582 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 12, 1888. 
HARDY HEATHS. 
No apology is necessary for calling attention to this 
most useful and interesting group of dwarf free-flowering 
evergreen shrubs, 'of which it has been well said they 
are “easily managed and worthy of far more attention 
than has hitherto been bestowed upon them.’’ But 
they are rarely met with in such form as to show that 
they are cultivated with care ; when they are so culti¬ 
vated they become objects of real beauty. “ Of the few 
species from which the now numerous varieties in culti¬ 
vation have sprung, the mountains and moorlands of 
our own country have contributed some of the finest, 
and they are found in more or less abundance in 
almost every country in Europe, growing with the 
greatest luxuriance in sandy peat, which for the most 
part forms their natural soil. There are, at the same 
time, few loams in which they will not succeed, if rich 
in vegetable matter and free from chalk and lime, 
while the worst for the purpose may be adapted for 
their wants by the application of a moderate quantity 
of peat or old leaf-soil, and even a liberal allowance of 
well-rotted manure, which they all appreciate very 
much.” So writes Mr. Hugh Fraser, in his book on 
ornamental shrubs, &e. 
The earliest to flower are the varieties of E. herbacea, 
a species indigenous to a wide area in central Europe, 
and in some localities in North Wales ; and it may be 
regarded “as one of the finest of our hardy Heaths.” 
E. mediterranea, so named from being found abun¬ 
dantly in the countries bordering the Mediterranean 
Sea ; it is also found in several districts in Ireland. 
E. australis, a pretty species found wild in Spain 
and Portugal, and is said to have been first introduced 
to this country in 1769. The foregoing flower in the 
order indicated from February till April, and are 
valuable for winter or spring gardening. They have a 
neat habit of growth, and produce a profusion of bright 
coloured flowers, which are most effective in masses. 
E. herbacea produces its pale red blossoms from the 
beginning of March, and in some seasons much earlier. 
It is a most useful spring-bedding plant, as it may be 
clipped freely without damage, and grows a foot or 
more in height. It may be employed as an edging, or 
as a low hedge in a flower garden. Carnea, flesh- 
coloured, and carnea alba, white, are varieties of this. 
In its habit of growth and general appearance E. 
mediterranea resembles the former, and it is thought 
by some that E. herbacea is probably only a form of that 
species. The flowers are pale red, and in perfection in 
April. There are a few T varieties of this, such as 
glauca, nana, stricta, rubra, and one or two others. 
E. australis is a close bushy shrub, about 4 'ft. high, 
producing its purplish red flowers in abundance during 
the summer months. It is found to thrive best in a 
sheltered position. 
The later-blooming species are E. tetralix, which is 
found wild in the northern countries of Europe, and 
very abundantly on the moors and heaths of Britain. 
Its height is from 1 ft. to 2 ft. The flowers are borne 
in terminal racemes, of a delicate pink colour, and are 
generally in perfection from July to August. There 
are red and white varieties of this, and an early-bloom¬ 
ing form, called E. prsecox. E. cineria is a species 
found in great abundance in many of the northern 
countries of Europe, and all over Britain, rarely rising 
above a foot from the ground. The flowers are reddish 
purple, changing to blue, and begin to expand early in 
June. Of this there are at least a dozen varieties, varying 
in colour from blush to deep purple. E. vulgaris, or 
Calluna vulgaris, is the common Heather or Ling 
of the moors, and it has a large number of varieties 
said to be all sports from the species found in a wild 
state, or developed under garden cultivation. There 
are nearly a dozen varieties of the wild form known as 
Yulgaris alba. This group is in perfection from May 
to September, the one succeeding the other ; and then 
the floral succession is taken up by E. vagans, and its 
few varieties, and they continue in bloom until late in 
the autumn. In order to give some idea of the num¬ 
ber of varieties of these hardy Heaths now cultivated, 
I have just counted as many as fifty in one catalogue. 
In regard to the treatment of these Heaths, Mr. 
