778 



PBAGTICAL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS daphne 



Culture amd Propagation. — A good 

 rock plant in well-drained sandy soil and 

 leaf mould, surrounded by rocks and 

 stones over which its branches may 

 straggle. These branches may be pegged 

 down and layered in spring, and either 

 left imtil the following spring, or de- 

 tached in autumn and potted up and kept 

 in cold frames. 



D. Cneorum (Ga/rlanA Flower). — A 

 beautiful trailing European species about 

 1 ft. high with smooth lance-shaped 

 muoronate leaves about ^ in. long. 

 Flowers in April and May, and again 

 in September, bright pink or deep rose, 

 sweet-scented, in large terminal clusters. 



CultvA-e and Propagation. — This is 

 essentially a rock plant but may also be 

 used with good effect in the front of 

 borders or shrubberies. It flourishes in 

 sandy peat, in not too dry a position, and 

 takes a rather long time to develop into 

 fine clumps. To be effective several 

 plants should be placed near to each other. 

 Increased by layers like D. hlagayana. 



D. Dauphini (JD. hyhrida). — A pretty 

 evergreen Daphne of hybrid origin, its 

 parents being D. sericea from S. Europe, 

 and D. odora from China and Japan. 

 The sweet-scented reddish-purple flowers 

 are freely produced during the spring and 

 summer months, and look handsome 

 against the deep green foliage. 



Cultwre dc. as above. This plant is 

 fairly hardy, and will succeed in many 

 parts of the kingdom against a south wall. 



D. Genkwa. — A Japanese deciduous 

 shrub 2-3 ft. high, having opposite lance- 

 shaped leaves, and rather large clusters of 

 fragrant lilac flowers in March and April 

 before the leaves have developed. 



Culture dc. as above. This species is 

 hardy in the mildest parts of the kingdom, 

 but may require a little protection in other 

 parts in severe winters. 



D. glomerata.— A dwarf Caucasian 

 shrub somewhat resembling!), blaga/yama. 

 The stems are leafless except at the tops, 

 which are crowned by a rosette of bluntly 

 oblanceolate leaves, among which the 

 clusters or umbels of lilac-purple flowers 

 appear in spring. 



Culture dc. as above. 



D. Gnidium. — A native of south-west 

 Europe about 2 ft. high with linear lance- 

 shaped evergreen leaves having a cuspi- 



date tip. Flowers from June to August, 

 pink, sweet-scented, in terminal panicled 

 racemes. 



Culture dc. as above. 



D. Laureola {Spurge Laurel). — A dis- 

 tinct British and European evergreen 

 shrub 3-4 feet high, characterised by 

 having the branches leafy only towards 

 the top. Leaves 2-5 in. long, leathery, 

 obovate lance - shaped, acute, almost 

 stalkless, and of a glossy shining green. 

 Flowers from January to April, sweet- 

 scented, yellowish-green, in drooping 

 clusters from the upper leaf axils. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 species grows and flowers well under trees, 

 but cannot be considered particularly 

 handsome. Its ovoid black berries about 

 ^ in. in diameter are very poisonous. 



D. Mezereum (Common Menereon). — 

 A well-known British shrub 2-4 ft. high 

 with deciduous obovate or spoon-shaped 

 lanceolate acute stalked leaves 2-3 in. 

 long. Flowers mostly in threes, and 

 also in pairs and fours, from February to 

 April, very fragrant, pink or red, appear- 

 ing before the leaves, and succeeded by 

 bright red ovoid berries J in. across. There 

 is also a variety with white flowers, and 

 others with double ones. In some 

 seasons the flowers appear in autumn as 

 well as in spring. 



Cultwre and Propagation. — The 

 Mezereon flourishes in ordinary soil in 

 open sunny situations. Its acrid bark is 

 much used in medicine. In favourable 

 spots seedlings appear from self-sown 

 seeds in spring, and may be trans- 

 planted in autumn. 



D. oleoides. — An evergreen shrub 

 about 3-4 ft. high, native of south-east 

 Europe, and having obovate lance-shaped 

 glossy green, bristle-tipped leaves. Flow- 

 ers in April, white, in small terminal 

 clusters surrounded by leaves. The 

 variety neapolitana flowers even earlier 

 than the type, from which it may be dis- 

 tinguished by the absence of hairs or 

 down on the under surface of the leaves. 



D. floniana is a form of this, with a 

 compact habit, dark green leaves, and 

 purple-pink flowers, which are produced 

 in June and often late in autumn. 



Culture dc. as above. 



D. petrsea (D. rupestris). — Bock 

 Daphne. — A Tyrolese shrub vsdth hand- 



