THE 



ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN 



AND HOME GROUNDS 



ABELIA. Beautiful shrubs, of the 

 Honeysuckle order, little grown in our 

 country, and best in warm districts. They 

 form a small group, natives of the hills 

 of China and Japan, the uplands of India, 

 and Mexico. Few of them are hardy 

 in all parts of our country. In mild dis- 

 tricts, with light soil, in sheltered corners 

 or on warm walls, they do best and are 

 hardiest in light, warm soils. Their 

 flowers in drooping clusters are charm- 

 ing, and last long, and the good effect is 

 continued after their fall by the coloured 

 sepals, which retain their beauty far into 

 the autumn. They may be increased by 

 layers in spring, or by cuttings under a 

 handlight during summer. 



Bock Abelia (A. chinensis}. A pretty 

 shrub, usually of dense growth, 3 to 5 feet 

 high. The hardiest kind grown ; to do 

 well it needs a warm light soil and a 

 sheltered spot. The flowers, about an 

 inch long, are in clusters of a pale blush 

 colour, fragrant, and lasting for several 

 weeks in early autumn. Even after the 

 flowers drop the reddish sepals are still 

 ornamental amongst the few late border 

 flowers. China. There is a variety having 

 larger flowers, and greater vigour and 

 hardiness. Syn. A. rtipestris. 



Mexican Abelia (A.floribnnda). 1\i\s 

 beautiful shrub is the finest we have, but 

 save in warm southern and western parts 

 must be grown under glass ; even in the 

 south it is best as a wall shrub, when its 

 evergreen leaves and drooping flowers are 

 well seen. The flowers, coming in March 

 and April as drooping clusters from every 

 joint, are of a bright rose or rosy-purple, 

 . about 2 inches long, and hang for many 

 weeks upon the plant. It does best in 

 light soil, and when grown in pots should 

 be kept rather close at the root. Mexico. 



Dwarf Abelia (A. scrrata]. A low 

 evergreen bush upon dry and sunny hill- 

 sides in China and Japan. It is smaller 

 in all its parts than the other Chinese 

 species, growing little more than 3 feet 

 high, with solitary pale red flowers, which 

 are large and sweet, appearing in March. 



Twin-flowering Abelia (A. spathu- 

 lata). An elegant evergreen shrub 

 flowering in April. White, marked with 

 yellow in the tube, coming in pairs from 

 every joint and about an inch long. The 

 leaves are rather long, finely toothed, 

 with a pale purplish edging. 



Indian Abelia (A. triflora).^ lovely 

 shrub, needing the shelter of a wall ; 

 being of robust growth, it soon makes 

 a fine growth, of good habit, and branch- 

 ing freely. The flowers, coming in threes 

 at the end of summer, are cream or pale 

 yellow flushed with pink, their beauty en- 

 hanced by the rosy colour of the unopened 

 buds. Grown in pots or tubs it forms a 

 good plant for the greenhouse where it 

 may not be grown in the open. Hills of 

 Northern India. 



ABIES (Silver Fir]. Beautiful ever- 

 green trees of northern and mountainous 

 regions, many hardy in our country, and 

 valuable timber trees in their own. Some 

 of the Indian and Japanese Silver Firs 

 suffer in our country by starting too early 

 in our open winters and harsh springs ; 

 in their own frost-bound mountain lands 

 the young shoots only start when all 

 danger is past. One remedy for this is 

 the selection of exposed positions which 

 will not encourage early growth, and also 

 not making the soil so rich as is the rule. 

 In our country, as with many of the coni- 

 fers, the usual way is to put them apart 

 as " specimens," but that, from an artistic 

 point of view, and that of health, is not 

 always the best. Where there is room 

 these trees should be grouped together so 

 as to shelter each other. Grafting of rare 

 kinds is often resorted to, which should 

 always be on their own roots. 



There is much confusion of names 

 owing to the American trees having origin- 

 ally been sent over under various names, 

 and from different localities. The follow- 

 ing selection includes the most distinct so 

 far as the trees are known. In this, as in 

 many other families, there are a variety of 

 variegated and other sorts which are given 

 fine names, these are generally useless 



