796 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



RHAPHITHAMNUS. 



the other species, such as R. indica and 

 R. salicifolia, both from China, are not 

 hardy enough for the open ground, but 

 make good wall shrubs. A cross 

 between ovata and indica, named R. 

 Delacourii, is intermediate in foliage 

 and bears delicate pale pink flowers. It 

 was raised in France, and does not yet 

 seem to have been tried in the open air 

 with us. 



EESEDA (Mignonette). The only 

 species worth growing is R. odoraia and 

 its varieties. Seed sown in the open 

 ground in March or April produces in 

 a few weeks flowering plants, which con 

 tinue to bloom till late in autumn. If 

 fine masses be wished for, the seed should 

 be sown in pans about the end of March, 

 the seedlings placed singly in 3-in. pots, and 

 planted out in good soil in an open posi- 

 tion. A. little attention should be given 

 to thinning out the weak shoots and 

 stopping the vigorous ones. Plants sown 

 in autumn will survive mild winters and 

 produce flowers in early summer, these 

 being finer than those of spring-sown 

 plants. There are now many varieties, as 

 R. odor at a grandiflora, R. o. pyramidalis 

 grandiflora, the compact, strong-growing 

 variety Machet, with bold spikes of reddish 

 flowers and broad abundant leaves, and 

 dwarf varieties. Machet is the kind 

 grown so largely in pots for the London 

 markets, and it is also a good kind for 

 the open air. 



Eetinospora. See CUPRESSUS. 



A name often wrongly given, and it would 

 be difficult to exaggerate the evil effect in 

 various ways of giving long Latin names to 

 mere forms and "states" of twigs which may 

 unhappily be propagated by cuttings or grafts, 

 and the repeating for ever in nursery catalogues 

 of doubtful generic names such as this which 

 have crowded our catalogues for years. The 

 really distinct plants once known as Retina- 

 sporas, are now classed with Cupressus. 

 This name Retinospora, therefore, may be 

 dropped out of use by those who care to sim- 

 plify their words and collections of trees. One 

 result of this confusion of mystifying names 

 is that it often keeps willing planters from 

 finding the really great trees among the crowd 

 of names. 



RHAMNUS (Buckthorn'). An exten- 

 sive group of shrubs, of minor importance, 

 yet with some useful kinds. JR. Alaternus 

 is a stout evergreen from the Mediterran- 

 ean region, with small rounded leaves of 

 firm texture, and variable as to habit, but 

 often straggling. There are many forms 

 of this shrub, the best being that in which 

 the leaves are broadly edged with silver ; 

 effective against a sheltered wall and in 



poor warm soils. A second variety, an- 

 gustifolia, is one of the finest dwarf ever- 

 greens for the rock-garden, of dense growth, 

 perfect in shape, with neat dark green 

 leaves. R. calif ornica and R. crocea are 

 other evergreen species, the first unarmed 

 and with rather oblong leaves of dark green, 

 and the second (also from California) with 

 small glossy leaves which are bright yellow 

 underneath, and scarlet berries in autumn. 

 The other introduced kinds are summer- 

 leafing. The Common Buckthorn (R. 

 cathartica) and the Black Alder (A'. Fran- 

 gula) are found in our own hedges and 

 woodlands. They are rarely seen in 

 gardens, though when heavily fruited the 

 clusters of R. Frangula, changing from 

 green to bright pink and dark purple, are 

 charming in the wild garden ; and the 

 leaves are pretty, especially in the Fern- 

 leaved variety, R. F. asplenifolia. R. crc- 

 nata from Japan is ornamental in autumn, 

 when loaded with its glossy black berries. 

 Several kinds are bold and handsome in 

 leaf, especially A', alpina, R. libanotica, 

 and R. tinctoria, and in a less degree 

 others like Purshiana, Caroliniana, aim- 

 folia, and da-vurica. R. alpina grows 

 slowly, and may be used in the rock-garden 

 with other mountain kinds like R. pitinila 

 and R. saxatilis, tiny miniature shrubs 

 which grow in the crevices of sunny rocks 

 amid the mountains of central Europe, 

 spreading flatly over their surface, with 

 glossy leaves and small dark fruits. All 

 the kinds are easily grown and not parti- 

 cular as to soil, the free-growing kinds 

 mostly doing best in damp places. The 

 scarcer sorts are commonly budded, but 

 there is no need for this, seeing that all 

 can be layered, or raised from seed or 

 cuttings. 



RHAPHITHAMNUS CYANOCAR- 

 PUS (Chilian Needle Tree). A. plant of 

 much beauty, but too tender for any save 

 favoured districts. It is one of the neat, 

 myrtle-like shrubs of South America, with 

 shining dark green leaves, heart-shaped 

 and about half an inch long, thickly set 

 upon graceful stems in clusters of three. 

 With these are an equal number of 

 needle-like spines slightly longer than the 

 leaves, and to these the tree owes its 

 name. The stems are covered with soft 

 thick down of a rusty brown colour. 

 Narrow tubular flowers of white and 

 mauve appear at the leaf-axils towards 

 the ends of the shoots, which are free of 

 spines. Though small, they are pretty, 

 drooping thickly in clusters of five or six 

 at each point, and not unpleasant in 

 smell. The plant reaches the height of a 

 small tree. 



