136 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Leycesteria formosa is a beautiful hardy shrub, with hollow stems, 
large ovate leaves, and white or purplish flowers in pendulous 
racemes. More conspicuous than the flowers are the deep purple 
foliaceous bracts, which impart to the shrub a distinct and very 
ornamental appearance. It is a capital town plant, shooting out 
fresh and green after being subjected to a winter’s incessant fumes 
from the chimneys of the great metropolis. It is perfectly hardy, 
of free growth, readily propagated, and altogether a valuable 
shrub. 
The Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum).—Too much praise 
can hardly be bestowed on this handsome free-flowering shrub for 
the planting of town gardens and shrubberies. There it succeeds 
to perfection, and flowers with the greatest freedom. In early 
spring it breaks out fresh and strong, regardless of the noxious 
fumes and impure atmosphere. Well planted at first, it rarely fails, 
striking out its roots far and wide, and soon becoming a dense 
shrub of medium proportions. Nothing can well surpass it for the 
quantity, colour, and quality of its showy flowers, while it is the 
easiest of shrubs to propagate and cultivate. 
Skimmia japonica is a low-growing shrub that I have seen doing 
well in the heart of London, where smoke and other impurities of 
the air do not seem to affect it in the least. For beauty of flowers 
it is not remarkable, but as a handsome berry-bearing shrub it can 
well hold its own with any other. A north aspect, and half-peaty 
soil would seem to suit it. 
The Snowy Mespilus (Amelanchier Botryapium), with its racemes 
of white flowers and desirable outline, is a valuable shrub for 
' planting in towns. The flowers are produced in early spring, when 
lawns and gardens look dull and cheerless. Of free growth, it 
succeeds in any fairly good soil, and soon forms a handsome 
specimen. 
Lilacs have few equals as town shrubs ; indeed, it would be good 
practice to plant these first, whatever else might follow. They 
succeed admirably in the worst and most smoky parts of London 
aud Glasgow, and there put on an appearance during early summer 
that it would be difficult to exceed in country gardens. Recent 
experiments have proved that many of the finer forms are equal 
to the common kind for this purpose, particularly the Siberian and 
Persian. All are of free growth, non-fastidious as to soil or site, 
and easily propagated. 
The Kentucky Coffee Tree (Gymnocladus canadensis) can ill be 
