268 TREES AND SHRUBS 



occasional shoot that threatens to upset the balance 

 of the plant, and thinning wiry and exhausted growths; 

 but remove seed pods directly the flowers are over, 

 as these are a drain upon the plant's strength. 



BERBERIS. Few Berberises are of much account 

 for greenhouse decoration, the best being the orange- 

 flowered B. Darwinii and the rich yellow B. stenophylla. 

 They will not flower well if forced hard, but in a 

 cool house, with very little heat, they are very charm- 

 ing. A successful grower of shrubs under glass 

 writes : " I knew of some bushes of B. stenophylla 

 that had been treated in this way for five years, and 

 little trouble was taken with them, yet they were so 

 beautiful as to be much admired every year. After 

 flowering, the weakly growths were cut out and the 

 pots plunged in the open ground. Manure water was 

 occasionally given, and with this treatment they did 

 well/' 



CARPENTERIA CALIFORNICA. This evergreen shrub, 

 even in the south of England, is all the better for 

 slight protection, and it is delightful in the almost 

 cold house, the white flowers, reminding one of 

 those of the Japanese anemone, appearing about 

 May. It is a very beautiful shrub. 



CARYOPTERIS MASTACANTHUS. This Chinese shrub 

 will bloom freely in light and warm soils, bearing 

 lavender blue flowers in profusion during the 

 autumn ; indeed, so late that when cold and wet 

 weather occurs they often fail to expand at all. This 

 difficulty is overcome when the plants are grown in 

 pots and taken into the greenhouse for the flowers to 



