GOOD TREES AND SHRUBS 213 



striped with green. A. japonica, well-known as Bambusa Metake, is 

 the most frequently planted kind, and certainly the least exacting of the 

 vigorous Bamboos, because it not only grows luxuriantly in damp soils, 

 but is quite a success in dry situations. Its long arching growths, and 

 broad, deep green leaves are graceful and distinct. As it increases 

 quickly at the base, it should not be restricted for root room. A. 

 Simoni (Bambusa Simoni) is vigorous, graceful, and perfectly hardy. 

 It grows from a dozen feet to sixteen feet high, and its arching shoots, 

 and long, narrow, light green leaves are pretty. A. nitida, with its pur- 

 plish-brown stems, short branches, and pale green leaves, is one of the 

 most handsome of Bamboos when suitably placed. It prefers partial 

 shade to full sunlight, and as it is of vigorous growth plenty of head- 

 room should be allowed for its graceful outline. A. Veitchii (syn. Bam- 

 busa Veitchii) is dwarf, vigorous, and very attractive, and its broad 

 leaves are of a pleasing shade of green. 



Phyllostachys nigra (Bambusa nigra), with its long dark purple 

 stems, is one of the most pleasing of vigorous Bamboos. P. castillonis 

 (Bambusa castillonis) produces long stems clothed with bright green 

 leaves marked with white. It is of good growth and thoroughly hardy. 

 Another particularly handsome sort is viridi-glaucescens, with long ele- 

 gant growths and glaucous leaves. P. Quilioi is another tall-growing 

 species, with arching growths and deep green leaves. P. aurea (Bambusa 

 aurea), the Golden Bamboo, is very showy. It grows upwards of a 

 dozen feet in height, and its graceful stems, as well as its leaves, are of 

 a golden-yellow colour, hence the name Golden Bamboo. 



The Berberis family forms an attractive group of hardy shrubs 

 of medium growth. They all flower in spring and early summer, and 

 some are remarkable for the free display of showy fruits in autumn, 

 which in some cases hang upon the leafless bushes until Christmas. The 

 decaying foliage assumes gorgeous tints. They do not need special 

 care in the preparation of soil or position ; in fact, it is well to remember 

 that the purple-leaved form of the common Barberry always gives the 

 best results in rather dry, gravelly soil, because if planted in very rich 

 compost it is apt to become coarse and lose much of its purple tint. 

 Experience proves that the best colour effects are obtained if the whole 

 of the vigorous shoots of this ornamental shrub are cut down every year 

 close to the soil, because the leaves are bigger and the purple colour 

 more intense than is the case with plants left uncut. For the sake of 

 its brightly-coloured fruits in autumn the type is too valuable to pass 

 by unnoticed. It should be planted in the pleasure-grounds. B. vul- 

 garis brachybotrys and B. v. macrocarpa are attractive at flowering-time. 

 B. v. amurensis has glowing scarlet berries, which are borne with great 

 freedom during the autumn. It is of good growth. Another variety of 

 the common Barberry noted for its beauty is named asperma ; it is very 

 bright, with strings of scarlet berries, and is a shrub of upright habit. 

 B. Thunbergi is the most brilliant autumn coloured Barberry grown, and 

 was introduced from Japan seventeen years ago. It is an excellent 

 shrub for small gardens, as it seldom grows more than three feet high. 

 It bears small drooping flowers, and in autumn its leaves are aglow with 



