162 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
Seaside Planting. —It has been recom¬ 
mended, in order to establish trees on the 
seacoast, to plant thickly of Sycamores and 
Poplars for shelter, these seeming to do better 
than any other trees. The beautiful varieties 
of Hollies, which do remarkably well, and al¬ 
ways give satisfaction are recommended. The 
following are also found to succeed, viz :— 
Hollies of sorts, Yews, Box, Laurustinus; 
Laurels, both Portugal and Common; Arbu¬ 
tus, Aucuba japonica, Cotoneaster frigida 
and macrophylla, Evergreen Oaks, Privet, 
Gorse, Pinus austriaca, and Laburnums. Al¬ 
most all shrubs and trees of the order Legu- 
minosse seem to do well. For instance, Lu- 
pinuscalifornicus, grows about 4 feet high and 
6 feet through, flowers very abundantly, and 
is quite hardy. The flowers are as large at 
those of the Laburnum, and stand erect, but 
the colour is not so deep a yellow. October 
and November is the best time to plant. 
Robinia Pseud-Acacia fastigiata. —M. 
Carriere states in Revue Horticole, that while 
if a cutting or a graft of this variety be taken 
from the upper portion of the tree, the fasti- 
giate habit will be reproduced, and the 
branches will be furrowed and covered with 
short prickles; yet if the plant be multiplied 
by detaching portions of the root, then instead 
of a pyramidal tree with erect branches, a 
spreading bushy shrub is produced, with 
more or less horizontal cylindrical branches, 
destitute of prickles. 
Arranging Cut Flowers.—A writer in 
the Gardeners' Chronicle observes that of all 
the mistakes that are made in arranging 
flowers, the commonest is that of putting too 
many into a vase; and next to that is the 
putting too great a variety of colours into 
one bouquet. Every flower in a group should 
be clearly distinguishable and determinable, 
without pulling the nosegay to pieces. The 
calyx of a Clove Pink should never be 
hidden by being plunged into the head of 
white Phlox, however well the two colours 
may look together. Sweet Peas never look 
so well in the hand as they do on the plant, 
because they cannot be carried without 
crowding them; but put them lightly into a 
vase with an equal number of pieces of Mig¬ 
nonette, or rather, ornament a vase half full 
of Mignonette with a few blooms of Sweet 
Peas, and you get a charming effect, because 
you follow the natural arrangement by avoid¬ 
ing crowding of the blooms, and putting them 
with the green foliage which they want to 
set them off. Few people are aware, until 
they try it, how exceedingly easy it is to 
spoil such a pleasing combination as this; a 
piece of Calceolaria, Scarlet Pelargonium, or 
blue Salvia would ruin it effectually. Such 
decided colours as these require to be grouped 
in another vase, and should not even be 
placed on the same table with the Sweet Peas ; 
they also require a much larger preponder¬ 
ance of foliage to set them off to advantage 
than is wanted by flowers of more delicate 
colours. 
Large Pear Tree. —At the Abbie of Lin- 
dores,onthe estate of Mugdrum, are some un¬ 
usually large Pear trees, mentioned 150 years 
ago by Sibbald in his “ History of Fife.” 
The trunk of the largest measures 17 feet 
10 inches in circumference at 1 foot from the 
ground; at 9 feet higher up, where it branches 
off, it is 17 feet in circumference; and it is 
44 feet in height. The spread of the branches 
is 53 feet in diameter ; the circumference of 
one of the branches is 10 feet 8 inches, and 
that of another 8 feet 10 inches. It grows 
in deep alluvial soil, and bears abundant 
crops. 
Habrothamnus Berries. — Grown on a 
pillar in a conservatory, Habrothamnus elegans 
blooms freely from the autumn onwards, and 
during winter matures its large and beautiful 
clusters of rich rosy violet-coloured fruit, 
which equal in size those of the Black Cluster 
or Yerdelho Grapes, and prove it to be most 
useful for decoration at a season when flowers 
and fruit for decorative purposes are ex¬ 
tremely valuable. Messrs. E. G. Henderson 
and Son some time since sent us some beauti¬ 
ful examples from one of their houses. 
Libocedrus decurrens. —In reference to 
the propagation of this fine hardy tree by cut¬ 
tings, which is well known to be a difficult 
process, a correspondent of the Gardeners' 
Chronicle observes:—“ I have rooted upwards 
of a hundred, but I consider it a “ slow-coach,” 
and by grafting it upon Biota orientalis or 
Chinese Arbor Yitse, I have plants in one-third 
of the time. I have had cuttings in the propa- 
gating-bed for upwards of a year, and with a 
callus as large as a hen’s egg before rooting.” 
This is the tree commonly called Thuja gigan- 
tea in gardens, a name which really belongs 
to the plant known as Thuja Lobbii. 
Selaginellas. —These are excellent plants 
for clothing the shady walls of a plant-stove. 
No better illustration of this fact can be found 
than is now to be seen in the Sheffield Botanic 
Garden, where the north wall of the Victoria - 
house is draped with them, several species 
being mixed up together. We have never 
seen so pretty an effect produced by these re¬ 
freshing-looking plants in any other situation. 
The wall is faced with a six-inch layer of 
coarse peat and rubble, with a little moss 
outside, the whole being held in position by 
strong galvanised wire netting, with rather 
wide diamond-shaped meshes; and the only 
attention required by the plants is a damping 
with the syringe daily. 
New Double Crimson Thorn. — The 
writer of our account of this plant at page 
117, having been publicly charged with 
ignorance for recommending the present pur¬ 
chase of plants in pots with the view to flower¬ 
ing them next year, we simply point out in 
reply, that he has not directed them to be 
planted out, as is assumed by his critics. 
