FLORIDA ,STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
123 
November they usually flowered, and 
were surrounded by numerous buzzing 
insects. 
The large, much lobed leaves, deep 
green above and silvery beneath are ex¬ 
tremely ornamental and when in flower 
the plant is still more conspicuous, though 
the large loose bunches of blossoms are 
only greenish white. This is the plant, 
which supplies the celebrated Japanese 
and Chinese rice paper. 
I have had no success with Aralia (Fat- 
sia) Japonic a and with the very orna¬ 
mental allied Dendropanax Japonicum. 
There is no doubt that I would be able to 
grow them to perfection now. My ex¬ 
periments were made ten to fifteen years 
ago. At that time I also experimented 
with the New Zealand Flax (Phormiuni 
tenax) and its varieties, and lost all 
plants. Last year I again made an at¬ 
tempt. I planted them out in my Cala- 
dium shed, and they are thriving vigor¬ 
ously. 
I have always admired the beautiful 
dense oval shaped specimens of the Ever¬ 
green Snowball in New Orleans and Mo¬ 
bile, where grand specimens 15 to 20 feet 
high can be seen in the gardens and parks. 
This is the fragrant Viburnum odoratis- 
simum. The foliage is large and lustrous, 
the branches dense, and the fragrant 
large flower trusses are produced in the 
early days of April. I have a fine speci¬ 
men in my garden but it is crowded to¬ 
gether with other shrubs. In order to 
admire its unique beauty of growth, it 
should stand aione in an isolated spot. 
It needs rich and rather moist soil for its 
development. Viburnum Azvafuki and 
the large leaved V. macrocephalum also 
grow well with us if they receive good 
care. Without cultivation and constant 
care few of these exotics thrive well in 
this sandy, thirsty and hungry soil. 
The Indian Azaleas (Azalea Indica), 
not an inhabitant of India but of sou¬ 
thern China, is one of our fashionable 
spring plants. The firm of Henry A. 
Dreer of Philadelphia alone imports from 
14 to 15 carloads each spring and all are 
sold out a few months later. In southern 
Georgia, I have seen gardens glowing 
with the beautiful shades of these gor¬ 
geous flowers. I saw them in masses and 
as single specimens. I was informed that 
they would not grow in Florida, but I 
have had beautiful healthy plants along 
the border of my lake. They were, un¬ 
fortunately, destroyed by fire. The most 
beautiful collection of these charming 
plants is undoubtedly found in the gar¬ 
dens of Mr. H. L. Beeman, of Orlando. 
In shady ravines along the shores of 
Lake Sue there are specimens 6 to S' feet 
high and these are a mass of blooms in 
late January and early February. 
Andromeda Japonica, and A. formosa, 
the latter with waxy white fragrant flow¬ 
er bells, thrive well in shady moist spots. 
Both are very handsome evergreens, the 
second species being the best of the two. 
Osmanthus aquifolium, the Holly¬ 
leaved Olive, forms a very fine dense tree 
in northern Florida, but in the southern 
part of the State it is only a rather small 
shrub 3 to 4 feet high with a compact 
head, loaded in October and November 
with small fragrant flowers. It can only 
be grown successfully in shady moist sit¬ 
uations. 
