32 



IKMSIl (iAKDFATNP, 



II]) hilt a few wcaUly. tloweilfss stt'ius. ami L. 

 auratuni has put in a very irregular appearance. 

 except where tlie hullts are proteeted l)y tlic 

 roots of trees or shrul)s. 



It is a relief to turn from this di-^ma! cataloniic 

 to eonteniphite tlie iirepressihle \i<i(>ur of !., 

 giganteuni. wliieh onl\- asks for lil)eral nourisli 

 ment and eool (piarters to tlefy disease and such 

 enemies as mice and rahhits. Tlie disappoint- 

 ment experienced by many ])eist)ns in a liist 

 attempt to cultivate this — the easiest of all 

 Lilies-arises from the dried-up condition in 

 Avhich purchased bulbs are generally received. 

 No Lily is more easily transplanted when fresh. 

 and the profusion with which the flowering bull) 

 produces both seeds and offsets ought to ensure 

 this fine species being grown far more commonly 

 than it is. 



Botanists are not yet agreed about the claim 

 to specific rank of a Lily lately introduced from 

 China under the names of L. mirabile and L. 

 giganteum Yunnanense. Probably it may turn 

 out to be no more than a geographical variety 

 of L. giganteum, which first came to this country 

 from the Himalayas some sixty or seventy years 

 ago ; but in any case the difference between 

 them is so well marked as to entitle the Chinaman 

 to distinction as a valuable garden plant. The 

 weak i)oints of the typical giant Lily are, first, 

 the greenish tinge spread over the exterior of 

 the newly opened trnmpet. This disai)j)ears 

 when the flower is fully expanded, but the jjetals 

 never acquire the snowy lustre which the 

 Yunnan \'ariety display- s from the first. Second, 

 the trumpets of the true L. giganteum slant 

 downwards, leaving the apex of the spike some- 

 what inelegantly bare ; whereas those of the 

 Yunnan Ivily are held horizontally, or nearly so. 

 On the other hand, the newcomer is without the 

 s]>lendid cushion of large radical leaves from 

 which the Lidian Lily sends up its towering 

 flower stem. The stem is very dark, and the 

 stem lea\es deeply tinged with bronze as com- 

 pared with the light green of L. giganteum. In 

 stature, the Yunnan I^ily here was far inferior 

 to the other — 3| feet against 9 feet — but that 

 may improve when the plants get established. 

 It has been stated that the Yunnan variety is 

 centrifugal — that is, the flowers opening fio)n 

 the top downwards, whereas the true giganteum 

 is supposed to be centripetal, the lower flowers 

 opening first ; but this feature cannot be relied 

 on. This summer I examined about thirty 

 spikes of L. giganteum in the garden here, and 

 found that in every instance the first flowers to 

 expand were neither at the top nor the bottom, 

 and the last to open was invariably the lowest 

 of the tier. Herbert Maxwell. 



Monreith. 



The Tamarisks, 



linrxNKALLN called Tauuiiix. the Tamarisks 

 form a \aiuable group of mostly late flowering 

 sliiuhs blooming in .\ugust and September. 

 Not enough \ise seems to be made of the Tama- 

 risks, as it is seldom one meets them in gardens 

 even when' much interest is taken in slnnbs. 

 Though naturally seaside plants tlie\- arc not 

 avei-se to inland conditions if given fairly good 

 soil, and when massed arc cajiable of a very fine 

 effect. Some of our Irish gardens situated near 

 the coast might with adxiintage nuike a fine 

 featuie of Tamarisk hedges, and few shrubs 

 better withstanrl heavy gales. The shoots are 

 long, slender and supple, and not easily broken, 

 but where a screen or windbreak is desired it is 

 better to erect a rough fence first then ])lant 

 Tamarisks closely and tie the shoots to the fence. 

 In a very short time they will form a dense inter- 

 lacing mass, and even when leafless in winter 

 w ill provide cpute considerable shelter where few 

 other shrubs will live. Propagation is very easy, 

 as cuttings made from shoots of the previous 

 summer root readily in the open ground. They 

 need only be about 9 inches long, and inserted 

 two-thirds of their length in the soil, when they 

 will root freely. If a herlge is to be made, 

 cuttings may be inserted where they are t(> 

 grow. 



For large masses in grounds and public 

 gardens no prettier autumn flowering shrubs 

 can be desired, while in smaller gardens they 

 may be used in shrubberies or as single plants 

 on the lawn. 



One species is wild in Britain — viz., T. Anglica — 

 Avhicli is found on the south-west coast of 

 England. It produces long slender racemes of 

 pinkish-white flowers very i>rctty when seen 

 in a mass. 



Tamarix hispida, which is often catalogued 

 as T. kashgarica, is a handsome species producing 

 b^eautiful pink racemes in August or September. 



T. pentandra, usually found in catalogues as 

 T. hispida aestivalis or T. Pallasii, produces fine 

 feathery panicles of rosy-pink blossoms iluring 

 August. This is one of the most beautiful 

 species, and not excelled by any other shrub 

 flowering at the same time. 



Tamarix tetrandra is an earher flowering 

 species, flowering on the previous year's growth. 

 The flowers are a pretty shade of ]oink, and look 

 very well in May. 



For decorative purposes the Tamarisks are 

 best treated as shrubs and pruned hard back 

 in spring, with the exception of the last named, 

 which may be primed after flowering. 



Arbor. 



