ERIANTHUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



ERICA. 



545 



florin. It is one of the hardiest and best 

 of the known species. It flowers in May 

 and June, and is a native of the temperate 

 Himalayas. 



E. OlgSB is a comparatively dwarf 

 form, received with E. Bungei from Herr 

 Max Leichtlin, and one of the latest to 

 flower. The flower-stem is nearly 4 ft. 

 high, and is densely set with handsome 

 lilac flowers as large as a five-shilling 

 piece. It is certainly one of the hand- 

 somest and most conspicuous flowered 

 species. It was introduced about eight 

 years ago by Dr. Regel. A native 

 of Turkestan, flowering in June and 

 July. 



E. robustus, a lovely species, and one 

 of the best known in gardens. It pro- 

 duces a huge flower-stem 6 to 10 ft. high, 

 bearing on its summit a dense raceme of 

 peach-shaded lilac flowers nearly 2 in. in 

 diameter. It is perfectly hardy, and may 

 often be seen forcing its shoots through 

 frozen ground. It is one of the easiest to 

 manage. Native of Turkestan, flowering 

 in June. D. 



Known species. They are Asiatic plants 

 coming chiefly from Asia Minor, Persia, 

 Afghanistan, India, and Turkestan. E. Aitchi- 

 soni, Afghan. Alberti, albo-citrinus, altaicus, 

 angustifolius, anisopterus, Aucherianus, bach- 

 tiaricus, bucharicus, Bungei, cappadocicus, 

 Capusi, Griffithii, himalaicus, inderiensis, Kauf- 

 manni, Korolkowi, luteus, Olgae, persicus, 

 robustus, spectabilis, stenophyllus, Stocksii, 

 Suworowi, tauricus, turkestanicus. 



ERIANTHUS. A fine Grass from S. 

 Europe, E. Ravenna is somewhat like the 

 Pampas Grass in habit, but smaller in 

 size, having violet-tinged leaves. The 

 flowering stems grow from 5 to6|- ft. high, 

 but as it only flowers with us in a very 

 warm season, it must be valued for its 

 foliage alone. I ts dense tufts are strongest 

 with us in light or warm soil, in positions 

 with a south aspect. It is poor on cold 

 soils, and will probably not grow well north 

 of London. It is fitted for association 

 with such Grasses as Arundo conspicua. 

 Division of the tufts in spring or autumn. 

 E. strictus is another species, but is not 

 so good as E. Ravennae. 



ERICA (Heath}. Beautiful shrubs, of 

 which the kinds that are wild in Europe 

 are very precious for gardens. We should 

 take more hints from our own wild plants 

 and bring the hardy Heaths of Britain 

 into the garden. Why should we have 

 such things as the Alternanthera grown 

 with care and cost in hothouses, and then 

 put out in summer to make our flower 

 gardens ridiculous, while neglecting such 

 lovely hardy things as our own Heaths and 

 their many pretty varieties ? But very many 



people do not know how happy these 

 Heaths are as garden plants, and how well 

 they mark the seasons, and for the most 

 part at a time when people go into the 

 country. A pretty Heath garden is that 

 of Sir P. Currie at Hawley, where, near 

 his house he has kept, instead of a lawn, 

 a piece of the Heath land of the district 

 almost in its natural state, save for a little 

 levelling of old pits. In such places the 

 native Heaths of Surrey and Hampshire 

 sow themselves, and nothing can be 

 better in the situation. Where, as in 

 many country places, the Heaths abound, 

 there is less need to cultivate them, al- 

 though we cultivate nothing prettier. In 

 places large enough for bold Heath gar- 

 dens it would be well to plant them, but 

 a small place is often large enough for 

 a few beds of hardy Heaths. Once 

 established, they need very little attention. 

 To some it may be necessary to state that 

 most of our Heaths break into white and 

 various coloured, the common Heather 

 having many pretty varieties, also the 

 Scotch Heath. These forms are quite as 

 free as the wild sorts, and give delightful 

 variety in a Heath garden, which need 

 not by any means be a pretentious affair, 

 but quite simple ; for Heaths are best on 

 the nearly level ground. Though they 

 grow best, perhaps, in northern and upland 

 peat bogs and wastes, we see them in the 

 southern counties in ordinary soils, though 

 on heaths they seem to form their own soil 

 by decay of the stems and leaves for 

 many years. Choice Heaths form often 

 the very best adornment of rocky banks, 

 but these are by no means necessary, 

 and some of the best groups I have seen 

 were on the level ground, as in the late Sir 

 William Beaumont's garden in Surrey. 

 This group of plants has as yet had but 

 scant care, and, if grown at all, is grown 

 in a poor way and more for its " botanical 

 interest " than from any just sense of its 

 great beauty. That can only be fairly 

 judged of by those who see Heaths on 

 mountains and moors, where they are 

 among the most beautiful of plants in 

 effect in broad masses. This can hardly 

 ever be shown in small gardens, but why 

 should it not be in large ones ? We need 

 not even have a garden to cultivate 

 Heaths in a picturesque way, as almost 

 any rough open ground will do, and some 

 kinds will do among bushes and in woody 

 places. The larger Heaths, where grown, 

 should be massed in visible groups, and 

 the dwarf ones seen in masses also, and 

 not treated as mere " specks " on rockeries. 

 They are all of easy culture and all the 

 dwarf kind of easy increase by pulling in 

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