PRUMNOPITYS. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



PRUNUS. 



than the type, and these are very easy of 

 culture and very vigorous. There are 

 very few, if any, double varieties, 

 but some varieties are curious and 

 interesting from the duplication of the 

 calyx or corolla ; these are popularly 

 known as " hose-in-hose " Polyanthus. 

 They grow with the same facility as the 

 others. The beautiful Gold-laced Poly- 

 anthuses are much prized. The best 

 are those raised years ago, such as 

 Cheshire Favourite, George the Fourth, 

 Formosa, Duke of Wellington, Black 

 Prince, Lancashire Hero, and others, 

 and they are mentioned in most florists' 

 catalogues of hardy plants. The com- 

 mon Oxlip is a hybrid more or less inter- 

 mediate between the Cowslip and the 

 Primrose. 



Where soil is prepared for the 

 choicer varieties, any good loam 

 with a free addition of sand, well- 

 rotted leaf - mould, and decomposed 

 cow manure will form an admirable 

 compost. The Polyanthus may easily 

 be raised from seed, which should be 

 sown as soon as ripe, say about the end 

 of June. It will also grow well if the 

 seed is not sown till the following spring, 

 but by sowing immediately nearly a 

 year is gained. With choice kinds it is 

 better to sow the seed in pans or rough 

 wooden boxes, but for ordinary pur- 

 poses a bed of finely-pulverised soil in 

 the open air will suffice. Sowings in 

 early spring are better made in pans or 

 rough shallow boxes, placed in cold 

 frames, as time will be gained thereby. 



PRUMNOPITYS ELEGANS (Plum- 

 fruited Yew). An evergreen tree from 

 Chili, allied to the common Yew, of 

 dense growth and cheerful green colour. 

 It is hardy over a great part of 

 Britain, easily suited as to soils, and 

 readily transplanted. Is a good lawn 

 tree, thiiving in towns better than 

 most conifers ; it also bears cutting 

 without injury, though naturally of 

 a fine pyramidal habit. In its own 

 land it reaches a height of 50 feet, 

 but our best trees do not yet exceed 

 one half this height. In severe winters 

 young trees are injured or even killed, 

 but when well established it endures 

 severe cold. It is an excellent seaside 

 shrub, well adapted for hedges and 

 screens. I think it is of doubtful 

 hardiness, and never gave it a place. 

 Syn. Podocarpus andina. 



PRUNELLA (Self-heal). This hand- 

 some and vigorous plant P. grandi- 

 flora is readily distinguished by its 

 large flowers. There is a white and 



a purple variety, both handsome 

 plants, thriving in almost any soil. 

 In winter they are apt to go off on the 

 London clay, at least on the level 

 ground, but are well suited for mixed 

 borders, banks, or copses. P. Web- 

 biana is a good garden form, making 

 a thick green carpet, with spikes of 

 rosy-purple flowers. Europe. 



PRUNUS (Plum, Almond, Peach, 

 Apricot, Cherry, Bird Cherry, Cherry - 

 Laurel). Bentham and Hooker in the 

 " Genera Plantarum " united under 

 Prunus the whole of the species which 

 had at an earlier date been known under 

 one or other of the following names : 

 A mygdalus, Persica, A rmeniaca, Prunus, 

 Cerasus, Padus, and Laur o - cerasus. 

 This arrangement, which was necessary 

 from the fact that no well-defined line 

 could be drawn between them, has 

 given rise to some confusion. And we 

 may see in consequence two Apricots, 

 maybe, growing side by side, the older 

 one called Armeniaca, the newer one 

 Prunus. In the following notes the 

 whole of the species dealt with are 

 considered as Prunus and are arranged 

 alphabetically ; and some, not of much 

 garden value, or those not hardy in 

 Britain, are excluded. But it will be 

 well, perhaps, to first show the section 

 to which each belongs. 



THE ALMONDS AND PEACHES AMYGDAI.US. 

 P. Amygdalus, P. Davidiana, P. incana, P. iiantn 

 P. orientalis, P. Persica, P. Sintoni. 



THE APRICOTS ARMENIACA. 



P. Anneniaca, P. brigantiaca, P. dasycarpa, P 

 Mume, P. sibirica, P. tomentosa, P. triloba. 



THE PLUMS PRUNUS. 



P. alleghatiiensis, P. americana, P. angustifolia, 

 P. cerasifera, P. cerasifera var. atro-purpurea, P. 

 communis, P. cominunis var. pruneauliana, P. tiiv- 

 aricata, P. insititia, P. spinosa, P. trijlora, P. 

 Watsoni. 



THE CHERRIES CERASUS. 



P. acida, P. Avium, P. Besseyi, P. Cerasus, P. 

 Pkamcecerasus, P. humilis, P. Jacquemonti, P. 

 japonica, P. maritima, P. Maxinwwiczi, P.pendula, 

 P. pennsylvanica, P. prostrata, P. pseudo-Cerasus, 

 P. Puddum, P.pumila, P. serrulata, P. sub/tirteUn, 

 P. tomentosa. 



THE BIRD CHERRIES PADUS. 



P. Capollin, P. cornuta, P. demissa, P. Maackii, 

 P. Mahaleb, P. mollis, P. Padus, P. serotina, P. 

 virginiana. 



THE CHERRY-LAURELS LAURO-CERASUS. 

 /'. ilicifolia, P. Lauro-cerasus, P. lusitanica. 



P. ACIDA. One of the species from 

 which the Cherries of gardens have been 

 derived ; small, dark green, shining leaves 

 of firm texture and nearly glabrous. A 

 variety is semperflorens, of drooping habit, 

 and bearing white flowers (sometimes 

 double) from May to September, and 

 often carrying flowers and fruit. A dwarf 

 tree, usually grafted standard high. 



