H 



IKISH GARDENING. 



these lias a curiously compact truss, dark purple 

 in colour; leaves on the underside covered with 

 a white felt which eventually takes a yellow- 

 orange shade ; when the growth begins the silky 

 felt covers the young foliage and the new 

 branchlets, and it is probably due to this that 

 it has received its name. The second produces 

 blood-red large bell-shaj)ed flowers, and it is 

 a very desirable species with rather small, very 

 neat round foliage, intensely blue- white under- 

 neath. The third is brilliantly red, with dark 

 green leaves, furnished with bristles, which in 

 one form, cover the branchlets as well — not un- 

 like the prickles on some of the Eoses. 



Among the species that flower in May and 

 later, E. Eoylei is well worth cultivating, witli 

 small trusses of dee^j red bloom resembling in 

 size, shape, and colour aj Lapageria. It is 

 held to be a variety of E. cinnabarinum, whose 

 inflorescence looks as if it wer.e made of wax, 

 yellow and dull red. Somew'hat similar in leaf 

 is E. triflorum, pale yellow, a handsome and 

 desirable plant. E. campylocarpum also pro- , 

 duces light yellow flowers, which are campanu- 

 late, while _the leaves are not very unlike the 

 foliage of E". Thomson! and that of E. Souliei. 

 This latter species, recently introduced from 

 China, promises to be a valuable addition to 

 our gardens; it has flowered here, and I was 

 much struck by the lovely shade of rose that 

 was then displayed. Another species not too 

 well known is E. camelliseflorum, white and 

 looking somewhat like a small Camellia; it is 

 of Himalayan origin, as is likewise E. glaucitm, 

 a small bush seldom more than 5 feet liigh, 

 with many clusters of small rosy purple bell- 

 shaped flowers, and with leaves whose under- 

 sides are glaucous white. Of Chinese plants 

 may be noted E. Fortunei, blush tint becom- 

 ing paler, fragrant— a beautiful shrub; E. 

 ambiguum, pale yellow; E. coombense, dark 

 purphsh red, a very free bloomer.; E. davidsoni- 

 anum, white spotted red; E. micranthum, 

 covered with masses of small white trusses; 

 and E. Augustinii, blue mauve with yellow 

 blotch, a remarkably good plant. E. yunna- 

 nense, coming from Yunnan, is also smothered 

 in flower, pale mauve, blush with small red 

 blotch, and with conspicuous anthers. From 

 the Caucasus, E. Smirnowi should be noted, 

 leaves covered on the underside with thick 

 white felt, bright rose and showy. A hybrid 

 has been raised from it apparently with the 

 common Eose-bay (E. ponticum)"; its habit 

 and foliage resemble the latter, but the flower 

 is rosy-pink, not purple. E. Ungerni, also from 

 the Caucasus, is like E. Smirnowi in leaf, but 

 it has the peculiai'ity of pushing its young 

 growtli before the white Woom opens, \vhich 



in consequence is too often hidden away and 

 out of sight. E. Maddeni and its varieties, E. 

 caloph^dlum and E. Jenkinsii, are among the 

 last of the genus to flower, and all are to be 

 highly recommended, white more or less flushed 

 with pink, of very good substance, and well 

 scented. The leaves, especially of E. calo- 

 phyllum, are glistening green as if steeped in 

 oil. Of dwarf -growing species, E. anthopogon, 

 suli^hur-coloured, and E, cephalanthum, pure 

 white, have aromatic leaves, a peculiarity also 

 shared by E. yanthinum, a larger shrub. E. 

 lepidotum is a beautiful little plant, purple-red 

 saucer-like bloom; it seems to dislike lime in- 

 tenselj' in any shape, but when it do^es not 

 come in contact with it it grows very well and 

 forms a spreading tuft scai'cely a foot high. 

 E. serpyllifoliuin from Japan is another small 

 species with tiny leaves and with abundant 

 rosy lilac flowers. While E. linearifolium, 

 coming from China, forms a dense spreading 

 mass of evergreen naiTow foliage, 6 feet and 

 more through and from 2 to 4 feet high, it 

 produces a curious bloom that looks as if the 

 long linear foliage had turned to a bright red 

 colour. 



Some of the above belong to the Azalea 

 section of the genus, and also classed in that 

 section is E. ledifolium which is, I think, one 

 of the very best. I heartily endorse Mr. Bean's 

 lemark that it has not received the notice it 

 deserves as a hardy evergreen.* It produces 

 large pure white flowers deliciously scented. 

 I foinid several of these plants in the green- 

 house here, but I soon put them outside in a 

 sheltered place, and they have become ever 

 so much more ornamental than they could have 

 been in pots under glass. There is a double 

 variety of the same intense white colour, and 

 with much of the same scent of the type ; it 

 seems to be about two weeks earlier than the 

 latter. E. indicum and its many varieties are 

 also well worth growing ; an evergreen bush 

 of the small red blossomed variety called E. 

 amoenum is a very beautiful object, and grown 

 near E. ledifolium the contrast in the middle 

 of May between the rich carmine coloiu' of the 

 former with the pure white of the latter is riost 

 effective ; the variety also E. balsaminiseflorum 

 (often called Azalea rosseflora) is a small dwarf 

 plant with large double salmon red bloom. E. 

 Ktempferi, classed sometimes as a variety of 

 the same species (though it is not evergreen) 

 has dull orange-red medium-sized flowers, and 

 is not a common plant. There are also many 

 hybrids raised from E. indicum, some of 

 whu-h have a most brilliant and really gorgeous 



*" Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British 

 Isles." II. 3G5. 



