British Wild Flowers and Trees 241 



distinct in colour ; others differ distinctly in habit, some 

 close to the ground in dense bushes. There is no more 

 beautiful shrub than the native Heather in its commonest 

 form, so that it is easy to judge of the value of the fine 

 white and other forms if we use them well : as to vigour, 

 the plant may be often seen flourishing on banks with 

 little soil on them, and the same fine vigour is true of the 

 varieties —excluding merely monstrous and variegated 

 forms. Then we have the ' Scotch heather ' (Erica 

 cinerea), the reddish purple showy flowers of which 

 are very attractive, but surpassed in beauty of colour 

 by a variety of the same plant, coccinea ; and there 

 is also a white variety, as there is of the Bell Heather 

 (Erica tetralix), to which is also closely related the 

 Irish E. Mackaiana. Next we have the ciliated Heath 

 (E. ciliaris), a pretty kind, with flowers nearly as 

 large as those of St. Daboec's heath, and the Irish 

 heath (E. hibernica), found in some of the western 

 counties of Ireland. Finally, we have among these 

 interesting plants the Cornish Heath (E. vagans), and 

 from what has been said of the family it will be seen 

 what interesting beds or groups might be made from 

 these alone, grown almost anywhere. Our object should 

 be to make the most of natural advantages, and as many 

 persons must have gardens suited for what are called 

 American plants, they would find it worth while to devote 

 a spot to our Heaths and their varieties. It is charming 

 to form a garden of bold beds of these, as the late 

 Sir W. Bowman did so well in Surrey, but the most 



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