714 PHORMIUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



PHYSALIS. 



Mr. Nelson, of Aldborough, raised a large 

 number of seedlings, as varied in hue as 

 Phlox Drummondi. 



The dwarf Phloxes are so closely allied 

 that general cultural remarks will suffice. 

 Well-drained ordinary garden soil and 

 sunny exposure are essential. Though 

 perfectly hardy, the damp atmosphere of 

 mild winters is fatal, and as the plants do 

 not seed freely, they must be increased by 

 cuttings. A sharp knife and a careful 

 hand will soon remove the two or three 

 pairs of leaves with their included buds 

 without damaging either the slender stem 

 or the joint. These should be taken off 

 in July, when the branches are just com- 

 mencing to harden, and inserted in sandy 

 soil in a frame where they can be shaded 

 from full sunshine, and given the benefit 

 of the night dews by the removal of the 

 lights. They will soon root and become 

 good flowering plants the following season. 

 With large patches, the readiest way is to 

 sprinkle sandy soil over the entire plant 

 and to work the same gently amongst the 

 branches with the hand. If this be done 

 during the summer or the early autumn, 

 the trailing branches will form roots the 

 following season, and may be planted 

 elsewhere. These Phloxes are charming 

 in spring, being hardy and forming gay 

 cushions on the level ground, or pendent 

 sheets from the tops of crags or from 

 chinks in the rock-garden. Rocky hills 

 and sandy wastes in North America, 



Known Species P. adsurgens, W. Amer. ; ainocna 

 N. Amer. ; bifida, do. ; biflora, Chili ; brevifolia, N 

 Amer. ; brycides, N. W. Amer. ; ceespitosa, do. ; canescens 

 N.W. Amer ; clarkioides ; divaricata, N. Amer. 

 Douglassii, N.W. Amer. ; Drummondii, Texas ; elata 

 N. Amer. \jtoridaita, do. ; gla.be* ritna, do. ; glomerata 

 do. ; Hoodii, N.W. Amer. ; intermedia, do. ; linean 

 folia ; Listoniana, N. Amer. ; longifolia, N.W 

 Amer. ; maculata, N. Amer. ; muscoides, N.W. Amer. 

 nana, do. ; odorata, N. Amer. ; ovata, do. ; panicu 

 lata, do. ; pilosa, do. ; reptans, do. ; Richardsom 

 Arctic Amer. ; Rceineriana, Texas ; rosea, N. Amer. 

 siberica, Arctic regions ; speciosa, N.W. Amer. ; stel 

 /aria, N. Amer. ; subulata, do. ; suffruticosa^ do. 

 Thomsoni, do. ; tigrina ; virginica, N. Amer. 



PHOEMIUM (New Zealand Flax}. 

 P. tenax reminds one in habit of a large 

 Iris, forming tufts of broad, shining, 

 leathery leaves, 5 to 6| ft. high, gracefully 

 arched at the top. The lemon-coloured 

 flowers are in erect loose spikes just above 

 the foliage. It will generally enjoy a 

 greenhouse, though in genial places in 

 south and west of England and Ireland it 

 does very well in the open air in a light 

 deep soil. A few specimens well grown 

 and plunged in the Grass or in the centre 

 of a bed have a distinct effect. The 

 variegated variety is also pleasing in 

 the open air in warm situations in the 

 south of England and Ireland, and in 

 any case will do out-of-doors in the 



summer. Division of the lufts 

 summer. 



PHRAGMITES (Great Reed). P. 

 commttms is a common native waterside 

 Grass, suitable for the margins of water, 

 by which it forms excellent covert. There 

 is a good variegated form. 



PHYGELIUS (Cape Figivorf). P. 

 capensis, a Cape plant, is related to the 

 Chelone and the Pentstemon, but distinct 

 in its general effect. It grows some 3 or 4 

 ft. high, and its many stems are terminated 

 by a long branching raceme of brilliant 

 I scarlet flowers, which open in May and 

 June and continue far into autumn. It is 

 hardy near London, though it does not 

 flourish so well in the open as under the 

 shelter of a wall, where it thrives. It 

 prefers a light rich soil, but in warm sea- 

 shore districts is not fastidious. Readily 

 increased by portions of the root-stock, 

 the bases of the stems being furnished 

 with rootlets. 



Phyllostachys. See BAMBUSA. 



PHYSALIS ( Winter Cherry\-P. Alkc- 

 kengi is a handsome and curious South 

 European plant, bearing in autumn bright 



Physalis Alkekengi (Winter Cherry). 



orange-red bladder-like calyces, enclos- 

 ing Cherry-like fruits. It is a hardy 

 perennial, requiring a warm border ; i 



