254 GLENNYS HANDBOOK 



ill rich light garden soil, and in favourable seasons are veiy 

 ornamental. 



SPIDERWORT. See Tradescantia. 



SPIGELIA. Worm Grass. [Loganiacese.] S. Mart- 

 landica is a pretty hardy perennial herb, growing a foot high, 

 and bearing tubular flowers, which are scarlet, tipped with 

 green, and bear no inconsiderable resemblance to those of the 

 Con-ea speciosa. The plant prefers a cool and somewhat shady 

 situation, where the soil is of a somewhat peaty character — 

 say half peat and half maiden loam. When in a thriving 

 condition it is a very pretty plant. It is propagated by divi- 

 sion of the root. 



SPINDLE TREE. See Euonymus. 



SPIPi^A. [Rosacefe] A very interesting tribe of hardy 

 plants, some of them herbaceous perennials, others deciduous 

 shrubs, handsome when in flower ; nearly all bear white flowers 

 in pyramidal spikes. The herbaceous kinds are beautiful in 

 pots or in the borders, and the shrubs are pretty in plantations 

 and dressed grounds. The former are propagated by parting 

 the plants and by cuttings, and the latter by layers and by 

 cuttings of the young w^ood. The herbaceous kinds spread a 

 good deal, and may be divided easily, but it should be done 

 early in autumn or in spring ; and in the case of the rarer and 

 more delicate kinds the divided parts should be potted until 

 they have established themselves, and may then be planted in 

 the open border ; the others may be parted and planted out at 

 once. The shrubs are very useful in clumps, and can be 

 trained, or rather pruned, to any form. To propagate these 

 the branches should be layered in autumn, a slit being cut 

 under a joint, and the branch pegged down below the surface; 

 the next autumn the layers may be cut off, and planted in 

 nursery-beds about a foot apart to grow into strength ; they 

 may be pruned into form Avhile there, and when they grow 

 too large for their space every other plant may be taken up 

 and planted in other beds, eighteen inches or two feet apart, 

 or be placed at once where they are to remain. There are 

 many, of which those enumerated are some of the best 

 and most distinct. S. aria folia, flowers whitish. S. bella, 

 rose. S. callosa, deep rose. S. Doiiglasii, rose. S. ojnili- 

 foliay white. S. palmata, red. S. prunifolia, white. The 



