954 



HOMERIA POPULNEA. 



SUPPLEMENT. 



nearly allied to the dahlia. Planted out 

 against a sunny wall at the end of May, 

 its stems quickly cover a wide space with 

 their cheerful bright green and much cut 

 leaves, which attach themselves to sur- 

 rounding objects by a twist of the stalk. 

 Towards autumn bright scarlet flowers 

 appear, 7.\ in. across, and like those 

 of a single dahlia, but lasting much 

 longer, and pretty for cutting. The plant 

 should have all the sun one can give it, 

 and a soil not too rich, or there is luxuriant 

 growth without flowers. Its beauty con- 

 tinues until the first sharp frost, while i 

 under glass flowers are produced almost 

 the year round. Cuttings of the growing 

 tips taken in early autumn root freely in 

 a cold frame, and require the same winter 

 treatment as Mina lobata and other tender 

 climbing plants. 



HOHERIA POPULNEA (New 

 Zealand Ribbon-wood}. An evergreen 

 shrub from New Zealand, in flower and 

 habit like a coarse-leaved Deutzia, and 

 not at all like the Mallows, to which it is 

 related. It is hardy in the warmer parts 

 of Ireland and in the south-west of Eng- 

 land, a fine plant 10 ft. high having 

 flowered in the Trinity College Gardens, 

 Dublin, for several years past. In colder j 

 places it must be wintered under glass, 

 and only put out in summer. The pure 

 white flowers are borne freely jn clusters 

 in autumn, and the sharply-tapering dark 

 green leaves are deeply toothed. New 

 Zealand. Seed, or cuttings of the young- 

 shoots in spring. 



HOMERIA COLLINA. A choice 

 bulbous plant from the Cape, thriving in 

 such light southern soils as suit Sparaxis, 

 Ixia, and the like ; indeed, this would seem 

 to be hardier and more vigorous than 

 these better-known plants. The flowers, 

 in finely blending tints of orange or salmon 

 pink shaded with purple about a yellow eye, 

 are 2^ in. across and borne four or more 

 together on stems of i\ ft. They close 

 towards evening until morning. The 

 leaves are 4 ft. long and half-an-inch 

 wide, and are so succulent that unless 

 carefully protected from snails they are 

 soon eaten through. The bulbs increase 

 rapidly in warm open soils, and they may 

 be left in the ground with a covering of 

 ashes in the south. Seed ripens freely, 

 and germinates without any trouble, in 

 sunny seaside gardens. Syns., Bobartia, 

 Homeria aurantiaca. 



HYMENANTHERA. A small group 

 of shrubs and low trees from New Zealand, 

 only one of which, H. crasstfolia, has been 

 introduced. This is a low evergreen with 

 the spreading and freely-branched habit 



of a Cotoneaster, with small leathery 

 leaves and inconspicuous flowers followed 

 by small berries covered with tiny black 

 specks. These berries are studded thickly 

 over the ash-grey stems and even on the 

 old main branches, the one fault being 

 that clustering mainly on the underside, 

 they are not readily seen. The plant 

 seldom exceeds 3 or 4 ft. in height, 

 though the branches trail widely, and it is 

 hardier than many New Zealand shrubs, 

 growing in exposed places and without 

 protection in the north of England. 

 Increase by seeds, or cuttings rooted 

 under glass during summer and early 

 autumn. 



ISATIS. A small group of peren- 

 nials, with little garden value ; the 

 Dyer's Woad, a native plant (Isatis tinc- 

 toria) is interesting as yielding the blue 

 dye with which the ancient Britons 

 painted their bodies. Isatis glauca is a 

 handsome perennial of 3 ft., with grey- 

 green furrowed stems and long narrow 

 leaves with a white midrib. The tiny- 

 bright yellow flowers come during July 

 in large feathery heads. The plant thrives 

 in ordinary soil if given a moist and well- 

 drained position, with full sunlight. 

 Seeds or division. Asia Minor. 



KIRENGESHOMA PALMATA A 



vigorous hardy herbaceous plant from the 

 mountains of Japan, with dark stems of 

 about 3 ft. high, bearing thin hairy leaves 

 shaped like those of a Sycamore, and 

 clusters of creamy-white flowers in early 

 autumn. These are shaped like those of 

 a Campanula, the five fleshy petals over- 

 lapping so closely as to appear like one, 

 and measuring i^ in. long and about 

 half as wide. The plant is best in moist, 

 peaty soil, and in partial shade, fierce sun 

 heat scorching both leaves and flowers. 

 Increase by seeds and division. 



LAURELIA AROMATICA A 



noble evergreen tree from South America, 

 resembling the Common Bay in its fine 

 appearance and fragrant leaves, and at- 

 taining a height of 30 ft. or more in parts 

 of Ireland. Being scarce it has not yet 

 been much tried, but like other Chilian 

 shrubs it is probably hardy in the milder 

 parts of Britain. The leaves are thick, 

 fleshy, studded all over with minute trans- 

 parent dots, and have a fine aromatic 

 smell. The flowers and fruits are not 

 showy, coming as dense clusters nestling 

 in the leaf-axils, and only on well-estab- 

 lished plants. 



LILIUM. Since the opening up of 

 China many beautiful new Lilies have 



