74 



FLORA AND SYLVA, 



state it becomes a small tree, 10 to 15 feet high, but 

 usually it is shrubby. Its branches are somewhat 

 erect, and bear the leaves in a cluster towards the 

 end. The leaf is composed of three or five leaflets, 

 which are of a dark, lustrous green, to 2 A inches 

 long, and toothed. The flowers, being produced in 

 July and August, are valuable as coming when 

 shrubs in flower are scarce. They are borne singly 

 or in pairs, and measure about 3 inches across ; the 

 four petals are pure white. The numerous long 



stamens with their yellow anthers give character and 

 an added beauty to the flower. This species has 

 produced perfect seed in this country — in Miss 

 Bretton's garden, near Sandhurst, and probably other 

 places. They are produced in hard, woody capsules. 

 Although they germinate freely, young plants are 

 not always easy to raise from them. The species, 

 can, however, be increased by layers. 



W. J. Bean. 



Arboretum, Kew. 



THE YELLOW GIANT ASPHODEL. 



This rare and extremely beautiful plant — the most 

 beautiful, we think, of a very striking family — we 

 have never seen quite so well cultivated as with Mr. 

 Ernest Ballard, at the Court, Colwall, near Malvern, 

 who kindly sends the following notes of his mode 

 of cultivation: — 



Eremurus Bungei. — During the autumn of 1900 

 I obtained three flowering roots of the above, and 

 planted them in a well-prepared, well-drained hardy 

 perennial border. Two only lived ; they received 

 no special attention (except in planting) — during 

 severe frost they were just covered. In 1901 and 

 1902 they flowered profusely. Having formed a 

 large number of crowns, 1 decided to try division 

 of one plant, leaving the other alone. On very care- 

 fully raising it, which I did with my fingers (any 

 tool breaking the roots, which are more brittle than 

 E. robustus or hhnalaicus), I found it had eighteen 

 distinct crowns, which naturally divided themselves, 

 without any breaking, into threes ; so I planted six 

 separate trios in a newly-made border, in a warm 

 position (south aspect), with a large Yew tree as a 

 guard and background. This was done last October. 

 A month ago we had heavy rains, followed by sharp 

 frosts (12 to 15 degrees) for several nights, and I 



fear a few of the crowns have been injured, but most 

 of them look very well. 



The soil is a heavy loam on a strong red clay, 

 but in making a border I have always got the ground 

 out nearly 2 feet deep, and filled in with a mixture 

 of old turf, top soil, well- decayed manure, and some 

 sandy road scrapings. In planting I make a small 

 hillock of soil, the top of which is formed of a double 

 handful of coarse white sand mixed with an equal 

 quantity of lumps of wood charcoal. This ensures 

 perfect drainage of the crown, and helps the plant 

 to fight the winter months. 



When established I believe they will do unpro- 

 tected, except, perhaps, in severe frost, when a light 

 covering may be used. Too much covering pro- 

 motes premature growth, and so there is a greater 

 chance of injury. I believe a sheet of glass placed 

 obliquely over the plant, allowing free circulation of 

 air, during very wet times would form an excellent 

 protection. I am trying this. I also feel quite sure 

 that if dividing were done in the spring (March end) 

 it would be perfectly successful. It is courting 

 disaster to move in autumn, and subject the large 

 fleshy roots, when dormant and possibly injured, to 

 the alternate wet and frosts of winter. 



GOOD WORK FOR THE AXE. 



A great number of places throughout the country suffer from ignorant and 

 thoughtless planting of trees in the wrong place as to kind and stature, and ugly 

 overgrowths of all-devouring evergreens, like the pontic Rhododendron, com- 

 mon Cherry-Laurel, Privets, and other nursery rubbish. Few seem to see how 

 much their home landscape is shut out and their pleasure gardens made dis- 

 mal, and, indeed, sometimes almost uninhabitable, in this way. To those in any 

 doubt about it, the following words by one of the best gardeners and planters 

 we have known, the late James McNab of the Botanic Garden at Edinburgh, 

 may give courage to think and in due time to act. It is, however, difficult to 

 express in words the harm done to the home-landscape by stupid planting 

 abandoned to its own redundance. Apart from these sources of evil, there is 

 the hopeless human one of the man who will not allow a tree to be cut down, 



