100 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF rAlUS. [Chap. YI. 



large specimens. The finest examples of large specimens I have 

 ever seen are those in the garden of the Luxembourg Palace. 

 Judging by the habit of the Oleander, as generally seen with us, 

 it might be supposed that it would not make an ornamental tree 

 for a terrace, but nothing can be finer than the immense specimens 

 seen in these gardens, the heads being round, dense, and some- 

 times as much as ten feet through, resembling when in flower 

 a bed of Eoses. They are certainly far handsomer objects than 

 Orange-trees, grow equally well or better in tubs, and are more 

 worthy of culture in this way. The following account of their 

 culture was given to me by M. Kiviere fils, late of the Luxem- 

 bourg Gardens, 



"This beautiful shrub is a native of North Africa and the south of Europe. In 

 a state of nature, it prefers damp and fresh soil ; it is consequently found in 

 abundance on the banks of rivers and the edges of marshes. In tlie wild state it 

 rarely reaches the height of more than from three to five feet, but under cultiva- 

 tion it may grow even to nine or ten feet. Its flowers are of a delicate rose 

 colour, and from seed horticulturists have succeeded in obtaining yellow, white, 

 and double-flowering varieties, which form some of the most beautiful ornaments 

 of our gardens. The sap is very poisonous, and it is therefore advisable never to 

 put any of the flowers in the mouth, and to take care that no children should be 

 allowed near the jilants. The hotter the district in which tlie plant is grown, 

 the more poisonous is the sap. 



" The Oleander puts forth its flowering branches a year before blooming and 

 then blossoms for two consecutive years, so it is well not to cut them down in 

 the autumn after the first time of flowering. The beautiful specimens so much 

 admired in tiie Gardens of the Luxembourg are from sixty to one hundred years 

 old. They are grown in tubs three or fouf feet square, and in a compost of peat 

 and loam well enriched. The operation of re-potting should be performed every 

 five years, about the mouth of May. The sides of the tubs being movable, the 

 earth is taken away from the roots of the tree, which is itself lifted up about three 

 inches, so as to remove the soil aU round it ; it is then lowered into its former 

 place and potted up with the compost just described. 



"The Oleander is generally placed out of doors about the 10th of May, and as 

 it grows naturally under a burning sky, it is advisable to give it as much sun as 

 possible. A few days after it is put out, the surface of the soil in the tubs should 

 be mulched with manure, and during the whole of the summer season they should 

 be copiously watered at least three times a week. As soon as October comes, the 

 waterings are diminished, and the top portions of the mulching being taken away, 

 the surface is stirred up with a pointed stick to render it more ]ierm(.able. The 

 Oleander being extremely sensitive to culil, the plants should be taken under 

 cover once more about the 15th of October, where they must remain until the 10th 

 of May, being watered in the meantime not more than three or four times every 



