2 
JOUKNAL OF THE KOYAL HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 
manner as to prevent their assuming that elegant form which they should 
develop ; used singly instead of in masses ; and, in short, neglected in 
every possible way. Even in nurseries they are not seen in perfection, 
because for the purposes of sale it is necesssry to cut them back severely 
in order to make all-round plants. Happily at Kew and some other 
botanical gardens they can be recognised in proper condition, and in 
such private gardens as Miss Willmot's at Warley Place, Miss Jekyll's at 
Munstead. I also call to mind their inteUigent treatment at Madres- 
field Court, Great Malvern, where Mr. Crump seems to consider what may 
be called the feelings and wants of all subjects under his care in that vast 
and beautiful garden. Still, it is evident that in our provincial parks, 
cemeteries, &c., they are too often made to assume a set form, and 
clipped for the sake of tidiness more often than they are allowed to 
demonstrate their natural beauty and utility. 
To the amateur cultivator one advantage they possess is cheapness, 
as for a £5 note he may buy 100 fine and distinct varieties ; or fifty of the 
choicest for the same sum. Further, they require no special soil or 
position, except in a few cases which will be noted hereafter ; and for 
elegance, boldness, grace, and contrast with their evergreen brethren they 
stand out pointedly, as even without flower their foliage alone entitles 
many of them to a position of importance, ranging as it does from the 
mossy Tamarisk to Paulownia. Nor must their value as cut flowers be 
overlooked. They supply sprays of all sizes, suitable for large receptacles 
as Avell as for small table vases, and this cutting at the flowering season 
does the plant good, as will be seen by the notes on pruning. Several are 
very sweet-scented, and many old favourites have a sentimental value from 
their frequent notice in poetry and prose, and from their returning to 
greet us, season after season, linking themselves to our hearts by many 
a fond association, brightening our work and cheering our leisure 
hours. 
When forming the plan of taking notes throughout the year I was 
not aware that Mr. Henry Hoare had a work in the press that followed 
the same lines as my paper, but I can heartily commend his book to all 
garden lovers, and a perusal of his well-got-up and practical book has 
enabled me to remedy some deficiencies in my own notes, for which I am 
deeply obliged. Mr. Hoare also goes into culture and propagation further 
than I can in a short paper.* 
No one is more aware than myself of the deficiencies in the scope and 
extent of this paper. I could readily have made it as long again, but I 
have purposely confined my remarks to such plants as have come under 
my immediate personal notice, selecting the best, most showy and strik- 
ing examples, rather than aiming at making a collection of botanical 
plants, or including such new species and varieties as have yet to pass the 
ordeal of our severe winters in the south-east of England. Nor have I, 
although no one is more sensible of their charms and attractions than 
myself, included those half-hardy species which flourish west of Sussex, 
on the Hampshire coasts, and find their home and full development in 
the lovely gardens of Devon and Cornwall. I would throw out a sugges- 
*" Calendar of Flowering Trees and Shrubs," Richard Flint & Co., 48 Fleet 
Street, E.C. 
