56 THE BOOK OF SHRUBS 



rather severely every second or third year to maintain a 

 continuous succession of new growth. 



SALIX OR WILLOWS. Several of the willows are so 

 light and elegant in appearance during the summer and 

 have bark so brightly coloured in the winter as to be of 

 much value for planting on the margin of lakes and 

 ponds and alongside running streams : Saltx cardinalis, 

 with bright green leaves and red bark ; S. purpurea, 

 with dark green leaves and purple bark ; and S. vitellina, 

 with bright green leaves and yellow bark, the best of 

 those with brightly coloured bark, and S. rosamarini- 

 folia is a remarkably elegant variety with dark green 

 leafage. The willows should be cut back to within a 

 few inches of the surface each spring just before they 

 commence to make new growth. 



SAMBUCUS OR ELDER. The elders comprise several 

 useful forms with ornamental foliage. The most useful 

 is the Golden Elder (Sambucus nigra aurea), which has 

 rich golden leaves and is nearly, if not quite, as vigorous 

 as the green form, and one of the best of the golden 

 shrubs for seaside gardens. In many cases it is planted 

 too largely, more especially in gardens of small size. 

 The Silver Elder (5. n.foliis argenteis), which has leaves 

 margined with white, is also pleasing and desirable. S. 

 n. heterophylla and S. n. lacinata are two elegant cut- 

 leaved forms. The leaves of these elders attain the 

 highest development when the plants are somewhat 

 severely pruned. 



WEIGELAS. There are two handsome weigelas 

 with coloured leafage that should have attention. One 

 is W. hortensis Looymansi, which has golden leaves, and 

 W. rosea variegata, with variegated leaves. These 

 should be planted on the margin of shrubberies or beds 

 and be cut back every two or three years to promote 

 the production of strong growths and large well- 

 coloured leaves. 



