97 



CAPE HEATHS. 



(Plate 112). 



How beautifully compact and ornamental in their growth are 

 most of our varieties of Cape Heath ! They are easily grown, 

 too, and remain a long time in blossom, which, with a few well- 

 selected kinds, may be kept up nearly the whole year round. 

 Although in-door gardening loses much of its interest in summer, 

 when Nature is so prodigal of her beauties in the open air, still, 

 even then, pleasure may be derived from an inspection of the 

 section of Cape Heaths which flower at that season ; and in 

 winter and spring, when there is little in the way of flowers to 

 induce us to stray beyond the walls of our little greenhouses, 

 these afi"ord us a source of real delight ; for who can look upon 

 their deep green leaves and charmingly polished waxy blossoms of 

 various forms, when there is little else to cheer us, without a 

 feeling of satisfaction ? And some of them may always be had 

 in flower, even in the dull months. Such being some of the 

 many recommendations belonging to this tribe of plants, we 

 therefore off"er no apology for introducing our readers to three 

 new and excellent additions to this useful genus. Their colours, 

 it will be seen, are brilliant and well contrasted, and their flowers 

 conspicuous and striking. For the opportunity of figuring them 

 Ave are indebted to Messrs. E. G. Henderson, of the Wellington 

 Koad Nursery, St. John's Wood. They were raised from seed, 

 we believe, by the late Mr. Story, whose improvements on the 

 Fuchsia and other popular flowers have often been the subject of 

 remark in our pages. 



Much as has, however, been done in the way of cross-breds, 

 there is yet one point to which little attention has apparently been 

 paid, and that is, the crossing our tender Heaths with hardy ones. 

 It strikes us, and the idea is not new, that there could be no im- 

 practicability in crossing the splendid species of South Africa with 

 the hardy natives that adorn our shrubberies. We need not say 

 that a successful result in that direction would be most interesting, 

 and the additional beauty that would be thus introduced to our 

 beds and borders would more than compensate for the trouble 

 which such an attempt would cause. That much may be done by 

 hybridisation has of late years become marvellously manifest ; 

 and surely there can be no obstacle to a union between the tender 

 sorts and the little hardy varieties which we find already every- 

 where in flower. Let the experiment be but fairly tried by skilful 

 hands, and we have little fear of the result. 



As regards cultivation, nothing, we imagine, need now be said, 

 so much having been written on that subject in previous numbers. 



NEW SERIES, VOL. VI., NO. LXIT. H 