Fraser further remarks :—“ The smaller-growing sorts 
make neat edging to beds or borders, as they may be 
kept trimmed and neat without disparagement to their 
flowering. The best way, however, of exhibiting their 
beauty to the fullest extent, is that of grouping them 
in beds by themselves, and when carefully arranged 
according to habit and colour of the flowers, nothing 
can be more attractive. To keep them in health and 
vigour, it is necessary that they should be lifted every 
four or five years, and either replaced with young 
plants, which are easily obtained from layers, or sink¬ 
ing the old plants deep enough to cover the bare stems, 
which render them so unsightly. This can be done 
with perfect safety, as the young shoots root freely in 
a few months immediately below the surface. The 
operation of transplanting may be safely performed any 
time between September and April. We prefer, how¬ 
ever, the months of February and March, if the'weather 
be open and the ground in good working order, as on 
the whole the best for the purpose ; most of the sorts 
are then at rest, and the work is completed before 
growth commences.” I may here state that I am 
indebted to the work I have quoted from for a good 
deal of the information conveyed in what I have 
written respecting these hardy Heaths. 
That this plant is an ancient one is shown from the 
fact that the prophet Jeremiah exclaimed, “And he 
shall be like the Heath in the desert,” though it is 
supposed to be the Juniper that is more particularly 
referred to. The Highlanders consider it exceedingly 
lucky to find white Heather. It is said the Piets 
manufactured beer from the Heather, but the secret 
was lost when the Piets were exterminated. Mr. R. 
Folkard tells us that at the present time the inhabitants 
of Isla, Jura, and other outlying districts, brew a very 
potable liquor by mixing two-thirds of the tops of the 
Heather with one of malt.— R. D. 
-- 
ORNAMENTAL STOVE PLANTS. 
Considering the numbers there are of ornamental 
stove and greenhouse plants, it is not to be wondered 
at that a large number of species occasionally disappear 
from sight, or are only to be found in collections 
where the craze for new things does not prevail to 
the prejudice of the good old well-tried plants that 
were considered beautiful when first sent out, and 
which are yet so when properly cultivated and cared 
for. That many of the fine-foliaged plants of a few 
years back may still claim to rank amongst the Hite of 
the beautiful plants of the day there ought not to be 
any question, for what can take higher rank for nobility 
of appearance and lustre than a well-grown plant of 
Cyanophyllum magnificum, a well-coloured specimen 
of Anthurium crystallinum, or examples of Alocasia 
Lowii, A. metallica or Maranta Veitehii? But, as a 
general rule, these very fine ornamental plants are out 
of date at present, and at times it is difficult to get a 
sight of them when viewing collections of plants grown 
now. Young plants of these things are very beautiful, 
and ought to be kept in any collection that claims to 
rank as first class. 
The various forms of leaf, and the many distinct 
tints of colour that can be obtained from a varied col¬ 
lection of ornamental-foliaged plants is something sur¬ 
prising to the novice in plant-growing, the shades 
varying from pure white to nearly all the shades of the 
other known colours. A collection of ornamental- 
foliaged plants, when grown in a house by themselves, 
with a few of the choicest and most graceful Palms 
interspersed, is a pleasing sight at any time, especially 
if well arranged for effect, producing a good combination 
of different forms of foliage and colour. 
Phylanthus nivosus. —This is one of the very best 
plants for giving effect to a collection of this kind. The 
beautiful white-splashed foliage of this subject being 
produced in abundance, and showing its true character 
even from quite little plants, renders it most serviceable 
as a factor in arrangements for effective purposes. 
P. roseo-pictus does not produce foliage so abundantly 
as P. nivosus, but it has leaves of a beautiful rosy tint, 
which makes it a useful kind for blending with a 
collection. 
Fittonias. —The beautiful network of colour dis¬ 
played upon these dwarf-growing plants renders them 
very useful for culture in small pots for edging, or they 
may be grown in pans for making good masses to dot 
about. The very fine silver lines present in the kind 
known as F. argyroneura, causes it to be extremely 
attractive. F. Pearcei is rather more erect in its 
growth than the preceding, and is marked with lines 
of a beautiful rosy carmine colour ; it is very effective 
as a pot plant or grown in masses, and is extremely 
beautiful when blended with the silver-lined form. 
They require a good stove temperature, and shading 
from the sun to bring them to perfection. A soil 
composed of rough peat, a little loam and charcoal 
suits their wants exactly. They make pretty objects 
when planted on rockwork in stoves, and being quick 
growing plants they soon cover a good amount of space. 
