7 



Subtropical Gardening. 



were branched into a beautiful mass of light foliage of a 

 distinct type. The same plant grows in the county of 

 Cork to a height of nearly 20 ft. This is the best known 

 kind we have. At Paris I was fortunate enough to 

 observe various other kinds doing very well indeed, 

 although the climate is not so suitable as that of Cork 

 or Devon. These were Bambusa edulis, aurea, nigra, 

 Simowi, mifis, Metake, and viridi-glaucescens, the first 

 and last of this group being very free and good. All 

 the others will prove hardy in the south of England and 

 Ireland, though, as some of them have not yet been 

 tried there, it requires the test of actual experiment. 

 Those who wish to begin cautiously had better take B. 

 Simonii, viridi-glaucescens, and edulis to commence with, 

 as they are the most certainly hardy, so far as I have 

 observed. The best way to treat any of these plants, 

 obtained in summer or autumn, would be to grow them 

 in a cool frame or pit till the end of April, then harden 

 them off for a fortnight or so, and plant out in a nice 

 warm spot, sheltered also, with good free soil — taking 

 care that the roots are carefully spread out, and giving 

 a good free watering to settle the soil. There are no 

 plants more worthy of attention than these where the 

 climate is at all favourable, and there are numerous moist 

 nooks near the sea-side where they will be found to grow 

 most satisfactorily, as well as in the south. 



*Bambusa aurea. — A very hardy and graceful Chinese 

 species, differing but slightly from B. viridi-glaucescens 

 in size and habit, and forming elegant tufts with its 

 slender much-branched stems, which attain a height of 

 from 61- ft. to 10 ft., and are of a light-green colour when 



