PIERIS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



FIXUS. 



717 



to select from the seedlings these silvery 

 varieties, and it is the green kind which is 

 of less value for gardens that is so useful for 

 exposed plantations and shelter groups. This 

 Spruce is confused with another Californian 

 Spruce called P. Engelmanni, P. conumitata 

 or P. Parryana, but which is quite inferior as 

 an ornamental tree to P. pungens. 



P. OMORICA (Servian Sprttce). A recent 

 introduction, which promises to be a good ad- 

 dition to the Spruces notable for ornamental 

 planting. It has somewhat the appearance of 

 P. oriental's in its growth, and very dark green 

 foliage, but the leaves are larger, flat and de- 

 cidedly silvery beneath. It appears to thrive 

 well in light soils, but beyond that not much is 

 known about it in a cultural way. 



PIERIS. Evergreen shrubs of much 

 beauty, natives of Japan, China, and 

 America. 



P. FLORABUXDA. A compact growing free 

 flowering evergreen, hardy in most soils, but 

 thriving best in those of a sandy and leafy 

 nature. Originally figured in the Botanical 

 Magazine as Andromeda, it is better known 



Flowers of Pieris. 



in gardens under that name. It never grows 

 very high, and is best grouped among the 

 medium sized shrubs, and associated with 

 Rhododendrons and other choice evergreens. 



P. JAPONICA. An extremely graceful ever- 

 green bush with long beautiful clusters of 

 flowers giving almost a lace-like effect in the 

 case of well grown bushes. It is quite hardy, 

 but slow and poor on loamy soils, thriving 

 best on good peat, and should be associated 

 with the choicest evergreens. 



P. FORMOSA is another beautiful kind, 

 but not quite so hardy as those we have above 



described, with pretty clusters of flowers and 

 evergreen leathery leaves ; only likely to thrive 

 in the southern parts of England and Ireland. 

 Other species of less importance from a 

 garden point of view are P. mariana, N. 

 America, P. nitida, S. United States, and 

 P. ovalifolia, Nepaul, which, among others, 

 are poisonous to animals. 



PINGUICULA (Butterwort}.11nK$e 



interesting dwarf bog-plants are pretty in 

 the bog-garden or moist spots in the rock- 

 garden. There are about half-a-dozen 

 kinds, all resembling each other and, 

 except P. vallisneria;folia, natives. P. 

 grandiflora (Irish Butterwort) is the finest. 

 Its flowers are large and blue-purple, the 

 leaves broad, spreading and flat upon the 

 rock or soil. It prefers the shady side of 

 a moist mossy rock, where the face is 

 steep and the narrow chinks are filled 

 with rich loam. If planted in earth 

 alone, where the drainage is imperfect, it 

 usually perishes in winter. P. alpina 

 differs from all other kinds in having 

 white flowers, marked more or less with 

 lemon-yellow on the lip, but sometimes 

 tinted with pale pink. It roots firmly, by 

 means of strong woody fibres, and prefers 

 peaty soil mingled with shale or rough 

 gravel, and shady humid positions, such 

 as are afforded by a high rock-garden with 

 a north aspect, or by the shelter of a north 

 wall. P. vulgaris grows freely in any 

 sunny position in rich moist peat or peaty 

 loam. A small form, with leaves like 

 those of P. alpina, both in form and colour, 

 is found in alpine bogs in the north of Eng- 

 land. P. lusitanica, found on the west 

 coast of Scotland and in Ireland, is smaller 

 than any of the preceding, and has pale 

 yellow flowers. It grows in peaty bogs 

 exposed to the sun. P. vallisneriaefolia, 

 from the mountains of Spain differs from 

 others in its clustered habit of growth. 

 Its leaves are pale yellowish-green, and 

 sometimes almost transparent, becoming 

 4 or 5 in. long, and occasionally even 7 in. 

 towards the end of the season. The 

 flowers are large, soft lilac colour, with 

 conspicuous \vhite or pale centres. Drip- 

 ping fissures and ledges of calcareous 

 rocks (frequently in tufa) suit the plant 

 perfectly, but it requires very free drain- 

 age, continuous moisture, and a humid 

 atmosphere. 



PINUS Pine). Noble evergreen, 

 cone-bearing trees of northern and tem- 

 perate regions, of highest beauty and use, 

 some of them admirably suited for the 

 climate of the British Islands and giving 

 finest evergreen shelter. When the 

 Mexican and Californian Pines were first 

 introduced and much talked of, little care 

 was taken in discriminating between the 



