790 



OPEN FLOWER-GARDEN. 



pagated by seeds, which should be retained in 

 the pods till March, and then sown in the open 

 gi-ound. This affords stocks on which to graft 

 the finer kinds, which are often wrought stan- 

 dard high, and afterwards planted on the lawn, 

 or in lines by the sides of walks, &c. They are 

 all sufficiently hardy for our climate, with the 

 exception of S. hispida, which requires the 

 shelter of a wall in moat places, and its support 

 in all, on account of the extreme brittleness of 

 its branches, which are liable to be broken by 

 the wind. Cuttings of the shoots, and some- 

 times of the roots, are employed when seed can- 

 not conveniently be procured. 



Bubus. — Deciduous and evergreen rambling 

 rapid-growing shrubs. Propagated in general 

 by suckers, layers, and also by cuttings. The 

 best way, however, is to insert the point of the 

 shoots about an inch into the soil, where they 

 will root in course of a few days. They grow 

 in any ordinary soil, and many of them amongst 

 stones and the debris of rocks, where few other 

 plants could exist. 



Ruscus. — Evergreen shrubs, mostly of low 

 growth. Propagated by dividing the roots and 

 by suckers ; thriving in most soils, particularly 

 those of a peaty nature. 



Salix. — Avery extensive genus; some species, 

 however, add greatly to the effect of dressed 

 grounds, particularly in the vicinity of water, an 

 element the whole family delight in. The pen- 

 dulous sorts, such as S. Babylonica, are indis- 

 pensable accompaniments to the sides of ponds 

 and streams, and those with white silvery leaves 

 add a feature to the grounds; their graceful 

 branches moving with the vrind, and their colour 

 contrasting with the masses of green of which 

 the scene is principally composed. They all 

 strike readily by cuttings of the ripened shoots'; 

 and even truncheons several inches in diameter, 

 if driven into the ground, will strike root and 

 soon become good-sized trees. 



Samhucus. — Deciduous trees and shrubs, pro- 

 pagated by cuttings of the ripened wood, either 

 of one or of several years' growth. Thriving in 

 any ordinaiy soil, and in shady places where few 

 other deciduous trees would live. 



Santolina. — Low-growing evergreen shrubs, 

 propagated by cuttings planted either in autumn 

 or spring, in a somewhat shaded situation. 



Smilax. — Evergreen climbing moderate- grow- 

 ing plants, propagated by suckers from the roots. 

 Thrive in a soil of peat and loam. 



Spartimn. — Moderate-sized growing shrubs, 

 producing abundance of yellow or white coloured 

 blossom, enlivening the foregroimd of the shrub- 

 bery. Propagated by seed sown in March, and 

 also by cuttings, which strike freely during sum- 

 mer, planted in sandy soil and covered with a 

 hand - glass. They are difficult to transplant 

 when old, on account of a paucity of fibrous 

 roots ; therefore they should be set in their 

 final situation when under two years' growth. 

 They thrive in any poor sandy soil. 



Spirosa. — The majority are deciduous, mo- 

 derate-growing shrubs, a few only being ever- 

 green ; all are more or less interesting for their 

 flowers, and some particularly so, as S. lAnd- 

 leijana, S. bella, &c., the former a fine lawn- 



shrub. They are all readily increased by 

 cuttings, layers, or suckers, and thrive in any 

 good garden-soil. 



iStyrax. — Deciduous moderate-growing shrubs, 

 flowering profusely if planted against a wall, or 

 in a dry protected situation. Propagated by 

 imported seeds, cuttings, and layers, and thriving 

 in rich sandy loam or peat. 



Sj/mphorica/rpus. — Deciduous shrubs, propa- 

 gated by suckers, and also by cuttings planted 

 in autumn. Succeed in any ordinary garden- 

 soil. The white fruit of S. racemosus imparts 

 an interest to our shrubberies during winter. 



Syringa. — Deciduous shrubs, rivalled by few 

 of the inhabitants of our shrubberies in the 

 beauty of their blossoms. Propagated by suckers 

 and layers generally, and by budding and graft- 

 ing in the case of the finer or rarer varieties. 

 Some of the best are often wrought on stocks of 

 the common sorts at standard height, and as 

 such form great ornaments to our lawns. A 

 loamy soil is the best, although they will accom- 

 modate themselves to one of an ordinary de- 

 scription. 



Tamarix. — Straggling moderate - growing 

 shrubs, well adapted for forming a barrier against 

 the sea breeze. Propagated by cuttings set in 

 sandy soil in spring under a hand-glass, and 

 when of the height of 1 foot or 1 8 inches, they 

 should be placed in their permanent place of 

 growth, as they do not transplant readily when 

 too old. A light sandy soil is suitable for them, 

 and it is probable that a slight addition of salt 

 would improve their growth. 



Tecoma. — Deciduous moderate-growing twin- 

 ing or climbing shrubs, separated from bignonia 

 or trumpet-flower. Well adapted for growing 

 against a wall in cold situations, or over pillars 

 or trellises in more favourable situations. Pro- 

 pagated by cuttings of the roots as well as by 

 cuttings of the shoots ; they may also be in- 

 creased by cuttings of the single eyes, similar to 

 vines. A peat-and-loam soil is the most proper 

 for them. 



Vlex. — Low-growing yellow-flowering ever- 

 greens. Propagated by seed sown in spring, in 

 any good light garden-soil. The double-blos- 

 somed variety, and also the upright or Irish, 

 which latter seldom flowers, and so far as we are 

 aware has not produced seed, are propagated 

 by cuttings planted in sandy soil either in spring 

 or autumn, in a shady place, and covered with a 

 hand-glass. They should be transplanted while 

 young to their permanent position, as they do 

 not remove with safety when old. 



Vibv/rnwn. — Both deciduous and evergreen 

 species exist in this genus. Those which pro- 

 duce seed in Britain should have it sown in 

 spring, after having lain a season in the rot-heap; 

 or upon a small scale, being imbedded in sand 

 in a flower-pot, and buried for the same length 

 of time. They are also increased by layers, and 

 the evergreen kinds, such as the laurustinus, 

 strike readily by cuttings planted in sandy soil 

 in autumn, in a shady border. In two years 

 they will be sufficiently rooted to be taken up 

 and planted in nursery lines. They aU succeed 

 in any good garden-soil. 



Vinca. — Trailing evergreen shrubs, well 



