THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN aUIDE. 235 



one only point requisite to do justice to them is to grow them 

 liberally. 



Next month I shall proceed with the list, but I do not expect 

 I can fairly finish it until towards the end of the year. S. II. 



SOME JAPANESE PLANTS SUITABLE FOE ENGLISH 



GAKDENS. 



BY KAEL PROSPEB. 



TJEING- the past few years a number of most beautiful 

 hardy, or nearly hardy shrubs, have been introduced 

 from Japan. They have scarcely been appreciated as 

 yet in English gardens, and I should perhaps not have 

 thought to write a few words about them unless I had 

 seen lately, in visiting a garden, a great collection planted out, and 

 such a beautiful appearance they [)resented, that I thought them 

 far more entertaining than the most splendid flowers. The lustre 

 of the leaves, the interesting forms, the variety of character— all 

 impressed me, and, though so familiar with these plants that I may 

 truthfully say I have propagated tens of thousands of them, yet 

 they seemed all new to me, for this was the first time I had seen 

 tbem generously dealt with and tastefullv displayed. 



The proprietor of this garden had formed what he called a 

 " Japanese ground," which is quite as reasonable a proceeding as 

 the formation of an American ground. In beds of various kinds of 

 soil he had planted various Japanese shrubs, the system being to 

 use three kinds of soil— say, No. 1, good turfy peat ; No. 2, mellow, 

 silky, yellow loam ; No. 3, poor sandy loam, with a large quantitv of 

 sweepings of gravel walks added to render it still more gritty. 'All 

 the Skimmias were planted in pure peat, with a few variegated 

 plants intermixed to enrich the bed. AH the robust-habited, green- 

 leaved shrubs, such as the green Osmanthuses, were planted in 

 pure mellow loam of a nourishing kind. Lastly, between the beds 

 of green plants were beds of the gritty stuff, filled with variegated 

 plants. Thus the requirements of each were met, and taste was 

 consulted too. I leave it to the reader to discover how best to 

 appropriate these plants, contenting myself with offering a few notes 

 upon those which are most likely to be useful. 



AucuBAS. — The newer kinds are, in many instances, remarkable 

 for the beauty of their leaves, and they will grow in any soil. If a 

 male plant be pub here and there in a*^ group, there is no doubt the 

 females in the same groups will all bear berries, without the necessity 

 of being fertilized. At all events, J have found this to be the case 

 under glass ; for I have seen half a dozen large plants bear berries 

 where there was only one small mule in flower, and only one spike of 

 flowers produced. The most beautiful of the new Aucubas are the 

 following : — A. foemina viridis, a glistening green shrub of rapid 



