CHAPTER VI. 



CLIMBING PLANTS. 



EGYPT is very rich in the number of its climbers, for 

 not only will those that one often sees growing in the 

 open air in England thrive here, but many of those 

 which generally require glasshouses and heat in Europe, 

 do perfectly well in Egyptian gardens, providing that 

 the proper position as to sun and shelter, is thought 

 of when planting. 



Two important points should always be remembered 

 when planting climbers, position and pruning, while 

 arrangement of colour, and time of flowering should 

 also be taken into consideration. 



In many gardens a winter and spring effect is perhaps 

 more desirable than a summer one. Care should there- 

 fore be taken that a prominent position is not occupied 

 by a plant which loses its leaves in winter, or that its 

 place is one so exposed that at the time of flowering 

 the bloom is destroyed by the cold spring winds. The 

 Bougainvillea^ which is a brilliant mass of flowers during 

 the winter months, is a good example of the necessity 

 of protection against the wind. 



Climbers should not be planted under the shade 

 or near the roots of large trees (except, of course, 

 when required to climb up their trunk, as in the case 

 of ivy, &c.), for in such a position it is unreasonable 

 to expect good results. It would be advisable, also, 

 to learn beforehand the character of the plant, and 

 to consider whether the space allotted to it is suffi- 

 cient for its development ; and lastly, it is necessary 



