In My Vicarage Garden 



hardy that it does not require a wall, and would 

 probably do well trained up a tree ; but it 

 deserves a wall, and being a fast grower it will 

 very soon cover a large extent of a high wall. 

 The beauty of it lies in its long, graceful wreaths 

 of golden flowers ; wreaths six feet long are not 

 uncommon, and after the flowering it should be 

 pruned, and then it has a good appearance all the 

 summer. Close by in a sheltered corner, but not 

 trained to the wall, I have the Japanese hawthorn, 

 Photinia serrulata. It is not in flower ;- it seldom 

 flowers in England, but I value it for its beauty 

 in spring. At all times it is a handsome shrub, 

 with its bright, shining leaves (hence its name), but 

 at this time of the year the young shoots at the 

 ends of the branches are of a deep crimson colour, 

 so that at a little distance the shrub looks like a 

 fine flowering shrub with its flowers half-expanded. 

 Then there is the Rhododendron Davuricum, one 

 of the earliest shrubs that flower in the open 

 ground (the cheimonanthus and the Lonicera 

 fragrantissima are earlier, but require a wall). 

 This is a shrub well worth growing. It is sup- 

 posed by some to be a geographical variety of 

 the Alpine rose (R. ferrugineum), but for garden 

 purposes it is very distinct. Coming from Siberia, 

 it is perfectly hardy, and is not so particular about 

 soil as other rhododendrons ; but I cannot say it 

 is so pretty, as the flowers stand singly at the 

 ends of the branches, and the whole plant has 

 rather an untidy habit ; but the flowers come very 



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