April 20, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE, 



315 



SPRING ' FLOWERING 



HEATHS. 



A great deal of attention has been given 

 during recent years to the various kinds 

 of Erica suitable for outdoor planting, and 

 in places where they thrive there are few 

 groups of shrubs w4iich are more worthy. 

 Their flowering period is a long one, for 

 it is rare in those gardens where a full 

 collection is grown that one or more can- 

 not be found in bloom from the earliest 

 days of the year to the latest. 



The spring-flowering set alone blossom 

 over a period of six months, for it is 

 usual for the earliest one to open some of 

 its flowers in November, while the later 

 ones are scarcely over before the end of 

 May. The best time is from early March 

 to the middle of May, and during that 



either being formed of one sort, or oi a 

 number of kinds. If it is desired to add 

 height to the groups, this may easily be 

 done by using dot plants of some taller- 

 growing subject. 



A few of tlie spring-flowering heaths are 

 not very hardy, therefore those kinds ought 

 not to be planted in places where sevei'e 

 frosts are common. In mast gardens in 

 the Midlands, South, and West, however, 

 they may be expected to thrive satisfac- 

 torily, though there may come a severe 

 frost now and then to injure them. Willi 

 this in view, it is as well to root a pot of 

 cuttings of each of the SoTithern European 

 kinds every autumn. These, kept in a eohl 

 frame for the winter, will ensure a .stov-k 

 should anytliing happen to the okl plants. 



Erica arborea 



This 



is a 



tall-growing 



species, widely 



habit, it grows three to Ave feet high, with 

 dark green leaves. The flowers are larger 

 than those of any other species in the sec- 

 tion, and they are bright red in colour. A 

 native of Portugal an<l parts of Spain, it 

 was introdmed many years ago, but w^as 

 rarelv seen until about fiftt^^n years ago. 



E. carnea. 



This is one of the hardiest of all the 

 heaths. Of low-growing habit, it scarcely 

 reaches nine inches in height, but spreads 

 widely, and forms a carpet of greenery 

 throughout the summer and winter, and a 

 mass of reddish flowers from the middle 

 of Februarv uiitil the miildle of Mav. A 

 native of tbe Alj)ine regions of P]uroj)e. it 

 is perhaps tlie most widely grown ot all 

 the spring-flowering heaths. E. c. alba is 

 a duplicate of tbe typ*^ in all exce])t the 

 colour of the flowei's. wbicli is white. 



_ > 



BANK OF ERICA MEDITEEEANEA AND OTHER ^^PRING-FLOWERING HEATHR AT KEW 



period the majority of the kinds are per- 

 fect masses of bloom. 



Heaths^ as a class, cannot tolerate lime^ 

 for although one or two kinds are occa- 

 sionally found growing in soil where lime 

 IS rather plentiful, they are rarely so well 

 developed as plants growing in other posi- 

 tions where lime is not much in evidence. 

 Rather light soil, either peat or loam, 

 suits them, and there is no necessity to 

 go to any great trouble or expense in the 

 preparation of ground, providing it is free 

 from coarse weeds. If dug over to a depth 

 t^y^lve or fifteen inches that is quite 

 sufficient, while by digging a few inches 

 of decayed leaves or peat into the surface 

 or loamy soil, a much better rooting medium 

 Js formed than would be the case if a bed 

 were excavated to a depth of twelve inches 

 or so and filled up entirely with peat. 



rstumerons methods may be adopted for 

 yie disposal of heaths throughout the gar- 

 den, but the most satisfactory results are 

 usually obtained by grouping, the 



distributed in the region of the Meditei ra- 

 nean. At its l>est it may attain a heigbt 

 of from twelve to eighteen feet, witli a 

 considerable diameter. In this country, 

 however, we are more familiar witb it as 

 a bush from three to six feet in ln-ight, 

 and from three to five feet through. Its 

 tiny leaves are of a very dark shade of 

 green, and against them the small white 

 bell-shaped flowens are well set off. The 

 presence of this plant in a garden is soon 

 detected by the fragrance of the blos- 

 soms, rnfortunately it is rather tender. 

 The variety alpina is hardier than the type, 

 and it mav be distinguished by its more 

 fastigiate habit and rather brighter leaves. 

 From burrs formed on the roots of E. ar- 



E. lusitanica. 



A native of Spain and I'ortugal. this is 

 better known in sonu' gar<leiis ini<lt^r the 

 name of E. c(Klonodes. It is ^ely ]>iipular 

 in the south-west cnnnties. wIumc ii nu\y 

 sometimes l>e iiU't with n\) to ti-ii nr twehe 



feet in lieight 



So met 



borea the famous briar-root pipes of com- 

 merce are manufactured. 



E. australis. 



group 



Although this is the most tendei 

 various species, it is one of the most dis- 

 tinct and beautiful. 



E. arborea, it may be easily distinguisluxl 

 from tliat species by its more plumose 

 habit, brighter green^ leaves, and longer, 

 tubular, scentless flowers, which are pink 

 in the Iiud .stage and white when expaiule<l. 

 It often commences to open its flowers dur- 

 ing winter, but is at its best during March 

 and April. 



E. mediterranea. 



This is a native of Spain and South- 

 west France. Tnder normal c(>n<]itions it 

 grows into a shai>ely Ini.sh. four to six feet 

 high, though plants have been known to 

 jtttain a height of twelve feet in the viri- 



,iu' in lii^ iw-^. London. Blossoms appear with 



Of loose straggling great freedom ; they are re(Mish-]uu ].!(^ uj 



f th 



