770 ROBIN I A. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDRX. 



moist temperature, and give plenty of 

 water at the roots ; when the roots have 

 reached the sides of the pots, place the 

 plants in 6 or 8-in. pots. About the end 

 of May gradually inure them to a cool 

 temperature, and after a few weeks place 

 them in a sheltered position out-of-doors. 

 By the end of June they may be planted out 

 in the beds ; the more sheltered the situa- 

 tion the better. Dig out holes for them, 

 placing in the bottom a few forkfuls of 

 manure, and, if this be taken from a warm 

 manure-bed, so much the better. Plant 

 and water them with soft rain water, and 

 mulch the surface with manure. During 

 hot weather manure-water will be of use. 



The best varieties are sanguineus, 

 borboniensis, Gibsoni (a very fine dark 

 variety), giganteus, Belot Desfougeres (a 

 very tall and branching kind), viridis (of 

 a uniform lively green), insignis, africanus, 

 africanus albidus, minor, hybridus, micro- 

 carpus, macrophyllus, atro-purpureus, 

 and sanguinolentus, all of which are forms 

 of R. communis, a native of the East 

 Indies. 



EOBINIA (False Acacia}. Beautiful 

 flowering trees for lawn or shrubbery. 

 The common Acacia or Locust Tree (R. 

 Pseudoacacia) is of quick growth, hardy, 

 and thrives almost anywhere. The ordi- 

 nary form, with its white Pea-shaped 

 blossom in full beauty about the end of 

 July, is the most familiar. Of the numer- 

 ous varieties the following are the best : 

 Decaisneana, with delicate pink flowers ; 



Robinia pseudoacacia. 



semperflorens, flowering throughout the 

 summer, and having white blossoms and 

 bright green foliage ; and Bessoniana, the 

 thornless branches of which form a dense 

 globular head of deep green foliage, which 

 is retained until very late in autumn, hence 

 its great value as a town or a street tree ; 

 mimoscefolia, with finely-divided leaves ; 

 fastigiata, of upright growth ; crispa, with 



curled foliage ; monophylla, with leaves 

 entire instead of pinnate ; umbraculifera, 

 with a spreading head ; macrophylla, with 

 large leaves ; sophoraefolia, with leaves 

 like the Japanese Sophora ; and inermis, 

 with a small head of spineless branches. 



R. viscosa (Clammy Locust] is smaller 

 than the ordinary False Acacia, but is 

 elegant in foliage and beautiful in flower. 

 The flowers resemble those of Decaisne's 

 variety of the common Acacia, being of 

 a pale pink colour, but the clusters are 

 shorter and denser. It is a beautiful lawn 

 tree, flowering while the tree is still small : 

 fully grown it is of picturesque habit, from 

 30 to 50 ft. high, thriving best in a deep 

 light soil in a sheltered spot. 



R. hispida (Rose Acacia] is one of 

 the finest of small trees, requiring little 

 room and not fastidious as to soil. It 

 is naturally straggling in growth, 5 to 

 15 ft. high ; its foliage is much larger 



Rodgersia podophylla. 



than that of the other Robinias ; the 

 clear rose-pink flowers are also larger. 

 A well-flowered specimen is a pretty 

 sight. It flowers in June, but often 



