598 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



or beginning of June. It grows very 

 freely in strong loam improved by the 

 addition of a little leaf-mould and sand. 

 Its propagation is too easy, for in many 

 soils it is said to split up into offsets 

 instead of growing to a flowering size. 

 At Aldborough it made numerous offsets. 

 A choice plant for the select bulb-garden 

 or rock-garden. Chili. H. Andersoni is 

 much inferior. 



HALESIA {Snowdrop 7>^^).— Beauti- 

 ful North American trees, hardy in this 

 country. The commonest is H. tct7-nptera.i 

 one of the prettiest of flowering trees. It 

 grows in England from 20 to 30 ft. high, 

 has a rounded head, with sharply-toothed 

 leaves, in May bearing many white 

 blossoms, in form like the Snowdrop, 

 hence its popular name. It is of moder- 

 ately rapid growth, and flourishes in any 

 good free soil. In some parts it ripens 

 its seed. A similar species, distinguished 

 in having but two wings to the seed- 

 vessel {tetrapfera having four), is H. 

 diptera, of smaller growth, and not such 

 a suitalDle tree for this climate ; neither 

 is H. parvijiora, which, like the others, 

 has small bell-like flowers. 



The .Snowdrop is very slow, and grows 

 and flowers badly on heavy, cold soils ; 

 on free, sandy loams it grows freely 

 and flowers abundantly, and in that case 

 is the most beautiful of flowering trees. 

 There are several varieties of the common 

 Snowdrop Tree — Meeha7ii and Iccingata 

 and pfuviflora — as yet rare in gardens 

 though deserving a place. 



HALIMONDENDKON {Salt Tree).— 

 H. argenteum is a small shrub belonging 

 to the Pea family, with elegant leaves, 

 silky and whitish, the flowers purplish in 

 early summer : a native of Asiatic Russia, 

 it is hardy, grows from 5 to 6 ft. high, 

 and sometimes is grafted on to the tall 

 stems of the Laburnum. 



HAMAMELIS( Witch Hazel).— \i2.rd.y 

 shrubs with singular blossoms flowering 

 in winter. They have a peculiar value as 

 ornamental shrubs, and one species at 

 least is worth planting in all good gardens. 

 This is H. nrborea., or Tree Witch Hazel, 

 though in this country it does not rise 

 generally above 8 ft. high. In Janu- 

 ary, and sometimes before, its leafless 

 branches are covered with flowers, which 

 have twisted, bright yellow petals and 

 crimson calyces, so that a well-flowered 

 plant is very pretty. It is a hardy 

 Japanese shrub, and thrives in most kinds 

 of soil, but must have an open situation. 

 Another Japanese species is H. jtiponica, 

 a smaller and dwarfer plant than H. 

 arborea^ and bearing flowers of a lighter 



yellow colour, while that called H. Ziic- 

 cariniana is very similar to it. Of less 

 value perhaps is the American Witch 

 Hazel, which has small yellowish flowers 

 in winter, and sometimes in autumn. 

 Though not so showy when in flower as 

 the Japanese species, it is a pretty 

 shrub, and, like the others, thrives in 

 any soil. 



HEBENSTRETIA.— Interesting little 

 plants allied to the Sage family, mainly 

 suitable for botanical collections. 



H. Comosa, a recent introduction from 

 South Africa, has curiously formed small 

 white flowers which are disposed in a 

 long slender spike, and the bright orange- 

 scarlet blotches make them interesting 

 when closely examined. It succeeds well 

 as a half-hardy annual, sown outdoors in 

 April. Height 18 in. It is fragrant in 

 the evening. 



HEDERA {Ivy).—H. helix is the most 

 beautiful evergreen climber of our north- 

 ern and temperate world, and is a noble gar- 

 den plant that may be used in many ways. 

 The common Ivy of the woods is familiar 

 to all, but its many beautiful varieties are 

 not so common as this. All are not of 

 the same vigorous habit, as will easily 

 be seen by cultivating a collection ; but 

 the rich self green-leaved kinds are 

 usually as free and as hardy as the wild 

 plant. Although there are many varieties, 

 there are only two accepted species — the 

 Australian, that is confined to the con- 

 tinent of Australia ; and Hedera helix., 

 which is found wild in the British Isles, 

 and spreads over Europe, reaching into 

 N. Africa and Central Asia. It is under 

 our English Ivy that the large number of 

 forms in cultivation are classed. Although 

 there are only two species, we can classify 

 the Ivies in several groups, after the 

 variation in the leaves. If we want Ivies 

 in their fullest beauty, it is necessary to 

 pay some attention to position, soil, and 

 training. This applies to all kinds, but 

 especially to the more delicate varieties. 

 Ordinary garden soil will grow the Ivy 

 well, and the strong growers, as Emerald 

 Gem, Rcegneria7ia algerietisis, caiiariensis 

 or the Irish Ivy, sagittcefolia., liicida., 

 pal mat a^ gracilis., dentafa, digifata,pedata, 

 a.n6.angiilaris,\v\\\ need no special position ; 

 but in the case of kinds like viadeireitsis 

 variegata, a showy form, some little care 

 is needed. It is better to plant these 

 kinds as edgings to a bed of shrubs or 

 permit them to clamber over a root-stump, 

 arbour, or form a pyramid of them, where 

 they will be less e.xposed to the full force 

 of wind than if they were stiffly trained 

 on walls. Cuttings may be struck in the 



