2 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



Greeist Hollies, considered as a class, should comprise varieties 

 of I. aquifolium ouly. The common green holly is to be excluded 

 for reasons already stated, and we begin selecting therefore with 

 LaurifoUa, which grows freely, flowers exceediugly freely, but is 

 rather shy in producing berries. The leaves of this variety are 

 mostly without spines, but a few show both lobes and spines 

 partially suppressed, and others again have lobes and spines fully 

 developed. Its rich dark green colour is one of its most distinguish- 

 ing features. Latispina is an extravagant form, the leaves broad, with 

 round lobes that terminate in terrific spines. This is a fine shrub, slow 

 in growth. Tortuosa is like laurifolia, but with twisted leaves, which 

 are peculiarly handsome in winter, when their greyish undersides 

 show in contrast with their black green upper surfaces. The small 

 leaved Myriifolia is extremely pretty, the growth being dense and 

 the leaves the size and shape of those of the common myrtle. Don- 

 ningtoiicnsis is in much the same way, but so distinct that it really 

 looks unlike a holly, the stems being purple, and the narrow leaves 

 a purplish tinted green. To forget Sheplierdi would be a great 

 injuslice to the amateur, for it is the grandest of the green hollies, 

 the leaves being large and almost flat, with purplish footstalks and 

 a splendid habit of growth. Liilea is the name of a pretty green 

 leaved ivy that bears abundance of yellow berries ; there are several 

 others with yellow berries, but we select Lutea as the best of them 

 all. To thefc-e may be added as first class garden trees, Cornida, 

 which has angular horned leaves, Scotica, Fisheri, and Ovata. 



Golden-Leaa'ED Hollies are numerous, but several of them, 

 as for example Angustitolia aurea ; and all but one of the " Milk- 

 maids," which aie largely propagated in the nurseries, are bad, 

 decidedly bad, as compared with others that are equally cheap and 

 free to grow. The best of this class is Golden Queen, a glorious 

 golden ivy, growing in the most elegant manner with leaves of 

 average size, broadly margined with a rich deep golden variegation. 

 Wateriana, or " Waterer's holly," is another beauty of this section ; 

 the leaves are smooth and narrow, with very narrow margin of deep 

 yellow, the growth very dense and the colouring effective. A distinct 

 and pretty variety is that named Handsv-ortliiana, the leaves of which 

 are distinctly and sharply serrated with broadish margin of canary 

 yellow or amber variegation. Finally, to close this section, there 

 are, as remarked above, several of the " Milkmaid " series that are 

 not to be desired, but one, named Best Milkmaid, is grand in style 

 of growth and colouring, the leaves having a broad central band 

 of (^,ee^ gold, which renders a good tree of it conspicuous and 

 splendid. 



Siltee-Leated Hollies also comprise several quite second- 

 rate varieties. The best of them is Silver Queen, which grows fast and 

 makes a singularly chaste pile of variegated leafage to light up the 

 front of the shrubbery, or give dignity to an entrance court. Less 

 striking as to colour, but in some respects more beautiful, is Argcntea, 

 which is distinguished by the glitter of its smallish leaves, which are 

 narroAviy margined with cream colour. Where colour is everything, 

 Silver Queen is the best, but for frequent close inspection, Argentea 



