SOME OF THE SUMMER FLOWERS OF MY GARDEN. 



321 



as this plant does "; but then he very considerably detracts from 

 its usefulness by saying : " Unfortunately it will not survive our 

 rigorous climate, and I believe it has failed to establish itself in 

 most gardens where it has been tried in England." This is a 

 very formidable detraction indeed, and Mr. Ellwanger seems to 

 take away with one hand what has been given by the other ; 

 but I cannot think there is any justification for such a sweeping 

 indictment. It is true I live in the Isle of Wight, and that is 

 supposed to be one of the most favoured spots in the kingdom ; 

 but I can only say that Bomneya Coulter i gives me no trouble at 

 all. It has grown to such a large size that I do not attempt to 

 protect it, and last winter it stood in a little border in front of 

 my greenhouse and braved all the frosts of the hardest winter we 

 have known. Perhaps it only proves that, salubrious as California 

 is, the Isle of Wight is even more salubrious. There is, however, 

 one thing I always do for this plant, which I find to be of the 

 greatest use to it. I cut it down to the ground every spring. 

 This seems to give it renewed energy at once, and it makes 

 wonderful shoots. It certainly deserves the encomium which 

 Mr. Ellwanger has given it. The very large crumpled white 

 flowers appear at the end of the branches, and also the lateral 

 shoots, and they are set off by the very pretty glaucous foliage, 

 which is produced in abundance. Perhaps the only fault that 

 can be noted is that they come too intermittently. They do not 

 begin very early in the summer, and with me they go on in a 

 desultory sort of way till late autumn has come to them. I can 

 sometimes increase it by taking off a side-shoot in the spring 

 with a bit of root to it ; but this is not a certain operation at all, 

 and it is best propagated by seed. Wherever Bomneya Coulteri 

 can be made to succeed, there I am sure it should be tried. 



As I am not writing a book, but only a paper, which should 

 be of moderate length, I must confine myself to very short notes 

 in what remains for me to say. I cannot attempt to give an 

 exhaustive list of my summer plants, but I will make just a few 

 remarks on some of the best of them. Of very gorgeous flowers, 

 Papaver orientale and P. bractcatum may be perhaps placed at 

 the head. Of flowers which are of the most brilliant red colour, 

 there is nothing which is superior to Tropc&olum speciosum. I 

 cannot admit that there is any difficulty at all in growing this 

 .splendid climber. It is quite as much at home in the southern 



