138 The woodland garden 



noxious enemies by light grubbing, and then plant in 

 bold free masses things that will fight the weed. I 

 know of nothing that cleans the ground below it more 

 thoroughly than the Red Dogwood; its foliage is so 

 close and it gives bright winter-effect in wet places 

 beside streams and ponds, and will also grow away from 

 water. 



Our native Holly, Box, and Yew make much more 

 beautiful and effective groups than the weedy shrubs 

 which usually have possession. The common evergreen 

 Barberry is a beautiful covert shrub, with its foliage all 

 through the winter and its fragrant blooms in spring, 

 but it should be held together in natural masses, and 

 close enough to keep the ground clean. The common 

 way of having coarse Laurels clipped down to one level 

 is ugly, and there are so many things that give a very 

 fine undergrowth without clipping. The large Par- 

 tridge-berry (Gaultheria Shallon) of North America, as it 

 may be seen at Coolhurst what an excellent under- 

 growth it makes, and yet how little grown ! 



Evergreen Barberries might alternate with our com- 

 mon native Barberry, so brilliant in fruit, and wide 

 masses of Aucuba and Yellow Azaleas, now so easily 

 raised. Such excellent evergreen covert plants as 

 Cunningham's White Rhododendron can be bought on 

 their own roots. Rhododendrons are a host in them- 

 selves, but there is too much of the dull ponticum. We 

 should encourage the bright-coloured kinds such as 

 Jacksonii, and never put in a grafted plant. There are 

 splendid kinds in the country if people will only layer 

 them, or even allow them to layer themselves, as they 

 often will when let alone. Kinds good in colour can 

 be picked out in flowering time at the lowest rate the 



