668 LOMARIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LONICERA. 



attractive, and the plants transferred to 

 gardens from the mountains usually perish, 

 because perhaps the strongest specimens 

 are selected instead of the younger ones. 

 Its true home is the rock-garden, and it 

 prefers deep sandy peat. Heath Order. 

 Arctic and alpine Europe and Asia and 

 higher Scottish mountains. Syn., Azalea 

 procumbens. 



LOMARIA. Ferns, for the most part 

 tropical, and requiring artificial heat ; but 

 in mild parts two or three thrive in the 

 open air. L. alpina, a native of New 

 Zealand, is dwarf and produces, from a 

 creeping rhizome, abundance of dark 

 shining green fronds, 4 to 6 in. in height. 

 It is specially adapted for the rock-garden, 

 should receive similar treatment to the 

 Ceterach (to which it forms a charming 

 companion), and should, like it, be as- 

 sociated with Sedums and alpine plants. 

 L. crenulata is similar, but not quite so 

 hardy, though it succeeds in the mildest 

 localities, as will also the Chili L. chilensis, 

 a Tree Fern of noble growth. These 

 Ferns should be placed in the snuggest 

 quarters of the hardy fernery, and care 

 should be taken to protect them during 

 severe cold. 



LONICERA (Honeysuckle). Graceful 

 and fragrant woody climbers and bushes 

 precious for gardens. The Twining 

 Honeysuckles form a distinct group 

 of species with whorled clusters of 

 flowers terminating the young shoots. 

 The Erect-growing or Bush Honeysuckles 

 have the flowers axillary and generally 

 in pairs. Among the twining species 

 there are a few that have axillary flowers, 

 and of these Lonicera japonica is a 

 typical example, while the commonest 

 example of the Bush Honeysuckles is 

 the Tartarian Honeysuckle. 



They all flourish best in a light rich soil 

 in a fully-exposed sunny position. It is a 

 mistake to plant Honeysuckles at the base 

 of shady trees and expect them to climb 

 up and produce crops of flowers as they 

 do when in the open. Honeysuckles 

 naturally delight to twine upon other 

 plants, but in shade they do not flower. 

 One often sees a thicket overrun with 

 common Honeysuckle, but until the trees 

 have been cut the Honeysuckle does not 

 flower so well. It loves to ramble over a 

 hedge, as we see it by the wayside, and in 

 the garden one can make various hedge 

 combinations with it and some other 

 hedge plants, such as Sweet Briar and 

 Holly. To cultivate Honeysuckles to 

 perfection, they should not be planted 

 near any other living shrub, but should 

 be supported by a dead tree trunk or 



trellis, as then the Honeysuckle gets all 

 the food from the soil. This is why one 

 sees plants of Honeysuckle on a wire 

 trellis bearing much finer blooms than is 

 the case when growing over trees or 

 hedges. A good plan is to plant some 

 in good soil against wooden posts at 

 distances of 12 ft. apart, and when they 

 have reached the top of the posts to 

 connect them by a festooning chain from 

 post to post, as Roses and Clematises are 

 often done. 



Some attention is required in pruning, 

 especially the European and American 

 deciduous species. The old stems should 

 be cut away so as to encourage new ones, 

 otherwise if allowed to go unpruned the 

 plants die out. The Japanese Honey- 

 suckles are more vigorous, and only 

 require pruning to keep them in check. 

 This is especially the case with L. japonica 

 and its variegated form, which soon form 

 an impenetrable mass of shoots, and that 

 is why they should not be grown on an 

 arbour or over a walk, as owing to the 

 dense shade the under side becomes full 

 of dead leaves and shoots. The Dutch 

 and similar growing kinds are best suited 

 for arbours. 



L. Caprifolium (TheGoafs-leaf Honey- 

 suckle) is a common plant, but not a true 

 native, though it occurs occasionally in a 

 naturalised state. The flowers, borne in 

 clusters, have long tubes, yellowish and 

 blush tinted, and very fragrant, coming in 

 May and June, succeeded in autumn by 

 yellowish berries. It is a robust twiner, 

 and grows wild in chalky districts in 

 hedges and woods. There are numerous 

 recorded names of varieties of this 

 Honeysuckle, among them being rubella, 

 pallida, verna, villosa, atrosanguinea, and 

 Magnevillei. The last-named is one of 

 the most distinct. 



L. confusa of De Candolle is the 

 beautiful Honeysuckle that is grown 

 under the name of L. Halleana. A 

 slender plant with long twining branches, 

 the leaves are ovate, and not pinnatifid 

 as in L. japonica, deep green, with 

 not such a ruddy tinge as in L. japonica, 

 neither is there a variegated form. The 

 flowers are in pairs from the axils of the 

 leaves on the tips of the young shoots, 

 pure white when first expanded, changing 

 to yellow, and this is the character that 

 makes the plant so beautiful apart from 

 its fragrance and free flowering. It 

 flowers throughout the summer, and its 

 lithe, slender stems will soon reach the 

 top of a wall or tree stump. 



L. flava (also named L. Fraseri in 

 collections) is a moderate climber, with 



