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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



lovers of hardy plants than is accorded them. In the early spring' 

 their foliage is most beautiful and varied, in tints of green and! 

 golden and silver variegations. Some of the golden forms are quite; 

 lovely in their young growth. So also is Funkia Sieholdiana, with its 

 glaucous foliage suffused with a metallic-blue shading. Funkia^' 

 suhcordata grandiflora has large foliage and pure white flowers pro- 

 duced late in the season. I find all thrive w^ell by the margin of small 

 pools of water. Funkia Sieholdiana requires complete shade, otherwise 

 its foliage will be burned in bright sunshine. Nearly all the species 

 have blue flowers, which make quite a display, chiefly in August. 



Chrysanthemums in September and October. — The decorative 

 qualities of the Chrysanthemum are well known to us all during 

 November and December. But for September and October I think 

 more may be made of them for out-of-door uses in pots. They are 

 grown, and that freely, in the open borders during these two months, 

 and many valuable varieties are now cultivated for that purpose. I 

 refer now more particularly to pot-grown plants, both of the dwarf 

 bush varieties and those that produce large flowers. Grown in this 

 way, I find them extremely useful for grouping in terrace decorations 

 and the like. They last well, and, by selecting suitable colours, may 

 be made to blend with the autumnal tints of the foliage about them. 

 Some we group amid Japanese Acers, and others around a white 

 marble seat. The varieties are almost too numerous to mention, but 

 both the bronze and the yellow forms of ' Soleil d'Octobre ' should 

 certainly be grown for large flowers. 



Annuals. — It is somewhat difficult to deal with annuals, on the 

 whole, in association with set flower-bed designs, or upon what are i 

 designated hardy herbaceous borders. In either case there can scarcely 

 fail to be a break or failure at some time or another during the season. 

 To obviate this a plot might be set apart, quite by itself, for annuals 

 in particular. I find this to work very well in practice. In our case i 

 the annuals are not kept trimmed or within certain limits, but are 1 

 given room for freedom of growth. Thus grown they are very attrac- | 

 tive, forming quite a feature, as well as a welcome change from the other ; 

 parts of the garden. In our case we have to aim at a good display in 

 the autumn; hence selections are made chiefly for that purpose. Bulbs 

 could follow annuals very well indeed for spring decoration. 



Convolvulus major. — Having to do something to hide the lamp- 

 poets skirting a carriage drive, I adopted the plan of growing 

 Co7ivolvulus major up some strings strained tightly from bottom to 

 top. I have found this method to answer very well. A profusion of 

 flowers is maintained through the season, and even before flowers are ] 

 freely produced the foliage is in itself very pretty. We endeavour to | 

 keep the colours separate. ( 



Bamboos, Aru7idinaria nitida. — This species of Arundinaria has not, 

 I think, received its full share of recognition. It is one of the prettiest 

 and most graceful Bamboos in cultivation and as hardy as any, if not the 



