CEDRUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



473 



some injury, but nothing like what hap- 

 pens to the specimen trees. Think of the 

 weight that a Cedar of Lebanon, with its 

 great spreading arms, would have to carry 

 in a snowstorm, and how much more able 

 to bear it or to meet such a test are the 

 Cedars planted in woods and allowed to 

 group and grow mast-like shafts ! 



The cure for much of this loss and 

 waste of valuable trees lies in planting in 

 more natural ways and in grouping and 

 keeping the trees together. 



With regard to soil and situation, each 

 planter seeks the best possible develop- 

 ment for his Cedars, and so selects the 

 best soil and position he has, and, pro- 

 bably, digs a big hole for each tree and 

 puts many loads of earth in. The result 

 of this is not good, in more ways than one, 

 first in creating a too rapid growth in the 

 young tree, and soft unresisting wood in 

 the old, and, secondly, any proof that the 

 natural soil and other conditions of the 



Cedar of Lebanon. 



place suit the tree is withheld from us by 

 the deep preparation of soil made, entirely 

 altering the natural conditions. Any one 

 who has seen the trees in their native 

 countries will know that the Cedar usually 

 inhabits high mountains, often on bare, 

 shaly slopes, in which they are happy 

 enough, though never so well developed 

 as when growing where a little soil col- 

 lects. That soil is always of a poor rocky 

 or pervious nature. Surely this points 

 out that in pleasure grounds and country 

 seats, instead of taking the very best soil, 

 we should plant on rocky or sandy places 

 where the tree will, though growing at 

 first slowly, eventually get a safer and 

 harder growth than it .ever would on rich 

 deep soil. This would not preclude us 

 from putting a group in the pleasure 

 grounds for the sake of shade, but holding 

 the trees together. Also, it would be well 

 to plant it in the ordinary woodland, in 

 which the trees would be drawn up with 

 a tall stem, very effective near drives or 

 in woods. The difficulty of dealing with 

 the Cedar is increased by its being made a 



kind of fetish in our nurseries, always 

 being offered in the "specimen" state, so 

 that nowadays it is not easy to get a 

 nice healthy stock cf young plants of it, 

 and those offered are generally highly 

 priced as if they were some rare novelty 

 instead of a tree known for some centuries. 

 The seed of the tree is plentiful in Asia 

 Minor and North Africa, and it really 

 ought to be grown in forest nurseries and 

 offered among the other forest trees. The 

 seed being as easy to raise as that of any 

 other conifer, people should not buy the 

 tree in the " specimen " state but in the 

 smaller state, a much safer and better 

 way, especially where we group and hold 

 our trees together and where they can 

 shade the ground. This plan by no 

 means precludes us from sufficient thin- 

 ning in good time, so as to secure great 

 trees, always, however, holding to the 

 principle of letting the trees shade the 

 ground and shelter each other. W. R. 



CELASTRUS (Staff Vine]. C. 

 scandens is a shrubby climber from North 

 America, flourishing in any ordinary 

 garden soil, and valuable for its rapid 

 twining growth, which is excellent for 

 trailing over trellis-work and arbours, or 

 on a bank, or to run over other shrubs and 

 trees to a height of 12 or 15 ft. The 

 flowers are inconspicuous, and the fruits 

 orange-red, like those of the Spindle 

 Tree, to which order it belongs. 



CELOSIA (Cocks-comb}. Indian an- 

 nuals of the Amaranth family. They 

 are generally too tender for the open 

 air, though we have occasionally seen 

 them used with effect in bold groups. 

 For this purpose they should be sown 

 in pans in March, and kept near 

 the glass to prevent the seedlings being 

 drawn, and as soon as they are large enough 

 to handle they should be pricked off into 

 small pots, grown on fast in gentle heat 

 until the crowns are formed. Planted out 

 in June in rich soil, and liberally watered, 

 they continue in good condition for a long 

 time. 



CELSIA (Cretan Mttllein\C. cretica 

 is a pretty plant, allied to the mulleins, with 

 rich yellow flowers and polished buds, 

 may be treated as an annual. Well grown 

 in good soil, it is distinct and effective. 

 Candia, N. Africa. 



CELTIS (Nettle tree}. Trees of the 

 Elm order, natives of temperate countries, 

 much mentioned in books, and introduced 

 to Britain many years, but which have 

 never made much way with us, and are 

 less attractive to planters than other trees 

 of the same order. Among a cloud of 

 synonyms, the following are the names : 



