4l8 ACANTHUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



although they do not grow so freely as in- 

 doors. A . pall/tat tun atro-sajiguineum., p. 

 sangui/ieuDi, which have very rich crimson 

 foliage, and ptfuiatifiduiii, in which the 

 leaves are much divided, are the finest of 

 the Japanese kinds. The plants should 

 not be u-rafted.— W. J. B. 



ACANTHUS (^^^r'.f-^r^'^r//).— Stately 

 perennials with fine foliage, mostly 

 coming from the countries round the 

 Mediterranean, and hardy, though the 

 foliage may sufter now and then. On 

 rocky banks, borders of the bolder sort, 

 and in almost any position among the 

 more vigorous hardy plants they look 

 well, and will live in shade, yet to flower 

 well should have full sun. Acanthuses 

 succeed best on warm, deep soil, though 

 they will grow in almost any garden soil. 

 They are easily increased by division of 

 the roots in winter, and may be raised 

 from seed. Acnitthacece. 



There are several hardy kinds : — A. 

 hispajticus, A. longifolius, A. mollis., A. in. 

 latifolius {A. lusi'tanicus), A.tiiger, and A. 

 spinosissiiniis. 



ACER (i^/^T//^). — Trees, mostly of 

 northern regions, often of the highest value 

 in pleasure-ground planting, some of the 

 species breaking into a great number of 

 varieties. Among the best are the Silver 



Maple {A. erio carp inn)., naturally a very 

 beautiful tree, though we get from it 

 variegated and other forms which are not 



Acer circinatum. 



of much value, except the cut-leaved one. 

 The Norway Maple {^A. platanoides)., a 

 beautiful tree, has many varieties, the 

 purple ones being effective. The common 

 Sycamore Maple {A. Pseudo-plataniis) 

 has also a number of variegated and 

 other varieties, though none of them 

 better than the natural tree ; it is doubtful 

 if there is any finer tree than this when 

 old. The sycamore walk m the Bishop's 

 Garden, at Chichester, and the trees near 

 Knole House, remind us of its fine quali- 

 ties for avenues or groups ; and it is the 

 best of forest trees to face the sea, as it 

 does in Anglesey and many other places. 

 Our Native iVlaple {A. cmnpestre) is 

 also a pretty tree, seldom planted in 

 gardens, but of which fine trees may be 

 seen at Mereworth in Kent and many 

 other places. The variegated forms are 

 usually tree rubbish. The Virginian or 

 Red Maple {A. riibrum) is a beautiful 

 tree, as also the Sugar Maple {A. sac- 

 charimun) and the Colchic Maple {A. 

 IcEtum). The Japanese Maples are inter- 

 esting and beautiful, but not quite hardy 

 and robust, except in the most favoured 

 districts. Moreover, the fine varieties 

 are often grafted, which makes them still 

 less able to endure severe weather. A. 

 Ncgiindo is the kind which has given us 

 the much overplanted variegated Maple 

 so common in gardens. A. Ghutala is 

 worth mentioning as a low tree — almost a 

 shrub — whose leaves die off a rich red in 

 colour. The North American and Euro- 

 pean species are hardy as forest trees and 

 thrive in almost any soil, but the Southern 

 American kinds and Japanese Maples 

 want warmer soils and positions to thrive 

 in our climate. The variegated varieties 

 in this family are too many, and our 



