532 



LATHYRUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LAVANDULA. 



phate of lime and sulphate of ammonia. 

 Peat litter, which has passed through a 

 stable, is also good. Manure water will, 

 of course, be also beneficial. For training 

 on, nothing is more satisfactory than a 

 dead Spruce Fir for each plant. Pinching 

 is important, as it not only keeps the plant 

 within bounds, but all through the season 

 it causes the formation of young flowering 

 growths. Seeding is so fatal to the pro- 

 duction of bloom, and exhausts the ener- 

 gies of the plant so rapidly and immedi- 

 ately that in hot weather I should not 

 hesitate to remove every flower and 

 opening bud rather than risk leaving them 

 to form seed-pods. A position little 

 exposed to continuous sunshine will be 

 advantageous. I would make a late 

 sowing about the middle of June, or per- 

 haps even later, always, however, allowing 

 each plant plenty of room." 



Though none of the other annual kinds 

 of Lathyrus rival the Sweet Pea, there are 

 several pretty ones. Of these the Tangier 

 Pea (L. tingitanus) grows about 3 feet 

 high, and has small dark red-purple 

 flowers ; the Chickling Vetch (L. sativus) 

 has flowers varying from pure white to 

 deep purple. The variety azureus is a 

 remarkably elegant dwarf kind with many 

 clear blue flowers ; L. s. color atus has 

 flowers white, purple, and blue ; L. Gor- 

 goni, about 2 feet high, pale salmon- 

 coloured flowers ; L. articulatus, Cly- 

 menum, and calcaralus are other pretty 

 kinds for borders. 



L. ROTUNDIFOLIUS (Persian Everlasting 

 Pea). A very old species, it is not so 

 common as the larger kinds, though good 

 from its earliness and freedom of flowering. 

 It grows about 5 feet high, the leaves are 

 nearly round, the flowers in large clusters, 

 bright rose-pink, about an inch in dia- 

 meter, and open in early June. It is of 

 easy culture, and increased by division. 

 Asia Minor and Persia. 



L. SIBTHORPI (Early Everlasting Pea). 

 This is valuable because it is so early, 

 being at its best in May and June. It 

 does not grow very tall, rarely more than 

 2 or 3 feet, but it bears many fine spikes 

 of delicate flowers of a beautiful purplish- 

 red colour. It has been in cultivation at 

 Oxford Botanic Garden for many years, 

 and is said to have been introduced by 

 Sibthorp. It flowers a month earlier than 

 L. rotundifolius, and may be increased by 

 division or seed, but is not so vigorous in 

 ordinary conditions as the commoner 

 Everlasting Peas, and should, until plen- 

 tiful, be planted in warm borders. 



L. TUBEROSUS (Tuber Pea). A pretty 

 low-growing kind, with flowers of a bright 

 dark pink. It is found in many of our 

 cornfields, and is cultivated in Holland 

 for the tuberous roots, which are said to 

 be edible. The tubers are about 2 inches 

 long, broadest at the root end and tapering 

 to the apex. It will be found a useful 



plant for the flower border, it being a true 

 perennial, of neat habit, and very free- 

 flowering. Europe and W. Asia ; natura- 

 lised in England. 



LAURELIA AROMATICA. A 



noble evergreen tree from S. America, 

 resembling the Common Bay in its 

 fine appearance and fragrant leaves, 

 and attaining a height of 30 feet or 

 more in parts of Ireland and at Pen- 

 jerrick, near Falmouth, Cornwall. 

 Being scarce it has not yet been much 

 tried, but like other Chilian shrubs, 

 it is probably hardy in the milder 

 parts of Britain. The leaves are thick, 

 fleshy, studded all over with minute 

 transparent dots, and have a fine 

 aromatic smell. The flowers and fruits 

 are not showy, coming as dense clusters 

 nestling in the leaf-axils, and only on 

 well-established plants. It is worth 

 a trial in seashore districts. 



LAURUS (Poet's Laurel). L. nobilis 

 is generally known as Sweet Bay, but 

 its true name Laurel should be kept, 

 for it is the true Poet's Laurel, the 

 vigorous Cherry Laurel having wrongly 

 taken the name. Gardeners in the 

 larger places rather neglect it, and 

 seldom plant it in groups and colonies, 

 as they might well do on dry banks. 

 The plant is interesting in every way 

 for its associations as well as for its 

 beauty, and there are several varie- 

 ties. It requires some care in trans- 

 planting, or it will be a long time 

 rooting well. Warm and sheltered 

 places are best for it, if possible on 

 sandy or free soil ; and it might 

 be planted in different aspects with 

 advantage. 



In N. and C. Europe it is grown 

 to an enormous extent in tubs, as 

 in these countries it is quite a tender 

 plant, and the same plan may 

 sometimes be worth doing in colder 

 and more inland and northern parts 

 of our islands, where this hand- 

 some evergreen is often cut down by 

 frost. 



LAVANDULA ( Lavender] . Grey, 

 half-shrubby plants, mostly dwarf 

 with greyish leaves and warm and 

 grateful odour ; mostly coming from 

 warmer countries than ours, but, 

 happily, one of the most beautiful 

 survives on all our light and warm 

 soils, and may be cultivated almost 

 everywhere, as even if in winter killed 

 in valleys and on cool soils it is easily 

 raised by division or by seeds, and will 

 escape all save the most severe winters. 

 It succeeds best in an open sunny 



