TO THE FLOWER G.VEDEN. 167 



shrubs, well known from ibe fragrance of their flowers. 

 Some of the species require greenhouse protection. Sandy 

 loam for the hardy kinds, and hght loamy soil for the tender 

 ones. Increased by cuttings. 



LAVATERA. [Malvace^.] Hardy and half-hardy plants, 

 of the Mallow tribe. The annuals should be sown in the 

 borders in March, and are increased by seeds. The others 

 are increased by seeds, and require to be planted in a sheltered 

 situation, in which they are sometimes destroyed, sometimes 

 uninjured by the winter. The shrubby kinds may also be 

 propagated by cuttings. A light dry soil suits all of them. 

 There are several species, but excepting the hardy kinds 

 they are not of much interest, being coarse. 



LAVENDER COTTON. See Santolina. 



LEAD WORT. See Plumbago. 



LEDUM. Labrador Tea. [Ericacese.] Pretty hardy 

 evergreen American plants. Soil, a rather sandy peat. In- 

 creased by layers. They are well suited for the margins 

 of peat beds. See also Ammyrsine. 



LEMON. See Citrus. 



LEONOTIS. Lion's Ear. [Lamiacese.] A genus con- 

 taining some annual species and other soft-wooded green- 

 house shrubs. L. leonurus, one of the latter, and the most 

 common in English gardens, is, when grown vigorously, very 

 ornamental, rich orange- coloured flowers being produced in 

 profusion in the axils of the leaves. Cuttings may be planted 

 early in spring, and root readily in bottom heat. When 

 rooted they should be potted into a light rich loamy soil, 

 hardened off" as soon as possible to the greenhouse tempe- 

 rature, continually stopped to induce bushiness of growth, 

 and shifted as fast as the pots fill with roots, to give strength 

 to the plants. By the beginning of May they may be trans- 

 ferred to cold frames, and during the summer they are quite 

 as well grown exposed in the open air, so that care be taken 

 that they do not become parched, which destroys their 

 foliage. After the beginning of August the shoots should 

 not be topped, but allowed to grow away for blooming ; or, 

 if stronger spikes of bloom are required, the stopping may be 

 discontinued earlier. The object of stopping is, however, to 

 produce a very bushy plant that may yield a large number 



