400 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



SEA HOLLY. A popular name for Eryngium 

 maritimum and other species. 



SEA KALE (Crambe maritima). A hardy, herbaceous 

 perennial, a native of Britain. It is very extensively 

 cultivated in gardens as a vegetable for forcing, and for 

 use in spring when the season's growth commences. The 

 young shoots and leaf - stalks are the parts cooked 

 when they are crisp and well blanched. The stronger 

 these can be obtained, the better; the chief object is, 

 therefore, to cultivate with a view to securing good, large 

 roots and crowns previous to forcing them. Sea Kale may 

 easily be raised from seed, which should be sown in an 

 ope a situation at the end of March, or early in April, 

 according to the state of the soil. Sow in drills 

 12in. apart, and thin the young plants to about 6in. 

 asunder in the rows for the first year. Before the next 

 spring, the roots must be lifted, and replanted in rows 

 from 2ft. to 2Jft. apart, for growing into a size large 

 enough for use. All the crowns and buds at the top must 

 be cut off before replanting, and the roots inserted so 

 that their tops are lin., or even 2in., below the surface. 

 Sometimes, Sea Kale is sown at wider distances than those 

 above given, and the plants allowed to grow for two 

 years without being transplanted, when the tops may be 

 blanched and used ; but when thus treated the tops of the 

 crowns must be cut off, to prevent the plants seeding the 

 second year. The greater part of the Sea Kale plants 

 grown specially for forcing are raised from cuttings made 

 from the roots. When a quantity of fully-developed 



FIG. 462. SEA KALE. 



crowns are lifted for forcing, there are plenty of pieces to 

 be detached from the main root; these are sometimes 

 called thongs, and any about 4in. in length will do for 

 planting. They should be cleanly cut through with a knife, 

 the upper end straight, and the lower or smaller end 

 on an angle, in order that each may be readily dis- 

 tinguished at planting time, which will be in the following 

 March, or early in April. Meanwhile, during winter, 

 these prepared root-cuttings must be buried in a heap of 

 sandy soil. All the larger roots that have been forced 

 may also be cut over and replanted, but it is advisable 

 to keep growing some young ones each year. The roots 

 covered with soil will have been forming shoots by early 

 spring all round the crowns ; they should be planted about 

 1ft. apart, in trenches, which require to be 2ft. asunder, 

 to allow the leaves to develop. The crown portion of the 

 cutting must be placed so as to be covered with soil. The 

 numerous shoots which appear may, in due course, be 

 reduced to one, the strongest ; this will then grow rapidly, 

 if the soil is rich and of good depth. After the leaves 

 die away in autumn, the roots, if intended for forcing under 

 glass, may be lifted, covered temporarily with soil, and 

 protected until required for introducing into heat. During 

 this process, any pieces of roots large enough for cuttings 

 may be collected and treated for another year in the way 



Sea Kale continued. 



above described. Boot cuttings taken from plants that 

 have not been forced are much stronger and superior to 

 those saved from forced and, consequently, weakened 

 stocks. 



Forcing. Sea Kale is one of the easiest of plants 

 to force, provided heat is very gradually applied : it 

 will not withstand a high temperature at first. An 

 easy method, where a supply of crowns has been pre- 

 pared, is to place several nearly close together in large 

 pots, and stand them in a temperature of about 45deg., 

 turning an empty pot over the top, to exclude light. 

 The floor of a mushroom-house is generally a good place, 

 and, as this structure is usually kept dark, the shoots 

 become blanched as they grow without being covered. 

 They should be cut for use when at the stage represented 

 in Fig. 462, and detached at the crown as shown. Sea 

 Kale may also be forced in the ground by inverting 

 over it large pots specially made for the purpose, and 

 covering with fermenting material. A gradual heat 

 is necessary, a very little at first is sufficient to excite 

 growth. Light must always be excluded during the 

 forcing process, in order to insure thorough blanching. 



SEA LAVENDER. A popular name for various 

 species of Statice. 



SEAL-FLOWER. A common name for Dicentm 

 spectabilit. 



SEA MILKWORT. See Glaus. 

 SEA FINK. See Armeria. 

 SEA ROCKET. See Cakile. 

 SEASIDE GRAPE. See Coccoloba. 



SEASIDE GROUNDS AND PLANTS. The 



Seaside, as generally understood, is the coast-land imme- 

 diately adjoining the sea, and, consequently, exposed to 

 the influences of strong sea-breezes, and, with these, 

 plenty of salt spray. Both have their evil effect on 

 trees, and, with some exceptions, on plant-life generally; 

 but as Seaside residences are so numerous, and most of 

 them have some sort of a garden attached, it may be of 

 service to note some of the trees and plants best suited 

 for protecting and rendering them attractive. On ex- 

 posed parts of the sea-coast it is invariably necessary to 

 plant, so far as may be practicable, a screen or broad 

 belt of trees and shrubs that are sure to be capable of 

 withstanding the exposure, and eventually affording pro- 

 tection for more tender subjects. Hurdles have to be 

 placed round plants during winter, and numerous other 

 contrivances resorted to for affording protection. Plants 

 which, perhaps, thrive well just out of the reach of the 

 salt spray may, and often will, succumb when exposed to 

 it; and the wind may blow on certain points with great 

 violence, while a short distance off it may seldom 

 be seriously felt. The arrangement of Seaside Grounds 

 should, therefore, be in the hands of someone with a 

 knowledge of the locality, and of the amount of exposure 

 that preparation has to be made for contending against. 

 A screen of trees and shrubs is usually much better than 

 a wall for a protection; the wind passes over the latter 

 with destructive violence, while its force becomes, as it 

 were, lost on a mass of foliage. It is, however, often 

 as much of a difficulty to get screen-plants established 

 as it is those which are intended to be screened because 

 of being tender or more ornamental. Only small or 

 moderate-sized specimens should be inserted, even for 

 forming screens, or they will be rocked about by the 

 wind before the roots can get a hold, and, consequently, 

 will not answer permanently. 



Some of the trees and shrubs most likely to succeed 

 in very exposed situations on the sea-coast are : Euony- 

 mus japonicus, Tamarix gallica (a most valuable and 

 exceedingly hardy plant for forming screens), Escallonia 



