370 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



character yet not such as to claim attention the season throughout, or 

 which when out of flower and in a shabby condition is relegated to any 

 out of the way corner. 



There is a wide field of choice from which some suitable plant or 

 plants may be selected. Some, it is true, take several years to arrive at 

 an effective size ; yet when this is attained the reward is ample. 



Oranges have been grown for years, and at one time where they 

 received attention, many fine specimens were to be seen. Of late years 

 there has been but little demand for them, hence the stock has not been 

 kept up by the trade growers. It is not an easy matter now to obtain 

 good specimens with well balanced heads. Their growth is comparatively 

 sbw, but at the same time it is tolerably sure. Both Oranges and Lemons 

 deserve every attention that can be bestowed upon them. The proof of 

 their scarcity is apparent in the difficulty that is sometimes experienced 

 in obtaining orange blossom. 



Myrtles probably stand next to the orange in popular favour. They 

 are of rapid growth on the whole, but in order to make shapely plants 

 some pains must be bestowed upon training them. In doing this any stray 

 shoots will prove of great service (and at the same time durable) in a cut 

 state. The small-leaved, or, as it is commonly known, the Box-leaved 

 myrtle (Myrtus communis angustifolia) is of better habit than the type, 

 and is an extremely useful plant, even from a plant in a six-inch pot up to 

 a tall, shapely specimen. There are one or more varied forms of this 

 myrtle, but they all possess a better branching habit. When grown as 

 bushy pyramids they are seen to the best advantage, flowering too in a 

 most profuse manner in the autumn. The ordinary myrtle (M. com- 

 munis) is the better plant to grow as a standard. In 1889 I struck eight 

 cuttings of the Box-leaved variety. These made good progress and all 

 are thriving well ; the largest is now ten feet high and six feet wide, with 

 branches that nearly hide the tub, being at the same time both dense and 

 bushy. For some years the best of this set of eight did duty in a London 

 garden until their size became too great. This season I collected some 

 seeds, whilst in Rome, of this small-leaved variety ; these already show 

 considerable variation. The variegated form of the common myrtle is 

 nlso a most distinct plant, so also is the double-blossomed variety (M. 

 communis flore plcno). It is the small-leaved Myrtle that is so largely 

 grown in Germany, and for the German market, as standards for 

 use at wedding festivities. The myrtle with us at Gunnersbury needs 

 a cool shelter in the winter ; ours are stored in a cold house from 

 the end of November until the end of March, when they are gradually 

 hardened off. Like the Oranges we find that myrtles thrive best in a 

 strong calcareous loam with which is incorporated some old mortar 

 nibble and sharp sand to keep the soil somewhat open. Firm potting 

 is most essential. This fact must be enforced, because the plants 

 have to romain for some years in the same pot or tub. Were the 

 soil not so treated the plants would decline much sooner, owing to 

 the constituents of the soil being rendered all the poorer by the 

 rapid passing away of the water applied. Besides which a firm soil is 

 conducive to a firm and enduring growth, even though it be not quite so 

 Luxuriant in all appearance. 



