26 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



ing in our woods, a very pretty prostrate 

 form, that should be made more use of in 

 the way of clothing the ground under de- 

 ciduous trees, that otherwise would look 

 bare and bleak during winter months. This 

 is Taxus Canadensis^ generally called Ground 

 Hemlock. The fruit is good to eat and 

 very pretty. There have been a few hy- 

 brids raised that are also hardy in the Ni- 

 agara district. In Britain the yews grow 

 perfectly, the climate being very suitable to 

 their development, the most common va- 

 riety being Taxus baccata erecta. 



The Sequoias and Auricaria imbricata are 

 magnificent looking trees, growing on most 

 gentlemen's estates. The last is used as a 

 cemetery plant, and may be seen from sixty 

 to eighty feet high. I saw, at Abercairney 

 Castle, beds oi Azalea mollis about eight feet 

 feet high. None but those tamiliar with these 

 shrubs can realize what a grand sight they 

 are when in full bloom and in many colors. 



The rhododendrons in every shade of 

 color are the most common shrubs to be 

 seen. They are grand if for no other rea- 

 son than for their foliage being evergreen. 



Then we have the Hollies, which are the 

 most decorative large shrubs, or trees, in 

 existence, evergreen foliage, and beautiful 

 when full of their scarlet fruit during the 

 winter months. There are some beautiful 

 variegated forms of these plants. Then 

 again we must not forget the Ivy, of which 

 there are a number of varieties, green and 

 variegated, and different forms of leaves. 

 They are not hardy enough for this country. 

 The best use that can be made of them is to 

 grow in vases and window boxes, in a trail- 

 ing fashion. For this purpose the Ivy is one 

 of the best vines we have, because it will 

 stand any amount of drouth, which would 

 kill any other plant I know of. By laying 

 the roots into the ground in a sheltered spot 

 and throwing some leaves over the plants, 

 they will come out all right in the spring, 

 and be ready for use another season. 



Another very beautiful plant which carries 

 more fruit than any plant that I know ofi 

 and is the most fruitful of all its family, was 

 the Berberis Drawinii. This variety, if found 

 to be hardy in Ontario, should be grown by 

 all lovers of plants ; the fruit is purple. 



Boxwood plants were seen twelve feet 

 high, with magnificent dense foliage; this is 

 one of the best of evergreens. Some var- 

 ieties are hardy in this Province. 



Ruscus aculiaius, or Butcher's Broom, 

 (Lily family,) is a native of Britain and the 

 Mediterranean region. This plant bears its 

 small lily like flowers upon the centre of 

 each evergreen leaf, a strange place to pro- 

 duce flowers and seeds. The plant is dwarf, 

 evergreen, and probably hardy with a little 

 protection, resembling a Boxwood, the leaves 

 prickly pointed. 



The Gloire de Dijon roses are growing as 

 common vines on many of the houses in the 

 north of Scotland, covering in some places 

 one-half of the buildings. They are clean, 

 healthy, and full of bloom, a sight not easily 

 to be forgotten, and the perfume ot the 

 flowers wafted by the wind was charming. 

 The roses exhibited at the Glasgow Exhi- 

 bition were very fine flowers, with splendid 

 foliage, and good substance. 



Biiddleia variabilis is a very pretty plant 

 and odd. The variety globosa is supposed 

 to be hardy in some situations and will grow 

 to ten feet high where conditions are suit- 

 able. They are natives of Peru, Asia and 

 India. 



I saw the pretty tvergreen dwarf shrub 

 of the heath family, a Canadian variety, that 

 I have seen growing in our swamps, foliage 

 green on the upper side, woolly and white on 

 the under side, flowers white, which grows 

 to about six inches high. 



Mr. Cameron concluded his paper with a 

 very extended list of plants, with brief des- 

 criptions of each ; and many of them would, 

 no doubt, do well in Ontario. 



