202 
THE COTTAGE GAKDENEK. 
December 15. 
it so by stopping, and by increasing or diminishing the 
number of tiers in all the leading side-branches, and 
not allowing a bud to open but in the very part where 
I wanted. I also kept the leader, or the centre part of 
the bush, down for three years; by that time I had 
established seven loaders from the bush-head near the 
ground, and treated every one of them as if it was to 
form the tree itself; then I let go the lawful centre. 
1 forgot to leave any memorandum about this tree, but 
it begins to attract such notice now, that what I meant 
to do with it, and how I did it, were among the first 
questions they asked me this autumn. What 1 bad in 
view all the time was to make a fountain of Cedar, as 
it were, the lawful centre to represent the longest jet, and 
the rest to be like so many more jets all round it. All 
seemed pleased with this idea, and none more so than 
Sir Charles Barry. The several leaders were now getting 
too close together; we agreed to tie a string to each of 
them, and pull it out as far as possible, and to fix the 
ends of the strings to pegs in the grass; and if they 
take care, by diligent stopping, they may have eight 
Cedar-trees from one root; but 1 must stop myself for 
the present. D. Beaton. 
STATICE. 
The English name of this genus (Sea Lavender) is as 
characteristic of the position in which many of the 
species are found, as the Botanic name (from Statizo, to 
stop,) is demonstrative of the medical astringent proper¬ 
ties of some of the species. The beautiful Common-Thrift 
is its next door neighbour. In fact, the Armeria viari- 
tina is as often called the Statice armeria. The broadish 
large foliage of many of the genus, is, however, very 
different in its aspect from that of the narrow leaves of 
the garden Thrift. Many that have been introduced I 
have never had the pleasure of seeing, but where there 
is room, I believe almost every one of them to be inte¬ 
resting, from the beauty and compactness of their 
numerous little flowers, and which, with the command 
of a greenhouse and a cold pit, may bo made to produce 
bloom for nine months in the year; and where there 
can be more heat given in winter, some would bloom all 
the year round. I intend this to be a gossiping article 
about some of the most interesting for house culture. 
t. Statice pseudo-Armeria. —This plant is supposed 
to claim for its locality the south coasts of -Europe and 
the north of Africa ; especially about Bona, in Algiers. 
It is, therefore, considered pretty hardy, and if unable to 
stand in all places out of-doors, it will thrive well under 
the protection of a cold pit or frame in winter, and if 
I well-established, will bloom early if transferred to a 
j warm greenhouse in spring. It is easily propagated by 
i division, is not particular as to soil, but will grow most 
j freely where it is light and rich. The flowers are 
purple, blue, and bright; and the leaves, unlike the 
Thrift, are broad, so much so, that good authorities con¬ 
sider that the species is identical with latifolia. 
2. S. Fortuni .— This is a low-growing herbaceous 
i plant, found in China, by Mr. Fortune, near Chin Chin, 
i and in marshy ground. J t bears yellowish flowers. It 
is supposed it will prove nearly as hardy as the Thrift, 
but, being as yet rather scarce, it will be safest to give 
it the protection of a cold frame in winter, and then it 
will bloom in summer and autumn. 
3. S. sinuata. —This has chiefly been found along the 
eastern shores of the Mediterranean, and has been grown 
in our gardens for more than two hundred years, but 
not so much of late as it formerly was. It has purple, 
yellowish flowers, and singular scolloped foliage. In 
damp inland places it will require the protection of a pit 
in winter, but in dry places, and on raised mounds of 
stones or rock-work it would be likely to stand well. It 
generally seeds freely, and may, therefore, be sown in 
such suitable places; and if then the winter destroyed 
it there would be little harm. Both it and Simonium, 
a dwarf herbaceous plant, with blue flowers (Wild Marsh 
Beet), lound on muddy sea-shores in this country, and 
which, in inland places, have received protection, have ! 
been found to be hardy at Hamburgh; sinuata being 
treated as a hardy annual. 
4. S. suffruticosa. —This, as the name implies, is a 
beautiful low-growing shrubby herbaceous plant, pro- I 
during its pretty blue flowers i'or most of the summer, 
and the protection of a dry pit or a greenhouse in winter. 
If exposed to damp and cold together, and a rather con¬ 
fined atmosphere, it will be the victim of mildew to a 
certainty. It is generally supposed to be a native of 
Siberia. On a mound of flint and stones, at the foot of 
a conservative wall that was covered with glass during 
the winter, especially if the wall was at all heated, this 
dwarf pretty plant would be at home. As worth trying, 
in a similar position, might be mentioned, inonopetala, 
mucronata, ovalfolia, latifolia, speciosa, tetragonaffrutes- 
cens, pubescens, puberula, eximia, &c. Suffruticosa is 
generally propagated by cuttings. 
5. S. eximia. —Although this is next thing to being 
quite hardy, it is well worthy of the name of choice, as 
it has pretty flowers of a lilac-rose colour, grows freely 
in equal portions of sandy peat and loam, and is easily 
propagated by divisions when, after blooming, the plant 
is in a dormant state. 
6. S.frutescens. —Another of these low-growing, com¬ 
pact, blue-flowering plants, midway between a shrub 
and a herb, and which might be considered a Lilliputian 
of arborea. It was first bloomed on the continent about 
live years ago. It was brought from the Canaries, and 
will want but little water when in a state of rest in a 
dry cool greenhouse or pit. Until more diffused, it 
would be as well not to trust it much in a temperature 
below 45°. 
7. S. inonopetala. —This is a strong-growing plant, of 
a semi-shrubby character, and producing clusters of 
purple flowers. It well deserves a place in a good green- 
| house, where the temperature in winter is not below 45°. 
j and where in summer it can rise to 70° and 75°. It is 
] found in Sicily, the south of Europe, and the north of 
Africa. On many of the species there are salt exuda¬ 
tions formed, which seem injurious when the plants are 
kept in a dry, warm atmosphere, but mostly disappear 
under a free use of the syringe, so applied as not to 
soak or puddle the surface soil. This plant has its green 
parts dotted over with white small spots of these exuda- 
i tions, which appear to be of a salt-and-lime character, 
something like muriate of lime. It has been proposed 
to apply a little of such matters to the soil or water used 
in cultivating it. In fact, a very small quantity of salt 
in the water is not disliked by any of them; and this 
seems very natural, when we know that most of them, 
at times, are in their native homes washed by the fogs ! 
and the spray ol the ocean. The quantity, however, j 
must be something homoeopathic, and given with caution. | 
The present species blooms during summer and autumn, | 
and is propagated by cuttings of the young shoots when 
getting a little firm at the base. 
8. S. puberula.— This is a beautiful, very dwarf herba¬ 
ceous plant, seldom above one foot in height, producing 
blue-purple flowers in spring and summer; a native of 
Graciosa, one ol the Canary Islands, and requiring 
from us a dry cold pit, or greenhouse, in wiuter, when 
comparatively in a state of rest, and the giving of it 
but little water then. Just at that period it would have | 
plenty of moisture at home, as that would be the winter, i 
or, rather, tlio wet season there; but then it would 
previously have been subjected to a temperature and a I 
light wo should look for in vain in our autumns. It is i 
host to propagate it by division, as growth commences 
in spring. Like all others from similar latitudes, how- 
