varieties of green and varie- 

 gated hollies grown there, and have had 

 drawings made of the leaves of a selected 

 numberof the most distinctand beautiful va- 

 rieties. Of these we shall describe the green 

 kinds first, and next month the variegated. 

 Detailed descriptions are unnecessary, be- 

 cause the engravings will, to some extent, 



explain themselves, and that leaves room 

 for some preliminary remarks, which we 

 will classify under separate heads : — 



HOLLIES FROM SEED. 



The general opinion is that all hollies 

 are raised from seed, but that is a mistake. 

 They can be raised from cuttings ; choice 

 kinds are grafted or budded on seedling 

 stocks, and whether from seed, cuttings, 



LAITEIFOLIA. 



or grafts, they are the slowest growing of 

 all ornamental shrubs. To raise them from 

 seed is tedious work, and will rarely be 

 attempted by the amateur gardener. The 

 berries are to be gathered as soon as ripe, 

 and to be at once mixed with about four 

 times their bulk of sand or old soil from 

 flower-pots, and the mixture thrown in a 

 heap into some out-of-the-way corner, 

 where they will keep moist without much 

 attention. There they must remain twelve 

 months, and in the interim be turned at 



