30 Encyclopaedia of Gardening 



only species grown, corallina, is a handsome evergreen rambling 

 shrub (see the Botanical Magazine, t. 5343). It bears crimson 

 flowers at the ends of the branches in spring. It is not very parti- 

 cular as to soil, but likes a mild, sheltered place. It may be pro- 

 pagated by cuttings of young wood in spring, or by layering the 

 branches in autumn. 



Berberis, Barberry (ber-beris, from berbery 's (Arabic). Ord. Ber- 



berideae). Extremely valuable 

 and beautiful shrubs, parti- 

 cularly the evergreen species, 

 most of which have handsome 

 foliage as well as pretty flowers. 

 In Darwini, orange; and steno- 

 phylla, yellow (the latter a 

 hybrid), the branches are 

 clothed in flowers from base to 

 tip in spring. The common 

 species, vulgaris, has hand- 

 home fruit, which is sometimes 

 preserved. Aquifolium, often 

 grown under the older name 

 of Mahonia aquifolia, is a use- 

 ful shrub, as it grows almost 

 anywhere, is evergreen, and 

 bears purplish fruit. Darwini 

 and stenophylla give of their 

 best when sheltered from cut- 

 ting winds. They may be 

 propagated by suckers or cut- 

 tings of ripe wood in autumn. 



Bergamot. A name given to 

 Monarda didyma, whose leaves, when lightly rubbed, give a 

 bergamot-like odour. It grows 2 to 3 ft. high, has red flowers in 

 late summer, and may be grown as an ordinary herbaceous plant. 



Beta (Beet). See Kitchen Garden. Beta cicla is sometimes used 

 for the flower garden, and may be raised from seed in spring. 



Betula, Birch (bet-ula, from betu, the Celtic name. Ord. Cupuli- 

 ferae). The common or Silver Birch, Betula alba, is a graceful tree, 

 worth planting in parks and on the outskirts of gardens. There are 

 a good many forms of it, such as weeping (pendula), a cut-leaved 

 weeping (laciniata pendula), a dark-leaved (purpurea), and a varie- 

 gated-leaved (foliis-variegatis). They will grow in most soils if 

 planted in autumn. Nice trees of the Silver Birch can be bought 

 with long, straight stems and pyramidal heads at a low cost. 



Biennials. Biennial plants are those which complete their life- 

 cycle in the second year from germination. Sown one year they 

 bloom and ripen their seed the next. Several hardy biennials are 

 of the utmost value in the flower garden, and the fragrant Wall- 

 flower stands out prominently as an indispensable plant that is best 

 treated as a biennial. The Sweet William is another useful old 



PROPAGATING HERBERTS BY SUCKERS IN- 

 AUTUMN. 



i. Roots. 2. Young growth starting. 

 Insert to dotted line. 



