HOLLY. 



254 



HOLLYHOCK. 



the largest. The smallest size of swan- 

 neck hoe is 4 inches : the largest size of 

 triangular hoe 8 inches, the former going 

 up to 10 inches, and the latter commencing 

 at 3 inches. Spuds are made in three sizes, 

 namely, 2 inch, 2^ inch, and 3 inch. 

 Short -neck, long-neck, and swan-neck hoes 

 are also made with blades having a curved 

 or crescent-shaped edge, in which case they 

 are called halfmoon hoes. See also Prices 

 of Hoes. 



Holly. 



There is a large variety of shrubs of an 

 evergreen character, which are not only 

 highly ornamental in themselves, but 

 extremely valuable as preserving a fresh 

 appearance in nature, even during the 

 dreary months of winter ; also in affording 

 a continual shade and shelter to other 

 things. Chief among these are the Ilex 

 aquifoliuniy the common holly, and Quercus 

 ilex, the evergreen oak, both handsome 

 evergreens, and rich in varieties, but pre- 

 ference must be given to the former. Not 

 only is the holly the brightest of all ever- 

 greens in the rich green colour of its leaves, 

 but its magnificent scarlet berries give to 

 it an additional charm. There are many 

 varieties of the ilex, and few things are 

 more interesting than a good collection of 

 these within an arboretum, or space so 

 limited as to afford an opportunity for 

 observing their differences of growth and 

 foliage. /. a. alba-marginata y the silver- 

 edged holly, and /. a. aurea-marginata, 

 'the golden-edged holly, are both very 

 beautiful ; so also are /. a. ciliatum, the 

 hairy holly ; /. a. ferox, the hedgehog 

 holly ; /. a. ovata, the oval-leaved holly ; 

 and 7. latifolia, the broad-leaved holly ; all 

 presenting a striking appearance. 



Hollyhock. 



There is no finer ornament of the 

 autumnal flower garden than the hollyhock. 

 Its noble, tapering, spike-like stem and rich 



rosettes of flowers clustering round the 

 footstalks of the leaves, and its panicled 

 head and luxuriant massive leaves, render 

 it the most effective occupant of a gap in 

 the shrubbery, or in the back row of an 

 herbaceous border, or even in rows in the 

 flower garden, or in beds by themselves, 

 their variety of colour renders them most 

 attractive objects. The drawback to the 

 perfection of the hollyhock, for many years 

 after its first introduction, was its coarse 

 habit of growth and thin transparent flower 

 petals, which gave a flimsy appearance to 

 its convolute flowers, and tended to early 



HOLLYHOCK. 



decay. Much of this objectionable habit 

 had been overcome by the perseverance of 

 the growers, and under the careful hand of 

 skilful culture the petals have become 

 thicker, and, consequently, the colour is 

 more dense and decided, the centre of 

 the flowers better defined individually, 

 while forming a denser spike of flowers 

 from within a foot of the ground to the 

 summit of the stem: 



Propagation by Seeds. The seeds of the 

 hollyhock should be gathered only from 

 the most perfect plants, in which the 

 flowers have been round, the florets thick 

 and smooth on the edge, the colour dens* 



