lly protracted. It is curious that in spite of its beauty it is
little known even in Cornwall, Devon, and similar localities, where it
would doubtless thrive to perfection. It has been grown at Kew for the
last six years, and although the winters during that period have not
been very severe, it has stood out all the time, and it flowers
regularly and profusely every spring. It can be increased by cuttings
put in at the end of July or the beginning of August. _E. australis_ is
a native of Spain and Portugal; it flowers in April and May, and lasts
eight weeks in beauty. The flowers are rich, bright, rosy red, brighter,
indeed, than those of any other Heath; they are fragrant,
pitcher-shaped, and about a quarter-inch long. The species has been
confounded with _E. mediterranea_, which often does duty for it, but it
is distinguished by having the flowers produced generally four or eight
together in terminal clusters. (Those of _E. mediterranea_ appear in the
leaf axils.) Those who have gardens in well-sheltered or mild
localities should grow this beautiful Heath. The difficulty at present
is to get hold of the right thing; I am glad to know, however, that some
trade firms are taking it up. It is said to grow 6 to 8 feet high, but I
have not seen plants half as high.

[Illustration: _ONE OF THE BEST OF ALL HEATHS (Erica carnea)._]

_E. mediterranea._--Of all the taller Heaths this is the one, I think,
that deserves to be most freely planted in districts no warmer than the
London one. The three preceding species, so beautiful when seen at their
best, are more comfortable in the southern and western counties. Of
sturdier constitution, _E. mediterranea_ may be planted in large
quantities with a view to producing broad effects. At Kew a group 70
feet across, planted three or four years ago, already makes a striking
mass of purple each spring. The habit of remaining for a long time in
full beauty, which is so marked a characteristic of the Heaths, is
possessed to the full extent by this species. It is beautiful from March
to May, and is all the more appreciated because the majority of the
trees and shrubs that bloom at this season have yellow, pink, or white
flowers. In the typical _E. mediterranea_ the flowers are bright rosy
red, but there is a charming white-flowered variety (_alba_), another
with bluish foliage (_glauca_), and a dwarf one (_nana_). The flowers
appear near the ends of the shoots in the axils of the leaves, and