THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 19 



may be left to grow almost as they please. The last named is ex- 

 quisitely beautiful, but unfortunately rather tender ; the winter of 

 18G0 destroyed all our specimens, which were remarkably handsome, 

 and flowered most profusely. The new L. Coriaceum is a fine, dark, 

 solemn species, like a holly. 



PniLLTiiEAS. — These slow-growing, hardy, and handsome trees 

 bear with shade, smoke, and poor soil as w^ell as any that have place 

 in our gardens. They are the best of all subjects to grow as dwarf 

 standards on lawns ; and as shade agrees with them, they are well 

 adapted to take the place of Portugal Laurel, Bay, and other ever- 

 greens used for promenade work where the aspect is not favourable 

 to the growth of the Cerasus tribe. The best for general purposes 

 are Phillyrea anc/iistifolia, P. latlfolia, P. lirjustrifolia, or privet- 

 leaved, F. penclula, with graceful drooping habit, and P. huxifolia, 

 or box-leaved. The one first named is most commonly used, and 

 forms dense masses of rich dark green verdure, requiring no pruning 

 at all. 



Berbereies. — Here is a genus of shrubs possessing the highest 

 qualifications for purposes of ornament ; and all the grander ever- 

 green species do better under trees than in the open ; in fact, they 

 require to be constantly in the shade. The soil in which these 

 thrive best is a deep, rich, moist, sandy loam, and to have abundance 

 of water overhead and at the roots. Among the species the noblest 

 of all is Berleris Japonica, which for magnificence of foliage has 

 no equal among hard}'- shrubs. It naturally grows in the form of 

 a dense bush, with large pinnated leaves of hard texture and a lively 

 green hue. Our specimens of it are now covered with spikes of 

 flower-buds, which will open at the first break of spring weather, 

 and soon be succeeded by bunches of grape-like berries covered with 

 a lovely bloom. Two other noble large-leaved species which thrive 

 under trees are B. Bealii and B. intermedia. Por warm sheltered 

 gardens, B. Nepalensis is most beautiful, and B. Fortuni is well 

 worth having, but both these are rather tender. One of the liveKest 

 of flowering shrubs is B. Darwinii, which blooms abundantly, and 

 of which we had spikes of bloom sent us on Christmas-day from 

 a Devonshire correspondent. One of the cheapest for common 

 purposes, and a really beautiful species, though not equal to those 

 already named, is B. aciidfolium^ well adapted to plant in quantity 

 in town gardens, and to form game covers or belts for screening off 

 the compost yard or kitchen garden. We could name others, but 

 these are the best for planting under trees. 



Hollies of all kinds thrive to perfection under trees. They re- 

 quire a dry sandy soil, and in damp undrained clays should be planted 

 on prepared mounds above the level. The common holly. Ilex 

 aqicifoUuM, forms rich masses of dark green foliage, and the variegated 

 kinds are among the most elegant of all shrubs for fore-courts, 

 terraces, and choice positions, as they are lively in the winter, and 

 once properly planted take care of themselves, and rarely require 

 any sort of pruning. I. halearica is a smooth-leaved holly of free 

 growth ; 1. latlfolia is a noble tree with large leathery leaves, but 

 rather tender ; /. Slieppardi lias broad-toothed leaves of an intensely 



