214 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



subtle shades of orange, chocolate brown, crimson, &c. Few shrubs have 

 such autumn foliage as this. B. sinensis, a Chinese species, is very free 

 and pretty in autumn when laden with its showy fruits, at which time 

 its brilliant crimson leaves stand out conspicuously in the shrubbery. 

 It is of dense, bushy growth. B. aristata, from Nepaul, has reddish- 

 coloured bark, and creates a pretty picture in winter. It grows six feet 

 high, with stiff branches and bright green leaves. The rich yellow 

 flowers, borne in racemes, are succeeded by scarlet berries, and these 

 alone entitle it to consideration. B. virescens is another Barberry with 

 brightly-coloured bark, and makes an effective winter shrub by the 

 water side. B. wallichiana is quite distinct from all the foregoing. 

 Free in growth, delightful in blossom, it forms a neat, much-branched 

 bush, with clusters of shining leaves and masses of drooping flowers. 



Darwin's Barberry (B. Darwini) is the best-known member of the 

 evergreen group, and certainly one of the most useful. It is serviceable 

 for hedge-making, and when grown in masses on a sunny bank the 

 effect at flowering-time is magnificent. It grows from six to twelve feet 

 in height, with strong shoots clothed with small glossy green leaves, 

 and from about the middle of April to the end of May bears great 

 quantities of orange-yellow flowers in rather short drooping racemes. 

 B. congestiflora hakeoides, an uncommon early-flowering Barberry, bears 

 deep yellow flowers profusely. It is of sturdy habit, rather slow in 

 growth, and dislikes dull, shady positions. For general effect none 

 surpass B. stenophylla either in graceful outline, abundance or beauty 

 of flower. It is a hybrid raised between Darwin's Barberry and B. em- 

 petrifolia, a small-leaved, trailing, rock-garden shrub. The progeny is 

 of excellent growth, with very long arching shoots and narrow deep 

 green leaves, and during May and June produces a wonderful profusion 

 of dainty yellow flowers. B. buxifolia, also known as B. dulcis, has 

 large, drooping, light yellow flowers and tiny, deep green, box-like leaves. 

 This showy Chilian shrub is, unfortunately, seldom met with outside 

 good collections of trees and shrubs. B. Aquifolium, known also as 

 Mahonia aquifolia, is quite common. It is an ornamental berry- 

 producing plant, and the autumn and winter colouring of its leaves is 

 charming. It is a valuable shrub for planting beneath the shade of 

 trees. The varieties rotundifolia and fascicularis are handsome too. 

 B. japonica is distinct, vigorous, and very ornamental. It produces [a 

 strong stem and large spiny leaves, composed of many leaflets and sweet- 

 scented yellow flowers in winter and early spring. B. nepalensis 

 (B. Bealei) is another beautiful kind deserving attention. It is free in 

 growth, floriferous, and bears an abundance of purplish-coloured berries. 

 B. nervosa (B. glumacea) is suitable for the rock-garden, as it is dwarf 

 and very pretty. Its leaves are deep green, and it bears racemes of 

 flowers from October onwards. 



Bryanthus erectUS is a dwarf evergreen for the rock-garden, as 

 well as a permanent edging to dwarf shrubs. Although it grows in 

 ordinary soil, it makes the best growth and yields the greatest profusion 

 of small, delicate, rose-pink flowers in terminal clusters in peaty soil, 

 and a position just beyond the influence of fierce sunlight. If the 



