FOESYTHIA 



LILAC AND OLIVE OBDEB 



FOESYTHIA 637 



J. odoratissimum. — A round-stemmed 

 native of Madeira with alternate pin- 

 nately ternate bluntish leaves. Flowers 

 in summer, yellow, with 5 oblong blunt 

 lobes. Peduncles at the tips of the 

 branches in threes, each one having 3 

 flowers. 



Culture Sc. as above. This Jasmine 

 is not quite hardy m northern parts, but 

 flourishes in the mild southern districts. 



J. officinale (Cominon White Jasmine). 

 A beautiful very hardy vigorous and 

 free-growing climber found in a wild 

 state from N. India to Persia. It has 

 angular stems, and opposite pinnate leaves, 

 with ovate pointed leaflets, the end one 

 of which is longer and larger than the 

 others. Flowers from June to September, 

 ^1 in. across, pm-e white, fragrant, with 

 4-5 lobes to the corolla. The variety 

 affine has larger and more numerous 

 flowers than the type, and is probably 

 a seedling of garden origin. The variety 

 aureum is an undesirable form with 

 yeUow- blotched leaves; grcmdiflorii/m as 

 known in gardens is practically the same 

 as affine. 



The White Jasmine is an evergreen 

 except in the bleakest localities, where it 

 loses its leaves. For covering walls, 

 arches, pergolas, arbours &c. it is most 

 valuable. 



Culture dc. as above. 



J. revolutum. — An evergreen Indian 

 climber closely related to the deciduous 

 J. humile. It has alternate pinnate 

 leaves composed of 5-7 ovate lance- shaped 

 or elliptic leaflets on short stalks. Flowers 

 from May to October, bright yellow, very 

 fragrant, in compound corymbs at the 

 ends of the branches. Corolla with 5 

 blunt segments. 



Culture dc. as above. Being somewhat 

 tender, in northern parts it is better to 

 give this species the protection of a wall. 

 J. puhigervmi is very near this species, 

 but does not appear to be quite so hardy, 

 nor has it flowers as large. 



FORSYTHIA (Golden Bell). — A 

 genus with 2 species of smooth shrubs re- 

 sembling Jasminum nudiflorum in habit. 

 ' Leaves opposite, rarely verticillate, entire, 

 or pinnately 3-sected, serrate, deciduous. 

 Flowers appearing before the foliage, 

 solitary, from a pair of scales, nodding, 

 shortly stalked, yellow. Calyx-tube short, 

 roundish, with 4 longer lobes. Corolla 



tube short and broad, with 4 much longer 

 lobes, spreading above. Stamens 2, at- 

 tached to the base of the eoroUa. Ovary 

 2-celled. Capsule oblong, leathery or 

 hard. 



Culture andPropagation . — Forsythias 

 are among the choicest of early spring- 

 flowering hardy shrubs, and prolong the 

 season of yellow-flowered chmbers of 

 which Jasminum nudiflorum is the fore- 

 runner. Indeed Forsythias may be trained 

 against walls in a similar way to the 

 Winter Jasmine, or they may also be 

 grown as bushes in open sunny situations 

 in beds by themselves or in open parts of 

 the shrubbery. 



WTien grown against a wall the shoots 

 should have plenty of space between them, 

 as crowding only interferes with the beau- 

 tiful drooping blossoms. If thinning out 

 is necessary, the twigs are best removed 

 just after flowering in the same way as 

 recommended for Jasminum nudiflorum 

 above. Indeed to secure a grand display 

 of blossom in spring it is almost necessary 

 to cut the shoots back to 3 or 4 eyes or 

 buds when the flowers are over. From 

 each bud a vigorous shoot will spring and 

 will have a long season to grow and fully 

 ripen before winter. In the sprmg-time 

 the flowers appear from almost every 

 joint, and the shoots for their whole length 

 are literally wreathed in yellow beUs. 



When the branches droop on to the 

 soil roots are often emitted near the tips 

 of the shoots forming natural layers. By 

 this means it is easy to increase the 

 number of plants. Cuttings of the green 

 shoots may also be inserted in sandy soil 

 under handlights during the summer and 

 kept damp and shaded until rooted. In 

 autumn the ripened shoots may also be 

 made to root, and after wintering in cold 

 frames wiU be ready for planting out in 

 spring. Forsythias would probably be 

 easy to graft on stocks of the Common 

 Privet (Ligustrumi vulgare) like many 

 other plants in the Olive order, but it is 

 preferable to have plants on their ovra 

 roots, especially as they are so readily 

 obtained. 



F. intermedia. — This is a hybrid 

 obtained by crossing F. suspensa and 

 F. viridissima. It is intermediate in 

 character between its parents and pro- 

 mises to become equally popular with 

 them. 



Culture dc. as above. 



