234 



FLORA AND SYLVA. 



Margherita di Simone, 2l curiously pretty 

 Rose of rather bright flesh colour with a 

 distinct yellow base to the petals inside. 

 Marianne de Rothschild : this, after a two 

 years' trial, proves to be a noble Rose, 

 like a great flesh-coloured monthly; 

 handsome in bud and of vigorous habit. 

 Professor* d 'Andre, a. fine flesh colour 

 with the inner part of the petals yet paler ; 

 vigorous and promising. It should be 

 noted that these are all thus summarily 

 described in one afternoon and are al- 

 most the first blooms of the season, some 

 of the kinds, of which we think highly 

 from last year's trials, not yet being in 

 flower. R. 



THE HARDY ACANTHUS. 



Though fine-leaved plants are common 

 enough in summer many of them are 

 soon shabby, and the list of perennials 

 holding fine foliage throughout the 

 summer and autumn is not a long one; 

 if for this reason alone the Acanthus de- 

 serves a place in all British gardens. 

 They are plants of southern Europe, but 

 throughout the south and west of Bri- 

 tain and Ireland are rarely injured by 

 frost, and even when the leaves are da- 

 maged in sharp winters, the roots escape. 

 If well planted and nursed a little at the 

 outset (growth for the first few seasons 

 being slow), when well established they 

 need little further attention, gaining in 

 strength and beauty every year. Given 

 good soil, they may be finely grouped 

 in half-wild spots and allowed to spread 

 at will, the bold deeply-cut leaves being 

 fine in effect at all seasons and the long 

 spikes of white and rose or purple flowers 

 coming as an added charm upon old 



plants. In the Mediterranean region the 

 Acanthus fills many a shady dell, spread- 

 ing into dense luxuriant masses and be- 

 coming a mere weed in many gardens 

 from the seedlings which spring up in all 

 directions. There are few finer effects 

 than that of their great leaves and clus- 

 tered flower-spikes in the half- wild spots 

 they love to make their own. 



Even in parts of Devon, Cornwall, 

 and other southern counties, the hardier 

 kinds are quite at home, forming tufts 

 of many feet across with spikes 5 feet 

 high thick-set with flowers. One such 

 spot I call to mind, where the Broad- 

 leaved Acanthus disputes place with 

 clumps of Plantain Lily of the noblest 

 vigour, with here and there a giant Rhu- 

 barb or Gunnera beside the water, and 

 colonies of the tall Japan Anemones 

 in rose and white, all crowding one 

 another in friendly rivalry. Grown with 

 such plants and amid half- wild sur- 

 ; roundings its beauty is better seen than 

 in the mixed border, though here and 

 there in the angle of a lawn it may be 

 used to advantage or planted as a bold 

 relief to the unyielding outlines of the 

 masonry common upon terraces and 

 house-fronts. Strong tufts may even be 

 used like the Plantain Lily to grace the 

 pillar- vases often seen in the formal gar- 

 den, and, provided there is no lack of 

 soil or water, few plants are more effec- 

 tive. Grown in pots for indoor decoration 

 there are few things give better results in 

 rooms and window-gardens, remaining 

 beautiful season after season with little 

 care and living on even in gloomy and 

 ill-ventilated places that would be fatal 

 to most plants. 



