HARDY GRASSES. 
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Aira (Hair Grass). — Hardy perennial grasses with graceful 
and elegant inflorescence and fine hair-like foliage. The panicles 
of flowers are most useful for cutting for indoor floral decora- 
tion, or for drying for winter use. The plants, too, make 
good border edgings. A. flexuosa, or more correctly Des- 
champsia flexuosa, i ft. , and A. pulchella, 6 to 8in., are the 
two species worth growing. Sow the seeds outdoors in April. 
Arundo (Great Reed). — Handsome flowering grasses, suit- 
able for growing in groups on the lawn. They have reed-like 
stems growing from 3 to 12ft. high, furnished with recurved 
leaves, and bearing panicles of silky white or yellowish in- 
florescence. A. conspicua (New Zealand Reed) will only succeed 
in the South of England outdoors, and then only on a rich 
loamy soil. On heavy soils it invariably dies in winter. A. 
Donax (Great Ree<|) is a European species, but not hardy 
enough to succeed other than in the South of England. There 
is a pretty variegated form, but it rarely does well outdoors. 
A. Phragmites (Common Reed), now called Phragmites com- 
munis, is a native species, useful for growing near the edges 
of water. There is a variegated form of it which is still 
more beautiful than the type. The two first species should be 
protected in winter by a thick covering of bracken or litter 
placed round their base, and a thatching of straw or mats 
placed round the stems. Plant in spring. Increased by seeds 
sown in heat in spring, the seedlings being afterwards grown 
on in pots for a year, protected from frost in winter, and 
planted outside next season. Also by dividing the creeping 
roots in spring. 
Briza. (Quaking Grass). — Very graceful and pretty flower- 
ing grasses eminently suitable for cutting, for mixing with 
cut flowers or drying for winter decoration. Hardy annuals 
or perennials, belonging to the Grass family (Gramineae). 
The species usually grown are: B. maxima, annual, S. Europe, 
i8in. ; B. media, perennial, England, ift. ; and B. minor or 
gracilis, annual, Britain, 6 to ioin. Sow the seeds thinly in 
lines or patches in ordinary soil in a sunny position in April. 
B. media, if it survives the winter, may be divided in spring. 
For winter decoration cut the inflorescence when fully deve- 
loped, tie in small bunches and hang heads dowmward in a 
cool shed till quite dry. 
Bromus (Brome Grass). — A biennial flowering grass, be- 
longing to the Grass family (Gramineae). The inflorescence is 
very graceful and most useful for cutting and using in a green 
state for drying for winter decoration. The species usually 
cultivated for the above purposes is B. brizaeformis ; height 
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