SHRUBS FOR THE ROGK GARDEN 53 



For blossom in April and May one should certainly 

 include some of the Brooms, notably Cytisus kewensis 

 (pale yellow) and C. Ardoini (yellow) ; they are of low 

 growth and look especially charming when falling over a 

 rock face or steep bank. The Sun Roses (Helianthemum) 

 are showy little shrubs suitable for high rock ledges, 

 where they soon form big tufts of evergreen leafage, 

 and in June become smothered in blooms of varying 

 colour. The Rock Roses (Cistus) are generally rather 

 tender plants, but C. lusitanicus is a beautiful little 

 shrub, hardy in well-drained soil, evergreen, and bearing 

 in July comparatively large white, purple-blotched 

 flowers. The fragrant Daphnes, D. blagayana, D. 

 Cneorum, and D. Mezereum, are quite indispensable rock- 

 garden shrubs ; they are referred to in the alphabetical 

 list towards the end of the book. 



There are several interesting little shrubs, members 

 chiefly of the Heather family, that need a moist peaty 

 soil. Among them are Andromeda polifolia, evergreen, 

 with bunches of white flowers in May ; Vaccinium 

 Myrtillus (the Bilberry), bearing dark blue fruits in 

 late summer ; Empetrum nigrum, having purplish flowers 

 in May, followed by black berries in early autumn ; and 

 Loiseleuria procumbens, a very tiny plant bearing rose- 

 coloured blooms in June. Astragalus Tragacantha is 

 a dwarf tufted little evergreen, growing about eighteen 

 inches high ; its Vetch-like flowers in June are of lilac 

 colouring. Erinacea pungens is a charming little shrub, 

 bearing pale purple Pea-like blossoms in April. Here 



