746 



PHORMIUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



following season, and may be planted 

 elsewhere. These Phloxes are charming 

 in spring, being hardy and forming gay 

 cushions on the level ground, or pendent 

 sheets from the tops of crags or from 

 chinks in the rock-garden. Rocky hills 

 and sandy wastes in North America, 



Known species : P. adsurgens, W. Amer. ; atticena., 

 N. Amer. ; biftda, do. ; biflora, Chili ; brevifolia, N. 

 &mex.;bryoiaet, N.W. Amer. \ccespitosa, &o.;canescens 

 N.W. Amer ; clarkioides ', divaricata, N. Amer. 

 Douglassii, N.W. Amer. ; Drummondii, Texas ; elata 

 N. A.me.r.',Jioriiiana, do. \glabtrrimtt. do. ; glomerata. 

 do. ; Hoodii, N.W. Amer. ; intermedia, do. ; lineari 

 folia; Listoniana, N. Amer.; longifolia, N.W 

 Amer. ; maculata, N. Amer. ; muscoides, N.W. Amer. 

 nana, do. ; odorata, N. Amer. ; ovata, do. ; panicu 

 lata, do. ; pilosa. do. ; reptans, do. ; Richardsom 

 Arctic Amer. ; Roemeriana, Texas ; rosea, N. Amer. 

 siberica, Arctic regions ; speciosa, N.W. Amer. ; Stel 

 laria, N. Amer. ; subulata, do. ; suffruticosa, do. 

 Thomsom, do. ; tigrina \ virgin-ica, N. Amer. 



PHORMIUM (New Zealand Flax). 

 Fine-leaved plants from New Zealand, 

 like giant Iris in foliage, their tough 

 broadly sword-shaped leaves rising to a 

 height of many feet in the more vigorous 

 kinds, and of stately effect at the water- 

 side mingled with Bamboos, Pampas 

 Grass, and Gunneras. In hard winters 

 even strong plants may be injured or cut 

 to the ground, but the roots seldom 

 perish, and by selection hardier forms are 

 now available than those first introduced. 

 In the most favoured districts one well- 

 grown plant of Phormium will spread into 

 a mass 30 or 40 ft. in circumference and 

 8 to 10 ft. high, with flower-stems rising 

 several feet above this. The reddish- 

 brown flowers are more curious than 

 beautiful, but when borne freely they give 

 character to the plant. In cold districts 

 the roots should be well protected, or the 

 plants can be grown in tubs and moved 

 to the conservatory, after a time on the 

 lawn or terrace during summer. P. tenax 

 is the common green-leaved kind, and is 

 a noble plant of very vigorous growth, but 

 tender. Some of its forms are more 

 resistant, the hardiest of all being the 

 Powerscourt variety, with a narrower and 

 more glaucous leaf of erect growth, and 

 about 6 ft. long. A form with dark 

 leaves is atro-purpurea, with a deep 

 purplish zone along the edges of the leaf, 

 and in some plants wholly suffusing it. 

 There are two striped forms of P. tenax, 

 one closely resembling the parent but 

 a little less vigorous, its broad dark-green 

 leaves striped with white and yellow ; and 

 Veitch's form (P. Veitchii\ in which the 

 leaves are shorter, narrower, and of a 

 more lively green. This is a relatively 

 hardy kind, and perhaps the prettiest of 

 the striped sorts. P. Cookianum is hardier 

 than P. tenax and a much smaller plant, 

 with leaves of only 3 to 4 ft. and yellow 



flowers ; it also has a variegated variety. 

 P. Colensoi is another fairly hardy kind 

 from the mountains of New Zealand, with 

 a spreading and graceful way of growth 

 and narrow leaves. Of this there is 

 a distinct garden form called compacta, 

 very dwarf, neat, and hardy, with quite 

 narrow leaves. Increase by seed and 

 root-division, seed from one plant yielding 

 a variety of forms. The Phormiums like 

 a rich soil with abundance of sunlight and 

 moisture, and where there is nothing 

 to fear from frost they do well treated as 

 water-side plants. 



PHOTINIA. A group of handsome 

 shrubs, mostly evergreen, and too tender 

 for our gardens, where even the hardiest 

 kind, P. serrulata known as the Chinese 

 Hawthorn is rarely seen except along 

 the south coast, though quite hardy 

 enough for sheltered places inland. This 

 is one of the best of seaside shrubs, 

 making dense masses 20 or more feet in 

 height and width. The foliage is hand- 

 some, glossy like that of a Portugal 

 Laurel, and of a fine red colour in spring. 

 These young leaves come so early as to 

 risk injury from late frosts, and to escape 

 this the plant is mostly grown against 

 walls when away from the sea, and is very 

 handsome in this way, bearing heads of 

 small white flowers in May and June. 

 Another hardy kind from China and 

 Japan is P. variabilis, which loses its 

 leaves in winter, but retains its bright 

 scarlet berries long after they have 

 fallen. The leaves themselves turn a 

 fine crimson before falling when the 

 plant is grown in an open and sunny 

 place and in dry soil. To do well with 

 us the Photinias should have a light 

 well-drained soil, shelter, and sun- 

 shine. 



PHRAGMITES (Great Reed). P. 

 communis is a most graceful plant in all 

 open waters, by which it forms excellent 

 covert for duck. It grows to a height of 

 6 ft., with drooping heads of brownish- 

 purple flowers in autumn. There is a 

 finely variegated form. 



PHUOPSIS (Crossworf).^ pretty 

 little hardy perennial of trailing habit, 

 with heads of pale rosy flowers in early 

 spring. The individual blooms are small, 

 but clustered in dense heads, their one 

 fault being a somewhat unpleasant smell. 

 There are garden forms with deep crimson 

 and with purple flowers. Increase by 

 seed, or division in early spring. Old 

 tufts should be trimmed with scissors or 

 a pair of shears from time to time, and 

 soon push out afresh. Easily grown in 

 any soil, on open banks or sunny places 