Soxerilas are a very beautiful class of stove plants, 
and when under good cultivation they are very 
attractive little subjects. All the forms are spotted and 
marked with white on the foliage, and in the case of 
S. Hendersoni and its varieties, the foliage is beau¬ 
tifully marbled and veined. They are rather difficult 
plants to manage in a mixed collection, but do very 
well if they can have a part of the stove devoted to 
their culture. They do not like syringing, and should 
be kept drier than most stove plants, but still they 
like moisture in the atmosphere. The house in which 
they are grown should be well watered about the 
stages, and a high temperature kept up. They require 
a porous soil of very rough sandy peat with charcoal 
intermixed. Great care must be taken that the drainage 
is perfect, and that the plants are kept from the fierce 
rays of the sun. 
Bertoloxias. —A very beautiful and ornamental class 
of little plants that require a similar position in the 
stove. Their habit is compact, and the colour of their 
foliage is charming when either a few plants are seen to¬ 
gether or in a mass. They always call forth exclamations 
. of surprise and wonder from those who see them, by 
the splendid tints they produce to the beholder. B. 
superbissima, known as the Jewel Plant, is most beau¬ 
tifully spotted on the upper surface of the leaf, the 
ground colour being olive green, and the spots on the 
surface rose ; the under side of the leaf is a purplish 
rose colour. B. Houtteana is remarkable for the 
venation of its leaves, which are covered with crimson 
in a very striking and beautiful manner. It is a 
striking and remarkably pretty plant, and all other 
kinds are equally beautiful. Great care must be 
exercised with these plants that no water lays on the 
leaf, or it will soon be disfigured. They thrive best in 
very sandy peat, and do not want a great amount of 
pot room to grow them to perfection. 
During the summer and autumn months they flower, 
and with great care a few of the flowers may be 
fertilised, when they will produce seed pods. The 
utmost vigilance is necessary to perform this operation, 
and also in watching for the seed at the time when it 
becomes fit to gather. It should be sown at once, as 
soon as gathered, on the surface of very fine sandy 
peat, and placed in a good heat, covering with glass to 
keep it from drying too rapidly. If the seed be good it 
will soon germinate, and the little plants should be 
pricked off as soon as they can be fairly handled. It is 
surprising what a number of beautiful forms will come 
from one pod of seed taken from B. Houtteana. I once 
had fully a dozen distinct marked forms raised from seed 
of this plant. The colours were so rich and the plants 
grew with such vigour that all who saw them were 
surprised at their beauty. Had such a break occurred 
a dozen years earlier it would have caused a sensation 
in the horticultural world. These plants are seldom 
seen in collections now ; but they are deserving of 
cultivation where fine fol;aged plants are sought after. 
W(To be continued.) 
- — - 
RHODODENDRONS WITHOUT 
PEAT. 
The contributions of your correspondent, ‘ ‘ Caledonian, ” 
usually "glisten with sound, consistent and practical 
common sense, combined with a charitable regard for 
the arguments adduced by other writers. It is strange, 
however, yet nevertheless true, that many writers 
appear to always—and “ Caledonian ” appears to be no 
exception to the rule [?]—regard the soil, climate, &c., of 
their own particular gardens as universal, and because 
certain plants with them grow and flourish well, with 
or without certain artificial composts, conclude that 
others are wrong for so applying them. “Caledonian” 
is right in saying that there is a great difference in the 
loam in different localities, and hence it is, I take it, 
that we cannot all agree in recommending similarity of 
practice. 
It is well known that the Rhododendron is a moisture- 
loving plant, and that peat is retentive of moisture. 
The roots of Rhododendrons are small and threadlike, 
and too weak to penetrate stiff heavy soils, but when 
peat is placed about their roots, every particle of it is 
converted into a living mass of roots, the two delighting 
in each other’s company and producing natural, and 
healthy foliage. I have, however, lifted thousands of 
fine bushy plants, compact in head and roots, from 
soil to which peat has never been applied, though it 
certainly would have been had a supply been at hand, 
because of its cooling qualities, as the plants were apt 
to flag much in summer, the soil being a friable 
yellowish loam on the sandstone formation. 
We should never think of planting American plants 
without peat, because our soil does not suit such 
