FLORA AND SYLVA, 



foliage, prettily cut, and very free in its flowers 

 of reddish-lilac or mauve with a conspicuous 

 yellow centre. Though an old plant (first grown 

 in 1804) it has never become common under 

 glass, but has been used with success of late upon 

 the Continent as an outdoor summer flower. 

 Cuttings root readily, and their growth is so ra- 

 pid as to flower freely the same season. Mature 

 plants bear flowers during the whole of the 

 summer, which are followed by pretty clusters 

 of orange-coloured berries of the size of peas. 

 Grown in company with the Jasmine-flowered 

 Solanum, its contrasting effect is beautiful, but, 

 as a native of the West Indies, it is tender, and 

 can only be used in the open for a few months 

 and in warm nooks. It is best grown under glass, 

 where it reaches 6 to 10 feet in the season, 

 flowering during a great part of the year, and 

 always in good leaf. Easily grown from seed. 



Prickly Climbing Solanum^. trilobatum) . 

 —A climbing shrub, rising from 2 to 5 feet in 

 height, found in Ceylon and the East Indies as 

 a twining creeper, armed in every part with 

 stout spines. The flowers vary from violet and 

 blue to white, carried in loose bunches and 

 followed by handsome fruits the size of a small 

 cherry. A fine stove shrub. 



Wendland's Climbing Solanum (S. Wend- 

 landi 'i). — -Visitors to Keware familiar with the 

 fine form of this plant suspended in one corner 

 of the Succulent House, every shoot bearing its 

 dense terminal cluster of purplish-white blos- 

 soms,each bunch measuring nearly a foot across. 

 On the continent it has become popular of late 

 years, and is now propagated in large quantities. 

 There, it is nothing unusual to see pot plants 

 only 2 to 3 feet in height, already bearing several 

 bloom-clusters, and special attention has been 

 given to this low bush-form for markets and 

 gardens. Nor is it nearly so exacting as to tem- 

 perature as its habitat would at first sight imply ; 

 on the contrary, it is freer and its beauty more 

 lasting in a lower than stove heat, and it may be 

 wintered with ease in any house secure from 

 frost. Like many tropical countries, Costa 

 Rica, its native home, embraces much varia- 

 tion of climate and temperature, from moun- 

 tain snows to tropic swamp, and this plant, in 

 common with the new Climbing Dahlia, comes 

 from the temperate upland districts. Like most 

 vigorous climbers, however, to see it in full 

 beauty it must have plenty of room and rich 



light soil, aided by copious waterings when 

 in active growth. Under such conditions it 

 thrives, continuing in bloom the greater part 

 of the summer and autumn. The bold and va- 

 riable foliage is handsome ; the stems slightly 

 prickly. The blossoms vary in colour accord- 

 ing to the vigour of the plant and the time of 

 year, from a deep to lighter purple, or shading 

 to white, with a bunch of golden stamens in 

 the centre ; those grown in partial shade or 

 planted out being the deepest in colour. The 

 Garden published a good coloured plate of this 

 plant on February 1, 1890. When at rest it 

 loses many of its leaves, and is then easily trained 

 and cut back as required ; in fact, to secure good 

 new growth, this is advisable. In many districts 

 it may be well used in the open duringthesum- 

 mer, where, trained on walls or trellis-work, its 

 massive clusters are fine. It is easily grown from 

 young shoots taken with a heel in spring, or 

 may be rooted from sections of the fleshy stems 

 removed in pruning, care being taken to keep 

 a sound eyeat either end of the sections, which 

 are placed in heat as ordinary cuttings. 



There is a variegated form of the Common 

 Bittersweet (S. Dulcamara) sometimes seen in 

 gardens, but the plant is so highly poisonous 

 that even were it desirable in colour, it is dan- 

 gerous to have it anywhere near a house. 



THE GARDEN BEAUTIFUL. HOME 

 LANDSCAPE AND HOME WOODS. 

 WOODS WITHOUT FENCING. 

 Proof that any kind of fencing is needless in 

 established woodland is afforded by millions 

 of acres of forest in many parts of middle and 

 I northern Europe, on mountain or plain, with- 

 out fence of any kind; young or old trees as 

 they come, boldly fringing river, rocky valley 

 or plain. No stiff or hard lines anywhere ; 

 the wood gracing the near land as the clouds 

 grace the sky, while far away the hills massed 

 and crested with Pines show fold beyond fold 

 back into the delicate distance, in fine har- 

 mony in all lights, but loveliest when the sun 

 bids the woods good-night in a sea of golden- 

 purple air. If it be well to be free of living 

 fences of Wild Rose, May, and Holly, how 

 much more the costly iron or wire fence, so 

 ugly in any place where we seek beauty of 

 wood or landscape ? And this freedom from 

 the ceaseless care and cost of fences is not won 



