ON THE CULTIVATION OF HARDY HEATHS. 113 



XVIII. — On the Cultivation of Hardy Heaths. By David 

 Cameron, C.M.H.S., late Curator of the Botanic Garden, 

 Birmingham. 



(Received Feb. 8, 1848.) 

 The cultivation of hardy heaths does not appear to command 

 much attention, although they are plants well deserving of care, 

 and of being more freely introduced into our gardens, being 

 neat in habit, and flowering, as they do — one or other — during 

 nine months in the year. 



The best mode of exhibiting their beauty to advantage is per- 

 haps that of grouping them. The smaller growing kinds are 

 well adapted for edgings to peat-beds. They are by no means 

 particular in regard to choice of soil, growing well in light 

 sandy loam mixed with a very little peat, and in all grades of 

 soil from that to the finest peat. The situation for them may be 

 either wet or dry. The only care required to keep them in 

 health and vigour is, not to allow them to get more than four 

 years of age without replacing them with young plants, with the 

 exception of tliree species, which will be noticed hereafter. 

 When they get beyond that age, they are liable to have their 

 stems split from bottom to top during winter, which, if it does 

 not entirely kill the plants, very much disfigures them. The 

 first time in which I observed this splitting of the stem was in 

 the severe winter of 1837-8, and I then attributed it to the 

 severity of the weather ; but since then I have seen them split 

 in the same manner in November, when there was not above 

 three or four degrees of frost, so that the evil would appear 

 rather to be caused by the peculiar state of the sap in the shoots. 

 In all instances in which splitting has occurred the younger 

 plants remained uninjured — even layers taken off and trans- 

 planted in the previous September were perfectly safe. 



The keeping up a succession of young plants is readily effected ; 

 for all the sorts requiring to be renewed root readily by layers, 

 which, when taken oflf and transplanted either in September 

 or April, rarely fail. Larger plants may also be transplanted 

 with safety at these two seasons. The old European E. Mediterra- 

 nea, which makes long shoots every season, is liable to have 

 part of its tender slioots killed back in winter, except in very 

 sheltered situations ; while the variety found in Ireland makes 

 short firm shoots, and is never injured by the weather. I shall 

 now enumerate the different species and their varieties, and offer 

 a few observations on their culture. 



Erica viridi-purpurea is a handsome-looking variety, pyra- 

 midal in form, and grows three or four feet in height. I have 



VOL, m. I 



