392 BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS 



enough for representation. They are certainly common, cheap shrubs, 

 but they are at least as good as Aucubas and such like, as they 

 produce abundance of yellow flowers. Like Aucubas they are very 

 useful for planting under trees. One of the best of the St. John's 

 Worts is Hypericum Moserianum, but Androsaemum, the Sweet 

 Amber, and calycinum, the Rose of Sharon, are also useful. 



The Spiraeas are among the finest of summer-flowering shrubs, 

 and every amateur should grow a few of the best. It is not all of 

 the Meadow Sweets that can be fairly classed as shrubs, inasmuch 

 as they lose their stems as well as their leaves in autumn, and must 

 therefore be called herbaceous. But some are true shrubs, losing 

 their leaves in winter, and retaining their stems. Of such are 

 Douglasii, which has rose-coloured flowers, and is sometimes grown 

 under the name of Menziesii ; bullata, which has pink flowers ; 

 canescens, a graceful species with pink or white flowers ; Aitchisoni, 

 with pale yellow flowers, one of the best ; bella, with red flowers ; 

 discolor ariaefolia, white, a very useful sort ; Japonica or callosa, 

 rose (this must not be confounded with the Spiraea Japonica of 

 bulb dealers, the true name of which is Astilbe Japonica), and 

 its several varieties, of which Anthony Waterer, crimson, is one 

 of the best ; and prunifolia and its double variety flore pleno ; but 

 the last two often bloom in spring. 



A shrub that has achieved immense popularity is Romneya 

 Coulteri, commonly called the Californian Poppy. It produces very 

 large, white, yellow-centred flowers, and is worthy of special treat- 

 ment, such as the provision of good soil, a sheltered position, and 

 winter protection. Some growers do not protect the plant if it is 

 growing in rich loamy soil, because they find that if the branches 

 are killed they have only to put some litter over the roots to insure 

 its throwing up abundance of strong shoots the following spring. 

 It thus becomes a herbaceous plant. 



A delightful shrub, far too little known, is the St. Dabeoc's 

 Heath (Daboecia polifolia), the flowers of which have a shade all 



