426 



CYCLAMEN. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



CYDONIA. 



yet, to preserve the flowers from unfavour- 

 able weather, the plants will be better for 

 slight protection, or a pit or frame in 

 which to plant them out. Grown in this 

 way during the early spring, from January 

 to the middle of March, they are one sheet 

 of bloom. When so cultivated, take out 

 the soil, say i| to 2 feet deep, place at 

 the bottom a layer of rough stones 9 to 

 12 inches deep, and cover them with 

 inverted turf to keep the soil from washing 

 down and injuring the drainage ; then 

 fill up with soil composed of about one- 

 third of good free loam, one-third of well- 

 decayed leaf-mould, and one-third of 

 thoroughly decomposed cow manure. 

 Plant i to 2 inches deep, and every year, 

 soon after the leaves die down, take off 

 the surface as far as the tops of the tubers, 

 and fresh surface them with the same 

 compost, or in alternate years give them 

 only a surface dressing of well-decayed 

 leaves or cow manure. During summer, 

 or indeed after April, the glass should be 

 removed, and they ought to be slightly 

 shaded with Larch Fir boughs (cut before 

 the leaves expand) laid over them, to 

 shelter from the extreme heat of the sun. 

 As soon as they begin to appear in the 

 autumn, gradually take them off. 



C. CYPRIUM. This well-defined species 

 has rather small heart-shaped leaves of 

 dark green, marbled on the upper surface 

 with bluish- grey and of a deep purple 

 beneath. The flowers which are pure 

 white, tinted with soft lilac (the restricted 

 mouth being spotted with carmine-purple), 

 are well elevated above the foliage. It is 

 one of the most chaste and beautiful of 

 the hardy kinds. S. Europe. It is found 

 on shaded rocks in mountainous districts. 



C. EUROPIUM (European Cyclamen). 

 The leaves of this species appear before 

 and with the flowers, and remain during 

 the greater part of the year. Flowers 

 from August to November, or, with slight 

 protection, until the end of the year. The 

 flowers are a reddish purple. C, europium 

 thrives freely in various parts of the coun- 

 try in light, loamy, well-drained soil, as 

 a choice border and rock-garden plant. 

 Where it does badly in ordinary soil it 

 should be tried in a deep bed of light loam, 

 mingled with pieces of broken stone. It 

 luxuriates on old walls and on the moun- 

 tain side, with little earth to grow in. 



C. HEDER^FOLIUM (Ivy-leaved Cycla- 

 men). Tuber not unfrequently I foot in 

 diameter, and covered with a brownish 

 rough rind, which cracks irregularly so 

 as to form little scales. The root-fibres 

 emerge from the whole of the upper surface 

 of the tuber, but principally from the 

 rim ; few or none issue from the lower 

 surface. The leaves and flowers gener- 

 ally spring direct from the tuber without 

 any stem (there is sometimes, however, a 

 small stem, especially if the tuber be 

 planted deep) ; at first they spread hori- 



zontally, but ultimately become erect. 

 The leaves are variously marked ; the 

 greater portion appear after the flowers, 

 and continue in great beauty the whole 

 winter and early spring, when, if well 

 grown, they are one of the greatest orna- 

 ments of borders and rock gardens. 

 Often these leaves are 6 inches long, 

 5^ inches diameter, and 100 to 150 spring 

 from one tuber. This species has been 

 naturalised on the mossy floor of a thin 

 wood, on very sandy, poor soil, and may 

 be naturalised almost everywhere. It 

 would be peculiarly attractive in a semi- 

 wild state in pleasure grounds and by 

 wood walks. 



C. IBERICUM (Iberian Cyclamen). 

 There is some obscurity respecting the 

 authority for the species and its native 

 country. The leaves are very various. 

 It flowers in spring, the flowers varying 

 from deep red-purple to rose, lilac, and 

 white, with intensely dark mouth. 



C. VERNUM (Spring Cyclamen). The 

 leaves rise before the flowers in spring ; 

 they are generally more or less white on 

 the upper surface, and are often purplish 

 beneath. Though one of the most inter- 

 esting species, and perfectly hardy, it is 

 seldom cultivated successfully in the open 

 border or rock garden ; it is impatient of 

 excessive wet about the tubers, and likes 

 a light soil, in a rather shady nook shel- 

 tered from winds, its fleshy leaves being 

 soon injured. The tubers should be 

 planted deep ; say not less than 2 to 

 2 1 inches below the surface. 



Cyclobothra. See CALOCHORTUS. 



CYDONIA (Quince}. Among the 

 most beautiful of hardy flowering 

 shrubs long known as Pyrus. Free, 

 hardy, of rich colour, and easily grown. 

 Few shrubs have given so many fine 

 varieties ranging in colour from deep 

 crimson and scarlet through shades of 

 cherry and salmon red to pink and pure 

 white. The flowers also are larger and 

 very abundant, there is much variety 

 in habit of growth, and whereas the 

 old kinds are best on a wall in our 

 colder districts, these garden forms do 

 well anywhere in the open in the south. 

 They thrive in almost any soil, and 

 even on chalk, though what they like 

 best is a deep warm loam, and what 

 most tries them are dry and sandy 

 heath soils, where they grow slowly 

 and flower less freely. Their flowers 

 continue in succession during several 

 months, and branches cut while in 

 bud will open prettily in a room and 

 last fresh for a considerable time in 

 water. Syn. Pyrus japonica. 



C. JAPONICA. Varieties of these are 

 numerous, though many are much alike, 



