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is now breaking freely from the base. These species are evidently 
the most desirable members of this beautiful genus to grow where 
no protection can be afforded. Of Helianthemums, 11. alyssoides, 
formosum, ocymoides, and vineale have survived, but H. halimifolium 
is nearly swept away and HH. umbellatum has almost disappeared. 
An interesting—and to me unexpected—result is the passing 
through the winter of Magnolia Campbellii quite uninjured. Plants 
were killed in 1895. ‘'wo Madeiran shrubs, Genisia virgata and 
Vaccinium padifolium (V. maderense), are grown in the open air 
here. e former is so hardy as to be naturalising itself about the 
ounds, and a plant of the latter has grown just inside the Main 
ntrance for at least 65 years. Sir Joseph Hooker believes it to 
be the original plant introduced by Francis Masson on his return 
from South Africa in 1777. 
The exceedingly rare Elliottia racemosa, of which there are two 
plants at Kew, has not been affected in the least, although a native 
is eorgia. Diospyros Kaki, uninjured on a wall, succumbed in 
the open, 
In a general way old and well-established shrubs with stout 
woody stems -withstand a severe winter better than younger and 
more succulent ones. But there are curious exceptions. For 
instance, all our old specimens of Veronica Traversti have been 
crippled beyond recovery, but young two- or three-year-old plants 
are scarcely touched. And the only plants of common Rosemary 
emaining after the winter are plants two years old; all the older 
ones having perished. A similar resuli was noted at Kew in 1895 
in regard to Dabdecia polifolia, young plants surviving when old 
ones were destroyed. 
_Raphiolepis ovata, usually confined in grcenhouses, is in perfect 
vigour in spite of the trying winter. Choisya ternata, remarkable 
being a Mexican shrub, hardy near London (perhaps the onl 
one), was rendered rather shabby in foliage, but flowered excel- 
lently in May. 
Evergreens.—A curious feature of the winter has been the 
number of habitually evergreen trees and shrubs which lost all, or 
nearly all, their leaves, but were not otherwise injured, The mos 
striking instance at Kew is furnished by the Holm Oak (Quercus 
at). ny trees—but far from all—were quite defoliated. 
Osmanthus Aquifolium dropped all its leaves, whilst its reputed 
variety tleifolium retained them. Of the newer Chinese shrubs 
Cotoneaster angustifolia and Rhododendron yunnanense, both ever- 
green in ordinary seasons, were this year deciduous. An ol and 
well-known denizen of gardens, Berberis Wallichiana became quite 
bare after the December frost, together with its several varieties 
except two. One of these, a native of China, sent to Kew by 
- Maurice de Vilmorin, is a charming shrub of low, dense, rigid 
ouepee with leaves vividly white beneath ; it is quite unharmed. 
he other, also Chinese but introduced by Wilson, is similar to the 
ordinary Himalayan type in habit; it also retained its leaves. 
. Many Deodars were almost devoid of foliage by the middle of 
March, and the Phillyreas (except P. decora) were scarcely 
recognizable in their almost leafless condition. 
