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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Cistus, and others, but I hope that sufficient has been said 

 to point out some of the material which can be employed in 

 making an English garden attractive and interesting during 

 the spring and early summer months. 



Discussion. 



Mr. George Nicholson, in referring to the statement that 

 many plants had disappeared from gardens since Loudon's time, 

 said that no doubt this was true to a certain extent, but it should 

 also be remembered that many other newly introduced plants 

 had taken their place, and if a census were taken it would be 

 found that a far larger total number of plants were now cultivated 

 than in Loudon's time. Perhaps one reason why many things 

 seemed to have been lost was because they had been so improved 

 by cultivation as to be almost unrecognisable when compared with 

 the original types. There are now many fine shrubs in our gar- 

 dens, but, like everything else, they require careful cultivation, and 

 should in every case receive the particular treatment that each 

 one requires, paying attention to soil, light, air, and so on. In 

 fact, shrubs should be treated as if they were fruit-trees, and the 

 results would then certainly be satisfactory . Among trees worth 

 cultivating, Mr. Nicholson mentioned the single Horse-chestnut, 

 than which he could not find anything more beautiful. Magnolia 

 conspicua, too, was a fine shrub, and by no means uncommon ; 

 there were some very large specimens of it at Kew. The Ame- 

 lanchier, with its abundance of sprays of white flowers, and 

 the common Guelder Rose {Viburnum ojnclus) are shrubs of 

 much value, and might be cultivated more than they are with 

 advantage. 



Sir John Llewellyn, Bart, (who was absent during most of 

 Mr. Goldring's lecture) said he was not aware, owing to his absence 

 if Mr. Goldring had touched on that branch of the subject which 

 included Azaleas and Rhododendrons. He said he was sure that 

 most people were unaware of the hardiness in this country of 

 many Indian species of these plants. They were considered too 

 difficult to grow, but he said some of them were hardy enough for 

 the most part in the English climate. The chief attention, how- 

 ever, should be paid to the soil in which they grew, as the pre- 

 sence or absence of lime affects these particular plants very much. 



