600 ILEX. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



1LLICIUM. 



fields, or as a lovely ornament of our 

 gardens ; whether grown naturally or 

 clipped as it must be to form fences ; 

 embracing also in its numerous varieties 

 the most enduring of variegated shrubs 

 known, variegation in most other things 

 being mere disease, whereas in the Holly 

 it is quite consistent with health and 

 beauty. No other shrub known to us 

 may be so often used with good effect 

 near the house and garden, and it will be 

 clear, therefore, how much one should 

 consider the common Holly in all its 

 forms and ways. Valuable as many 

 varieties are, probably none are quite so 

 good as seedlings of the common kind. 

 Good seedling plants are the easiest 

 to transplant and establish. The art of 

 grafting most delusive as well as most 

 curious of arts should be carefully 

 guarded against as regards Hollies. 

 Hitherto the way has been to graft the 

 many variegated kinds on the common 

 Holly, and although we often see good 

 results in that way, it is by far the safer 

 plan to insist on the variegated and 

 curious kinds being raised from layers 

 or cuttings. Nurserymen are very apt, 

 having large quantities of stocks of com- 

 mon things, to graft indiscriminately ; 

 and though time seems at first to be 

 gained by it, it is dead against the cul- 

 tivator in the end in almost every case. 

 It will perhaps take a long time to 

 recognise the immense superiority of 

 own-root plants, but if purchasers in- 

 quire for and insist upon getting them, 

 it will very much hasten progress. My 

 own experience is that old plants grafted 

 are extremely difficult to move with 

 safety, and, generally, Hollies and other 

 trees are best not moved when old. It is 

 an expensive and troublesome business, 

 and often a failure. Young healthy 

 bushes, seedling or layer, will in a few 

 years beat old grafted trees, that at 

 least is my experience. Very often old 

 specimens from the nursery live for a 

 number of years, but their appearance is 

 deplorable, whereas healthy well-grown 

 young plants, from 3 to 5 ft. high, when 

 transplanted in May, are often beautiful 

 from the first. No doubt healthy seed- 

 ling plants might be transplanted at 

 various times, but experience has proved 

 that there is a distinct gain in transplant- 

 ing Hollies in May ; and if we transplant 

 them carefully at that time we shall 

 probably see good healthy growth the 

 same year. 



As regards the uses of the Holly, they 

 are so many in the garden that it is 

 difficult even to generalise them. As 



shelter in bold groups, dividing lines, 

 hedges, beautiful effects of fruit in 

 autumn, masses of evergreen foliage, 

 bright glistening colour from variegated 

 kinds ; elegant groups of the most beau- 

 tiful varieties, every kind of delightful 

 use may be found for them in gardens. 



According to the late Mr. Shirley 

 Hibberd, who was a very keen observer 

 of the Holly, the following is a good 

 selection of varieties. In the selection 

 of Hollies it will be well to bear in 

 mind that the variety known as Scotica 

 answers best of any plant near the sea. 

 The variety known as Hodgins's is the 

 most free in growth in a town garden, 

 being less affected by smoke than most 

 others. The most fruitful varieties are 

 catalogued as foemina, glabra, madeirensis, 

 balearica, lutea, and flava. The most 

 distinct and beautiful of the variegated 

 kinds are Golden Queen, Silver Queen, 

 Painted Lady, Broad-leaved Silver, Gold 

 Milkmaid, Watereriana, and Argentea 

 marginata. The following classification of 

 Hollies in relation to their several char- 

 acters will be useful : 



" MALE-FLOWERING HOLLIES. Cili- 

 ata, Heterophylla, Latispina, Laurifolia, 

 Tortuosa, Gold Tortuosa, Bcetii, Cookii, 

 Gold Cookii, Cornuta, Doningtonensis, 

 Ferox, Ferox fol. arg., Ferox aurea, Foxii, 

 Furcata, Ovata, Picta marginata, Golden 

 Queen, Longifolia aurea, Longifolia 

 argentea, Watereriana, Gold Few-spined, 

 Silver Queen, Shepherclii. 



" FEMALE - FLOWERING HOLLIES. 

 Angustifolia, Angustifolia aurea pendula, 

 Angustifolia medio picta pendula, Bal- 

 earica, Broad leaf, Dark shoot, Fisherii, 

 Flavo fructo aurea, Fcemina, Golden 

 Milkmaid, Glabra, Handsworthiana, 

 Silver Handsworthiana, Heterophylla, 

 Hodginsii, Latifolia argentea, Latifolia 

 aurea, Lutea, Madame Briot, Madeirensis, 

 Madeirensis nigrescens, Madeirensis 

 variegata, Myrtifolia, Milkmaid, red berry ; 

 Milkmaid, yellow berry ; Moonlight, 

 Perry's weeping, Picta aurea, Platyphylla, 

 Scotica, Watereriana, Weeping. 



" HERMAPHRODITE-FLOWERING HOL- 

 LIES. Shepherdii, Smithiana, Silver 

 Queen, Heterophylla, Hodginsii, Lauri- 

 folia, Handsworthiana, Lutea, Flava, 

 Scotica, Balearica, Rotundifolia." 



By far the best of all known Hollies is 

 our native Holly, but there are other 

 Japanese and American kinds worth 

 growing, such as Ilex crenata, and the 

 fine I. latifolia. This, however requires 

 our most temperate districts to thrive. 



ILLICIUM. An interesting half-hardy 

 evergreen shrub from the Southern States 



