24 THE BOOK OF SHRUBS 



shaped yellow flowers being freely produced. A 

 frequent renewal of stock is desirable as old plants 

 become bare and unsightly. G. cinerea, a charming 

 species, reaching a height of about three feet, elegant in 

 growth, and blooming freely in July, the flowers yellow. 

 G. hispanica, a handsome species of dense growth, rang- 

 ing from twelve to eighteen inches high and most 

 profuse in flowering, the flowers yellow and produced in 

 clusters at the points of the growth ; G. hispanica fl. pi. 

 is a handsome form with double yellow flowers, and like 

 the species, specially adapted for prominent positions in 

 the rock garden. G. pilosa has a prostrate habit, bears 

 an abundance of yellow flowers, and is most useful for 

 raised banks and the rock garden, and G. virgata, a 

 handsome species, five or six feet in height, blooming 

 from April to July, and bearing a profusion of yellow 

 flowers. 



HIBISCUS. The varieties of Hibiscus syriacus (syn. 

 Althaa jfrutex) are very attractive when grown under 

 favourable conditions, and these briefly stated are a 

 light warm soil and a sunny position. They are readily 

 raised from seed, and a packet of seed will yield plants 

 giving a diversity of colours. The plants range from 

 five to seven feet in height and bloom freely during the 

 summer months, in light soils and sunny positions, but in 

 heavy soils and in positions where they are screened 

 from the sun they are most unsatisfactory. The flowers 

 are campanulate, four inches or so in shape, and those of 

 the type are deep rose with crimson brotch at the base 

 of each petal. 



HAMAMELIS OR WITCH HAZELS. These interesting 

 shrubs deserve special attention for their singularly 

 formed flowers, and the fact that they bloom at mid- 

 winter. The several species in cultivation resemble the 

 common hazel nut more especially in the foliage which 

 takes on a rich colour in the autumn. They will grow 



