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PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS 



MYETUS 



In the mildest parts of the south of 

 England and Ireland some of the Euca- 

 lypti may live for years and attain a 

 goodly size, but in less favoured parts 

 they virill not survive the winter. For 

 subtropical bedding purposes, the im- 

 ported seeds should be sown about August. 

 They sprout freely, and the seedlings may 

 be grown on during the winter in a cool 

 greenhouse or cold frame. By this means 

 they win be much larger and stronger for 

 planting out in May or June than plants 

 obtained from seeds sown in spring. The 

 following are some of the best kinds for 

 cultivation in the open air : — 



E. coccifera. — This is a native of Tas- 

 mania and in the mildest parts of the 

 kingdom it wiU form a small tree recog- 

 nisable by its blue-green appearance. The 

 leaves are mostly ovate lance-shaped, 

 falcate, more or less tapering to a point, 

 and from 4 to 6 in. long. 



Culture dc. as above. 



E. Gunni — the Cider Tree of Tasmania 

 — is perhaps the hardiest of all the 

 Eucalypti for this country. For several 

 years a tree of it grew in Kew Gardens 

 and reached a height of about 30 ft., but 

 it was killed at last by the winter of 

 1894-5. It forms a bush-like tree, and 

 the branches are furnished with ovate 

 lance-shaped or eUiptio leaves 1^-2J in. 

 long. 



Culture <tc. as above. 



E. urnigera. — This is another Tas- 

 manian species which has been proved 

 more or less hardy in the mildest parts of 

 the kingdom in ordinary winters. It has 

 dull green narrow lance-shaped acute 

 leathery leaves 3-4 in. long, borne on 

 twiggy branches with olive-green bark. 

 At Whittrnghame Gardens, Preatonkirk, 

 N.B., there is a tree of this species which 

 in 1887 was 60 ft. high, although it had 

 been cut down to the ground by frost in 

 1860. 



Mr. John Garrett, the gardener at 

 Whittinghame, writes in reference to this 

 particular plant : — ' The tree is still in 

 vigorous health. Its height is now (1900) 

 7.'5 ft. and girth of main trunk 12 ft. 7 in. 



' I have raised numerous seedlings from 

 it. The first I raised was sown in Sep- 

 tember 1887, one of which is now BSJfeet 

 high, and stem 1 ft. 10 in. This tree was 

 twice transplanted, or it would doubtless 

 have been much larger. We have planted 

 (juantities of it out in the woods also. 



With regard to the variety, I cannot say 

 positively what it is. Authorities have 

 differed so much regarding it. For ex- 

 ample, the late Mr. Bentham, and the late 

 Professor Balfour, of Edinburgh Botanic 

 Gardens, considered it to be H. viminaUs. 

 Sir J. Hooker names it E. v/migera, and 

 Baron Mtiller called it E. Gtmni. I have 

 grown E. Gtmni (true variety) here also, 

 and must say that it resembles E. Whit- 

 tinghwmii more than any other sort I 

 have seen, and yet there is the difference 

 that while the leaves of Gunni are oppo- 

 site or nearly so, those of Whittinghamii 

 are distinctly alternate, and have each a 

 stalk of considerable length. I have also 

 raised plants of E. iimigera, but could see 

 no resemblance here whatever. In fact, 

 the sorts are totally distinct. I have tried 

 a great many sorts here, including E. 

 coccifera, and had them up to about 18 

 feet in height, but aU were kUled in the 

 spring of 1895, except our own variety, 

 which was almost uninjured. One other 

 variety was killed to about 2 feet from the 

 ground, viz. E. vemicosa, which broke 

 away again, and is now a nice plant about 

 10 ft. high. My own opinion is that E. 

 Whittinghamii is a natural hybrid. The 

 seed was originally brought from Australia 

 by Lord Salisbury.' 



Culture de. as above. 



MYRTUS (Myrtle). — A genus 

 containing over 100 species of smooth, 

 woolly, or downy shrubs, with opposite 

 feather-veined leaves. Calyx lobes and 

 petals 4-5. Stamens numerous, free. 

 Ovary free. Fruit a berry. 



M. communis {Common Myrtle). — A 

 native of S. Europe 3-10 ft. high, with 

 ovate, or lanceolate acute, deep green, 

 shining leaves. Flowers in July, white, 

 having the numerous golden-knobbed 

 stamens much protruding. There are 

 many varieties of the common M\Ttle 

 known as the Dutch, Italian, Roman, 

 Bosemary or Thyme-leaved, Box-leaved 

 &c., all beautiful and fragrant. 



Culture and Propagation. — Except 

 in the mildest parts of the country, the 

 Myrtle requires the shelter of a wall. It 

 likes a rich loamy soil with leaf mould, 

 and during the summer months should 

 not want for plenty of water. A good 

 syringing every evening is very beneficial 

 arid gives the plants a beautiful fresh 

 appearance and induces new growth. 

 Sometimes the Myrtle is grown in pots, 



