Flowers of Summer 



wherever I saw it, been very beautiful and free 

 from disease. For this again, no doubt, we have 

 to thank the long hot summer of 1899, which 

 thoroughly roasted the bulbs, and so made them 

 strong and able to fight against their many 

 enemies. 



Another tribe that has been in great vigour 

 this summer is the grass tribe, the Graminecs. 

 The Arundo donax, or false bamboo of Southern 

 Europe, has reached a height this year beyond all 

 former years, both in the green and in the varie- 

 gated state, and it is the same with the bamboos. 

 Like many other plants this year, they started 

 very late ; some of them gave no sign of new 

 shoots till the rains of the latter part of July 

 came. For this they waited patiently, and when 

 it came their growth was wonderful. I have a 

 good plant of the Phyllostachys Castillonis, which, 

 with its alternatives of green and gold in the 

 stems, I consider the best of all the hardy 

 bamboos. It is considered a little tender, but 

 it has lived with me many years. Last winter 

 many of the stems died, and though I knew the 

 plant was alive and healthy I was beginning to 

 think that it might not send up new shoots this 

 year ; but after the rain it started into full growth, 

 and in less than one week it has sent up splendid 

 shoots, some over ten feet in length, which will 

 probably be fifteen feet or more before it stops 

 growing. 



The richness of the foliage of all plants, whether 

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