A YEAR'S GARDENING 



made to vary in the time of bloom according to the treatment given. 

 Winter and early spring are the seasons most usually chosen, for which 

 purpose the plants should be allowed to stand out of doors during 

 the summer and kept dry, re-potting them in a rich loam towards 

 the end of July and keeping them moist, but allowing them to re- 

 main out of doors until frost threatens. 



RICINUS (Castor-oil Plant). A half-hardy annual which is 

 valuable in the garden for its noble ornamental foliage and which 

 may be made a bold and effective centre for a large circular bed. 

 Though usually raised in heat it is quite possible to obtain successful 

 results by sowing in the open early in May. The seeds (which are 

 large) should be put in about 3 inches deep and 2 or 3 inches apart 

 in the place where the plants are intended to grow, and the seedlings 

 finally thinned out till one (or more) is retained. A rich, well-drained 

 soil is essential, as the growing season being short the seedlings must 

 be brought on as rapidly as possible. The advantage of sowing 

 out of doors instead of in heat arises from the fact that a plant, when 

 raised in the house, is very apt to receive a check on its transfer to 

 the open, from which it may fail to recover before the growing season 

 is well advanced. Among the best varieties are Borboniensis arboreus, 

 often growing from 12 to 15 feet high; Gibsoni, a fine dark kind; and 

 Belot Desfougires, tall and branching. 



ROCK CISTUS. See Helianthemum. 



ROCKET. See Hesperis. 



ROCKFOIL. See Saxifeaga. 



ROMNEYA-COULTERI {Calif ornian Bush Poppy). A fine 

 shrubby plant, not quite safe without some protection during the 

 winter, except in a warm, sheltered position in our southern counties, 

 but well worth cultivation for its large and delicate flowers of snowy 

 white with golden stamens. The flowers are often as much as 6 

 inches across, and are of a peculiarly fragUe, almost transparent 

 texture, yet lasting many days and emitting a slight but delicious 

 perfume. Care should be exercised when forking around the plant, 

 as it will not endure any root disturbance. 



ROSE. So many text-books have been written and so much valu- 

 able information recorded about the Rose, its culture has been so fuUy 

 discussed and its many varieties so amply described, that it seems 

 doubtful whether, in the compass of these brief notes, anything useful 



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