150 JULY. 



MYRTLES. 



" There will I make thee beds of roses, 



With a thousand fragrant posies ; 

 A cap of flowers, and a girdle, 



Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle." 



The Myrtles are pretty half-hardy evergreen 

 shrubs, and, if grown in sheltered situations, will, 

 after a few seasons, become almost acclimated, and 

 particularly the large-leaved, resist the generality of 

 our winters. In a moist peaty situation near the 

 sea, and exposed to the south, they will grow to ten 

 and twelve feet in height or more, and produce a 

 profusion of flowers (Turing the autumn, and even 

 a portion of the winter. They increase freely by 

 cuttings at almost any season, but autumn is the 

 best time for propagation ; there is a double flower- 

 ing variety cultivated chiefly in the green-house : it 

 is much inferior, however, to the single, both in size 

 and appearance. All Myrtles require a great deal 

 of water. 



