TREES AND SHRUBS. 15 



desalpinia japonica 



Is a beautiful deciduous shrub that does not grow 

 more than 4 ft. high, but will spread vigorously and 

 have a very uncommon appearance. It produces its 

 bright canary yellow flowers in June, in racemes, 

 which will remain fresh in water many days after they 

 have been cut. Its stems and branches are armed 

 with a number of hard red curved prickles, which show 

 up well against the light green bark. A mixture of 

 loam and leaf mould suits them best. They are not 

 easily increased, but the best chance is to take cuttings 

 straight from a growing shrub and plant them in heat, 

 in sand, with a hand glass over them. 



Calycanthus floridus 



(Carolina Allspice) is a deciduous shrub well 

 worth planting. It grows to a height of about 8 ft. 

 in almost any soil, although it prefers a peaty compost 

 where it will have a fairly uniform amount of moisture. 

 Its blossoms are purple, and appear in May. When 

 crushed they give off a scent like Quinces or Straw- 

 berries, and the wood and roots smell strongly of 

 camphor. It is best increased by layers put down in 

 Summer, but it can be grown from seed sown in a cold 

 frame in the Spring, or as soon as they are ripe. 



