374 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



Rub as. — Of the hundred or more species of 

 Rubus, nearly all of which hail from various countries 

 of the Northern Hemisphere, many are rambling 

 or half-climbing plants. The picturesque beauty of 

 the Brambles of our commons and hedgerows is too 

 well known to need commendation here. One of 

 the forms of our native R. fruticoms is, however, of 

 so marked a character that it deserves special men- 

 tion. R. laciniatus (for this is the botanical name of 

 the form in question) does not differ materially from 

 the common Bramble, except in the elegantly -cut 

 leaflets, which have earned for it in some books 

 the name of Parsley-leaved Bramble. It has large 

 sweet fruits, for which, in some places, it is even 

 accorded a place in the fruit garden. 



R. biflorus, often called R. leucodermis, is a Himalayan 

 species, remarkable for the thick white bloom which 

 clothes the stems and branches. In a leafless state 

 this is so conspicuous as to lead those unacquainted 

 with the species to believe that the stems have been 

 whitewashed. 



R. discolor. — One of the most widely distributed 

 of the British forms of R. fruticosus ; there is a 

 double-flowered variety, which passes in nurseries 

 under the name of R. bellidijlorus. It is a beautiful, 

 very floriferous plant, with pinkish flowers, about as 

 large and as double as some of the Pompon Chry- 

 santhemums. Another Bramble of vigorous habit 

 and with large white flowers is R. tomentosus Jlore- 

 pleno, a double form of a Continental species, which 

 does not occur in a wild state in Britain. Both 

 this and the last-named are charming and highly 

 ornamental plants. (See also Tubes and Shrubs.) 



Smilax. — The g-enus Smilax contains nearly two 

 hundred species, and is widely distributed in tropical 

 and temperate regions. The roots and root-stocks 

 of some of the Smilax constitute the sarsaparilla of 

 the shops. 



S. aspera — a native of the South of Europe — 

 is perhaps one of the handsomest members of the 

 group ; it is a climbing evergreen, with leathery, 

 dark green, prickly, cordate leaves, not unfrequently 

 having a beautiful dark brownish mottling. This 

 certainly flowers most freely against a wall, or in 

 some warm sunny spot; but it does well when 

 allowed to creep over rough trellis-work. 



8. rotundifolia, the Common Greenbriar of the 

 Eastern United States, is in most places in Britain 

 a deciduous climber, though in its native localities it 

 inclines to be evergreen. This species will hold its 

 own against most shrubby plants ; amongst rough 

 heaps of tree-stumps it flourishes well, and forms 

 a very agreeable and pretty summer covering. 



Solanum. — Few of the species of this large genus 



come under the definition of hardy climbers. One, 

 however, our native Bitter-sweet, 8. dulcamara, is 

 conspicuous and beautiful enough, either in flower 

 or fruit, to thoroughly merit a place in any list of 

 garden plants. It is a trailing perennial, with long 

 flexuous stems, and large clusters of small Potato- 

 like flowers with golden-yellow anthers, succeeded 

 by bright scarlet berries. S. crispum, a handsome 

 Chilian species, has lavender-coloured flowers, very 

 much larger than those of the Bitter-sweet. 



Thladiantha dubia is a highly ornamental 

 pei'ennial Cucurbit, with tuberous root-stock ; it is a 

 tall climber, with pale green, ovate-cordate, irregu- 

 larly toothed leaves, and bright yellow axillary 

 flowers, the two sexes being produced by different 

 individuals. Given a sunny spot, there is little fear 

 of this dying if planted in anything but the most 

 barren soil. It is a native of both China and India. 

 The male plant is the most common in this country. 



Vicia. — The Wood Vetch, V. sylvatica, of the 

 rocky woods of the northern parts of the British 

 Islands, is one of the most elegant of our native 

 plants. It has long, one-sided racemes of large 

 showy flowers, white, marked with blue veins. 

 It grows well amongst rocks or stones in a damp, 

 half-shaded spot, but will thrive in any moist open 

 spot or garden border. 



Virginian Creeper. — See Ampelopsis, under 

 Trees and Shrubs, also Window Gardening. 



Wistaria.— See Trees and Shrubs. 



HALF-HARDY CLIMBERS. 

 By E. A. Rolfe, A.L.S. 

 Valuable as are the numerous and beautiful hardy 

 climbers, there is still an equally beautiful group of 

 plants, which, though not strictly or wholly hardy, 

 contributes largely to the adornment of our gardens. 

 There is no sharp line of division between "half- 

 hardy" and "hardy" climbers. Some of the latter 

 have an unfortunate habit of getting killed to the 

 ground when an exceptionally severe winter comes 

 round, while not a few of the former live through 

 mild and ordinary winters uninjured. And again, 

 many plants may be considered hardy in the South 

 and West of England, which need protection in 

 winter in the North. All of them, however, may be 

 said to require the protection of a mat in severe 

 weather, or in the more inclement parts of our 

 islands. The judgment of the cultivator must there- 

 fore be exercised in making a selection for any given 

 district. 



Respecting their cultivation, the soil should be 

 well drained, as anything like stagnant water in the 



