416 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



ACACIA. 



most distinct. The leaves are deep glossy 

 green with silvery undersides, and the cones 

 are large. A variety Pindrow is without the 

 silver markings. Both suffer much from spring 

 frosts. Himalayas. F. M. 



ABRONIA (Sand Verbena.} Small 

 Californian annuals or perennials of a 

 trailing habit, with showy blossoms in 

 dense Verbena-like clusters. A. arenaria 

 (A. latifolia), a honey-scented perennial, 

 has trailing stems and dense clusters of 

 lemon-yellow flowers ; A. umbellata, also 

 an annual with succulent trailing stems 

 and clusters of rosy-purple, slightly fra- 

 grant flowers ; A. fragrans, forming large 

 branching tufts from ij to 2 ft., and 

 white flowers which expand late in the 

 afternoon, and then emit a delicate 

 vanilla-like perfume ; A. villosa is a fine 

 species with violet flowers, and A. Crux 

 Mastcz a pretty species with white 

 scented flowers. A. arenaria and A. 

 umbellata should be planted in rather 

 poor, light, and dry soil, on an open, 

 well-drained border or rockwork. The 

 seeds often remain dormant some time 

 before vegetating ; those of A. umbellata 

 germinate more readily. A. fragrans, 

 which does not ripen seed in this country, 

 is best in friable soil, and is larger than 

 the others. Abronias flower in summer 

 and autumn, and are pretty and effective 

 when well planted. Nyctaginecz. 



ABUTILON. Plants mostly requiring 

 greenhouse temperature in winter, but 

 growing freely out-of-doors in summer, 

 and a graceful aid in the flower garden, 



Abutilon, Boule de Neige. 



at least in the southern counties. A. 

 Darwini and its forms, as well as the 

 varieties related to A. striatum, under 

 favourable conditions, grow from 4 ft. to 

 8 ft. in height. They can be made bushy 

 by stopping, and they flower better than 

 they do in pots. They are useful among 

 the taller and more graceful plants for 

 the flower garden, and are easily raised 

 from seed and cuttings. A. vitifolium is a 



very handsome wall-plant in mild districts, 

 and several sorts may be grown in the 

 open air in gardens in warm sea-shore 

 districts. A. Selloivianum marmoratum 

 is a fine variety. Among the best in 

 cultivation are the following, and new 

 varieties are often raised : Admiration, 

 Anna Crozy, Buisson d'Or, Darwini majus, 

 Elegantissimum, Grandiflorum, Lemoinei, 

 Lady of the Lake, Leo, Orange Perfection, 

 Boule de Neige Delicatum, Pactole, 

 Darwini tesselatum, Thompsoni variega- 

 tum, vexillarium variegatum, Brilliant, 

 King of Roses, Canary-bird, Golden 

 Queen, and Scarlet Gem. 



ACACIA ( Tassel Tree}. Beautiful 

 shrubs and trees, mostly thriving in 

 warmer countries than ours, but a few 

 are grown out of doors in the warmer 

 parts of our country. A. Julibrissin. By 

 reducing this to a single stem and using 

 young plants, or those cut down every 

 year, one gets an erect stem covered with 

 leaves as graceful as a Fern, and pretty 

 amidst low-growing flowers. The leaves 

 are slightly sensitive : on fine sunny days 

 they spread out and afford a pleasant 

 shade ; on dull ones the leaflets droop. 

 It is better raised from seed. A. lophantha, 

 though not hardy, grows freely in the open 

 air in summer, and gives graceful verdure 

 among flowers. It may easily be raised 

 from seed sown early in the year to give 

 plants fit for putting out in early summer. 

 Plants a year old or so, strong and well 

 hardened off for planting out at the end 

 of May, are best. In Cornish and South 

 Devon gardens various kinds thrive in 

 the open air. A. affinis is the most com- 

 mon. In many cases A. affinis is grown 

 as A. dealbata. The leaves of the former 

 are green, while those of the latter are 

 bluish, and its flowers are less bright in 

 colour. A group of A. affinis, about 35 

 feet in height, was a wonderful sight at 

 Tregothnan at the end of March, being 

 simply covered with golden blossom, 

 which was thrown into high relief by a 

 background of Ilexes. A. verticillata is 

 another fine kind, flowering later in the 

 spring. It is a rapid grower, reaching a 

 height of 15 feet in a few years, generally 

 growing in the form of a broad based 

 cone, with its lower branches but a foot 

 or so from the ground. When in flower 

 it is so covered with its pale yellow 

 blossoms that no foliage is discernible. 

 A. armata may be seen as a bush 7 feet 

 high and as much in diameter. A. ovata. 

 This I have only seen as a bush some 

 3 feet high, very pretty when bearing 

 its yellow flower-balls. A. longifolia is 

 another handsome tree with leaves some- 



