1 82 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



This plant is said to provide the wood from which the so-called Briar- 

 root pipes are made, and is largely imported from France to this country 

 for that purpose. It may form the central figure of a large bed ; the 

 flowers for the most part are white, although several varieties in 

 different colours are recorded. E. lusitanica or codonodes, occasionally 

 known as E. polytrichifolia, closely allied to E. arborea^ is also a tall 

 grower, reaching a height of 4 feet; this is a most beautiful variety, 

 with white flowers borne very profusely, and having foliage of a pleas- 

 ing soft green. E. multiftora is, perhaps, the earliest to show flower, 

 producing its blossoms of a pale red colour sometimes in the last weeks 

 of December, if the weather at that time is at all favourable. Its 

 average height is about 2 feet, and is well adapted for planting 

 between the first two named and the dwarf varieties of E. carnea with 

 which we would finish the planting of the early bed. E. carnea forms 

 dense tufts of pink flowers, and rarely exceeds a height of six inches. 

 It is one of the freest, both in growth and flower, of the whole genus, 

 and should be included in every collection. E. c. alba, often catalogued 

 under the name of E. herbacea, is of slightly dwarfer dimensions than 

 the former, but otherwise an exact counterpart in all but the colour of 

 the flowers, which are white. When grown in quantity these lovely 

 little Heaths provide some of the earliest forage for bees, and together 

 with the tall varieties, already named, give a display during the first 

 three months of the year; but before they have quite gone out of 

 flower other varieties are rapidly coming forward. 



Heaths for the Spring. During the period from March to May, 

 E. mediterranea in numerous colours will serve to keep up the suc- 

 cession, and several beds may be devoted to this section. The type 

 grows almost 3 feet high, and has flowers of a pleasing shade of red, 

 and should be planted towards the centre of the bed or well back from 

 the margin of the border ; the others, being mostly of a uniform height 

 of from 9 inches to 12 inches, according to the suitability of the soil 

 and climate, may be disposed in patches or blocks to fill up the beds 

 according to the ideas of the planter. E. m. glauca is distinct in habit, 

 being a very compact grower bearing red flowers ; this variety requires 

 somewhat closer planting than the others to enable it to cover the 

 ground properly and avoid a certain stiffness in form that it assumes 

 when given too much room. E. m. hybrida has somewhat larger and 

 brighter individual flowers on shorter stems, and usually flowers were 

 early, particularly in the southern counties. E. m. rubra might be 

 described as a deep pink ; E. m. nana and E. m. stricta both being red. 

 The first four named should serve for most purposes, except where a 

 very full collection is desired. 



Heaths for Summer Effect. June is perhaps the month in which 

 we find the smallest number of hardy Heaths in flower, that is, at the 

 full expanse of their beauty, for those that were in full flower during 

 April and May have by no means ceased to provide some colour effect 

 in their respective beds, as the plants retain their flowers and colour, 

 though somewhat faded, for a long time after they have lost their fresh- 



