74 2 PHILESIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



height of 4 ft. to 5 ft. , is of rather upright 

 growth, with large, sweet-scented flowers. 



P. NUEE BLANCHE. This has large shin- 

 ing green leaves, and regularly shaped round 

 blossoms, deeply cupped. 



P. PAVILLON BLANC. A vigorous form, 

 with large clusters of white flowers. 



P. PERLE BLANCHE. The finest double 

 Philadelphus, with very large flowers of the 

 purest white, and borne in great profusion. 



P. PURPUREO-MACULATUS. This was given 

 a first-class certificate by the R U.S., which 

 was well deserved, not only for its merit, but 

 also for the possibilities it opened up of quite 

 a new race of these beautiful shrubs, whose 

 blossoms hitherto have been white, or nearly 

 so, whereas those of the new-comer have on 

 each petal a distinct blotch of purple-rose. 



ROSACE. This bears large double flowers, 

 consisting of two or three rows of petals, at 

 first creamy-white, but after expansion becom- 

 ing pure white. 



PHILESIA(/V/z0). P. buxifolia is an 

 exquisite dwarf shrub, with large carmine- 

 red Lapageria-like bells (2 in. long) nest- 

 ling among and suffusing with their rich 

 colour the sombre evergreen foliage. It 

 is a precious shrub for the cooler parts of 

 the rock-garden in the more favourable 

 coast gardens, in moist peat or turfy loam. 

 It is very averse to cold draughts and 

 a dry atmosphere, and to avoid this may 

 be grown well in unfavourable districts 

 under a hand-light. In this way air can 

 be given in fine weather and shade in 

 summer, with the necessary protection at 

 all seasons. May be increased by suckers 

 from the base, but in a plant of such slow 

 growth these should only be removed 

 from strong and well-established roots. 

 S. America. 



PHILLYRAEA (Jasmine Box). 

 Distinct shrubs from the south of Europe, 

 at one time among our most important 

 evergreens, but now neglected, spite of 

 their beauty, in our southern gardens. 

 Further north they are somewhat tender 

 in hard winters. The newest kind, as well 

 as the hardiest and best, is Vilmorin's 

 Jasmine Box (P. decora), with laurel-like 

 leaves and fragrant white flowers in early 

 spring. Coming from the mountains of 

 Asia Minor, this will withstand severe 

 frost, is free from insects and disease, and 

 quite at home in town gardens. The 

 flowers are sometimes followed by black 

 fruits like a sloe, containing seed by 

 which the plant is readily increased. 

 Otherwise increase is difficult, the best 

 way being cuttings of partly-ripe wood 

 taken with a heel and rooted in pots of 

 sandy soil with gentle heat in early sum- 

 mer. Nurserymen have found that the 

 Phillyraea unites readily with Privet, so 

 that nearly all their stock is grafted, and 



the plants die out just as they should be in 

 full beauty. This has helped to give the 

 group a bad name, but for shore gardens 

 of light soil there are few better shrubs. 



The kinds from the Mediterranean are 

 classed as three species, but they vary so 

 much from seed and are so closely 

 connected by intermediate forms as to be 

 better treated as one variable kind. There 

 is first the Narrow-leaved Phillyraea 

 (P . angustifolia\ 15 feet or so in height, 

 with long narrow leaves which may be 

 small and narrow, as in rostnarinifoUa, 

 a fine dwarf evergreen from Italy. 

 P. latifolia reaches the size of a small tree 

 of 30 feet, with rigidly spreading branches, 

 a compact habit of growth, and broad 

 deep-green leaves. To it belong several 

 forms the Holly-leaved (P. ilicifolia), 

 which is one of the best known ; laevis, 

 with rounded leaves and saw-like edges ; 

 spitiosa, in which the edges are more 

 sharply toothed ; and rotundifolia, with 

 broadly rounded leaves. Between angus- 

 tifolia and latifolia comes P. media, 

 intermediate in size and vigour as well as 

 in its leaves. Strangely enough, it is also 

 the most tender, many plants having been 

 cut to the ground or killed outright in the 

 winter of 1880. This also has several 

 forms, such as buxifolia, with short 

 rounded leaves ; oleaefolia, in which they 

 are longer and narrower ; and pendula, 

 with a diffuse habit. All do best in light 

 open soils and in full sun, and all are of 

 fine habit without much pruning, though 

 they will bear this if necessary and make 

 thick, handsome hedges. All the kinds 

 bear greenish-white flowers, but only in 

 P. decora are they large enough to 

 attract. 



PHLOMIS (Jerusalem Sage).h 

 group of old-fashioned shrubs and per- 

 ennial plants belonging to the Sage 

 family, and interesting because so unlike 

 most other plants. There are now not 

 many kinds in cultivation, but even these 

 show much beauty and diversity of form 

 and habit. The leaves of many kinds are 

 wrinkled, woolly, or hoary, becoming 

 smaller up the stems, while the handsome 

 hooded flowers are yellow, purple, or 

 white, and borne in clusters around the 

 stem, tier above tier. The perennial 

 kinds are easily suited as to soil, and 

 will take care of themselves in the wild 

 garden or rougher parts of the pleasure 

 grounds. The shrubby species are best 

 in light and dry soils, where their growth 

 is not too vigorous and the wood well 

 ripened. All are easily increased, the 

 shrubby kinds from seed, or cuttings of 

 the young shoots put in under glass 



