166 glenny's handbook 



L. oreopteris, Lardy ; L. puhescens, greenhouse evergreen ; 

 L. rigida, hardy ; L. spinulosa, hardy ; L. theli/pteris, hardy, 

 are all cultivated, 



LATHYRUS. [Leguminosse, § Papilionacege.] A genus 

 of showy hardy plants, annual and perennial, mostly climbers. 

 The best of them is the Sweet Pea (L. odoratus), and there is 

 not among the annuals a better nosegay flower than this ; nor, 

 now that there are many varieties, is there a more lively 

 garden ornament. It has been attempted to grow the dif- 

 ferent coloured varieties separately, and a majority will some- 

 times prove like the parent, but they do not look so well 

 any way as mixed. They may be sown in pots in a warmish 

 frame in February for early bloom, and two months after- 

 wards they may be sown in the borders of the open ground : 

 others may be sown in May and June if a succession is 

 desired. They grow in any good light soil, and all the 

 attention they require is to be furnished with a few branches 

 with spray stuck in the ground for them to cling to. If they 

 are not allowed to seed, and the decayed blooms are removed 

 as fast as they decline, the bloom will continue some time ; 

 but if they are allowed to swell their pods the bloom goes off 

 much sooner. The perennials may be raised by seeds or by 

 division, and merely require to be planted in the position 

 they are to occupy permanently, and to have pea-stakes put 

 to them annually for their branches to climb over. 



LAUREL. See Laurus. 



LAUREL CHERRY. See Ceeasds. 



LAURESTINUS. See Viburnum. 



LAURUS. Laurel. [Lauracese.] A genus of shrubs, 

 mostly evergreen. The most important is the Bay Laurel 

 (L. nohilis), a valuable hardy evergreen in the south of 

 England, growing admirably in light dry loamy soils, and 

 increased b}^ cuttings at the end of summer under hand-lights 

 on a shady border, or by layers, or by seeds. In the northern 

 parts of the island it requires some protection. The varieties 

 of the Bay tree are — crispa, with curled leaves; latifoUa, 

 with very broad leaves ; salicifolia, with long narrow leaves ; 

 imdidata, with waved leaves ; and variegata, with curled 

 leaves. 



LAVANDULA. Lavender. [Lamiaceae.] Evergreen 



