CASTANEA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



;EANOrHUS. 



481 



creased by division, rooting freely when 

 pegged down. C. fastigiata is one of the 

 most fragile and beautiful of alpine 

 woody plants ; it may be grown without 

 much trouble with the more common C. 

 tetragona. Both are pretty for the rock 

 or bog garden. 



CASTANEA(5w^^/(:'//^j'/;«/;/').— Anoble 

 tree, native of eastern and southern Europe. 

 There are fine old trees in many of our 

 country seats in all parts of the south of 



Castanea pumila. 



the' country, though excepting in the 

 warmer counties, such as Devonshire, the 

 fruit is not as good as on the continent of 

 Europe. The Chestnut thrives best in 

 airy and warm situations, and upon stony 

 or free soils, not caring much for chalk 

 or heavy soils. It is easily raised from seed 

 planted directly where it is wanted to 

 grow. There are on the Continent, where 

 the tree is much more grown than here, 

 a good many varieties grown for the 

 \-alue of their fruits. Variegated varieties 

 as usual are useless. There are a few 

 other species such as C. crenata (Japan), 

 dortaia (N. America), and the dwarf 

 C. piimila of the Southern states of N. 

 America, but these are of slight value 

 compared to that of C. Vesca, the beauty 

 of old trees of which is very great, as seen 

 at Shrubland, Tortworth, Cowdray, and 

 many other places. 



CATALPA. — Handsome flowering 

 trees of the Bignonia order, one of them 

 forming a beautiful tree even m London 

 gardens. 



C. bignonoides {Indian Bean). — A 

 handsome tree, hardy in southern Britain 

 and the kind which flowers so well 

 in London. There is no more pre- 

 cious lawn tree for good shade and 

 flowering at a season when all the early 



trees are out of flower. It is best 

 propagated by seed and is not difficult 

 about soil. This tree has a number of 

 synonyms, the best known being C. 

 syringafolia. N. America. 



C. speciosa (Ca/^?Wi^(^z Tree). — A forest 

 tree in America, westwards, and is little 

 known in our country yet, though promis- 

 ing to be a forest tree ; reaches 120 ft. high 

 in its own country. It deserves a very 

 good position among the best flowering- 

 trees for lawn or for a grove. Syn. C. 

 cordifolia. 



C. Bungei and C. Kccmpferi are two 

 other kinds known in gardens, both 

 inferior in size to the foregoing trees, and 

 less attractive unless where collections 

 are desired. 



CATANANCHE {Blue Cupidone).—C. 

 ca'rulea is an old border plant, about 2 ft. 

 high, flowering in summer ; fine blue, and 

 growing freely in borders and margins 

 of shrubberies. There is a white variety 

 as common as the blue and a bicolor 

 one. It is easily grown in any soil, and 

 quickly raised from seed. S. Europe. 



CEANOTHUS {Moicntain Sweet).— 

 Beautiful shrubs of the Buckthorn Family. 

 Some hardy enough on light soils in 

 sunny places to endure our climate, 

 even as bush plants, though the majority 

 form good wall plants. In all the kinds 

 the flowers are small, but abundant. As 

 wall shrubs it is best to prune them in 

 April ; and as all the sorts flower on the 

 shoots of the current year's growth, from 

 one to three eyes of t£3e preceding year's 

 wood should be left, 

 reserving, or at most 

 only topping, such 

 shoots as are required 

 for filling up the open 

 spaces on the wal 

 Most of the introduc- 

 ed kinds are of free 

 growth in warm soil, 

 and they flower most 

 freely in sunny expo- 

 sures. As they are for 

 the most part natives 

 of a charming climate 

 — that of the Pacific 

 slope of N. America 

 — no one should at- 

 tempt their culture ex- 

 cept in warm soil. The 

 following are distinct 

 and pretty : — 



C. AMERICAN us {New 

 Jersiy 7>«).— Though one of the hardiest, this 

 thrives best against a wall, and in a dry porous 

 soil ; the flowers, in succession from about the 

 middle of June till August, white. E. America. 

 I I 



Ceanothus azureus. 



