KHAMtfUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



kHEUM. 



6 7 i 



There are now many varieties, as R. 

 odorata grandi flora, R. o. pyramidalis 

 grandiflora, the compact, strong-grow- 

 ing variety Machet, with bold spikes 

 of reddish flowers and broad abundant 

 leaves, and dwarf varieties. Machet is 

 the kind grown so largely in pots for 

 the London markets, and it is also a 

 good kind for the open air, and Goliath 

 is far the finest in my garden. 



Retinispora. A name often wrongly 

 given, and it would be difficult to 

 exaggerate the evil effect in various 

 ways of giving long Latin names to 

 mere forms and " states " of twigs 

 which may unhappily be propagated 

 by cuttings or grafts, and the repeating 

 for ever in nursery catalogues of doubt- 

 ful generic names such as this, which 

 have crowded our catalogues for years. 

 The really distinct plants once known 

 as Retinisporas are now classed with 

 Cupressus. This name Retinispora, 

 therefore, may be dropped out of use 

 by those who care to simplify their 

 words and collections of trees. One 

 result of this confusion of mystifying 

 names is that it often keeps willing 

 planters from finding the really great 

 trees among the crowd of names. 



RHAMNUS (Buckthorn}.- An exten- 

 sive group of shrubs, of minor import- 

 ance, yet with some useful kinds. R. 

 Alaternus is a stout evergreen from 

 the Mediterranean region, with small 

 rounded leaves of firm texture, and 

 variable as to habit, but often strag- 

 gling. There are many forms of this 

 shrub, the best being that in which 

 the leaves are broadly edged with 

 silver ; effective against a sheltered 

 wall and in poor warm soils. A second 

 variety, angustifolia, is one of the finest 

 dwarf evergreens for the rock garden, 

 of dense growth, perfect in shape, with 

 neat dark green leaves. R. calif ornica 

 and R. crocea are other evergreen 

 species, the first unarmed and with 

 rather oblong leaves of dark green, 

 and the second (also from California) 

 with small glossy leaves which are 

 bright yellow underneath, and scarlet 

 berries in autumn. The other intro- 

 duced kinds are summer-leafing. The 

 Common Buckthorn (R. cathartica] and 

 the Black Alder (R. Frangula) are 

 found in our own hedges and wood- 

 lands. They are rarely seen in gar- 

 dens, though when heavily fruited the 

 clusters of R. Frangula, changing from 

 green to bright pink and dark purple, 

 are charming in the wild garden ; and 

 the leaves are pretty, especially in the 



Fern-leaved variety, R. F. asplenifolia. 

 R. crenata, from Japan, is ornamental 

 in autumn, when loaded with its glossy 

 black berries. Several kinds are bold 

 and handsome in leaf, especially R. 

 alpina, R. libanotica, and R. tinctoria, 

 and in a less degree others like Pur- 

 shiana, Caroliniana, alnifolia, and 

 davurica. R. alpina grows slowly, and 

 may be used in the rock garden with 

 other mountain kinds like R. pumila 

 and R. saxatilis, tiny miniature shrubs 

 which grow in the crevices of sunny 

 rocks amid the mountains of Central 

 Europe, spreading flatly over their 

 surface, with glossy leaves and small 

 dark fruits. All the kinds are easily 

 grown and not particular as to soil, 

 the free-growing kinds mostly doing 

 best in damp places. The scarcer 

 sorts are commonly budded, but there 

 is no need for this, seeing that all can 

 be layered, or raised from seed or 

 cuttings. 



RHAPHITHAMNUS CYANOCAR- 



PUS (Chilian Needle Tree). A shrub 

 or small tree of much beauty, but too 

 tender for any save favoured districts. 

 It is one of the neat, myrtle-like shrubs 

 of S. America, with shining dark green 

 leaves, heart-shaped, and about half 

 an inch long, thickly set upon graceful 

 stems in clusters of three. With these 

 are an equal number of needle-like 

 spines slightly longer than the leaves, 

 and to these the tree owes its name. 

 The stems are covered with soft thick 

 down of a rusty brown colour. Nar- 

 row tubular flowers of white and mauve 

 appear at the leaf-axils towards the 

 ends of the shoots, which are free of 

 spines. 



RHEUM (Rhubarb). Herbaceous 

 plants of great vigour and picturesque 

 aspect, and their fine leaves are well 

 seen by the margins of shrubberies and 

 in places where luxuriant vegetation 

 is desired. They like deep and rich 

 soil. R. Emodi is a fine-leaved plant, 

 for groups in the pleasure ground, but 

 requiring good soil. It grows about 

 5 feet high, and is imposing with its 

 wrinkled leaves and large red veins. 

 R. officinale, however, as regards 

 foliage, is the most effective from early 

 in the year, and should be placed near 

 the shrubbery, on the turf, or in the 

 wild garden. In small glades with 

 rich soil a bold effect might be pro- 

 duced by a good selection of Rhubarbs 

 with Ferulas, Heracleums, Rhubarbs, 

 Acanthuses, Yuccas, the common Arti- 

 choke, Gunnera scabra, and other 



