236 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



Pernettyas, known also as Prickly Heaths, are the showiest and 

 most useful of small berry-bearing evergreen shrubs, and it seems 

 strange that a group of plants so attractive, hardy, and easily grown 

 should be so neglected in gardens. They may be grouped on the 

 turf, and grown in pots for the greenhouse. Peaty, well-drained soil 

 suits them best, with full exposure to the sun, and an abundance of 

 water in spring and early summer. The varieties here mentioned are 

 all of bushy habit, and the berries are of various sizes and colours 

 alba, blush- white; atro-coccinea, dark scarlet; carnea lilacina, pale 

 pinkish-lilac ; rosea lilacina, rose-lilac ; rosea major, bright rose ; rosea 

 purpurea, rose and purple ; atrosanguinea, rich crimson ; carnea, flesh- 

 coloured; purpurea, bright purple; atro-lilacina, dark lilac; coccinea, 

 rich scarlet. 



Philadelphuses (Mock Oranges) are white-flowered shrubs of the 

 simplest culture. The type, P. coronarius, was at one time planted ex- 

 tensively, but of late years considerable attention has been paid to the 

 family by the hybridist, with the result that many beautiful varieties 

 have been grown, and the old forms planted more sparingly. The silver- 

 leaved variety, foliis argenteo-variegatis, keeps its distinctive character 

 provided it is not planted within the shade of trees or in very wet soil, 

 and few golden-leaved shrubs of dwarf habit are more conspicuous on 

 warm soils than a group of P. c. foliis aureis. It is very bushy, of free 

 growth, and the bright yellow leaves are attractive from spring to 

 autumn. P. grandiflorus bears large, pure white, very fragrant flowers 

 in abundance. P. gordonianus should be planted freely as it blossoms 

 late in the season, usually about July. It is vigorous, and its pure 

 white flowers are not too strongly scented, which, of course, is a point 

 worth remembering, as some people consider the fragrance of Mock 

 Oranges overpowering. P. micropJiyllus, from Mexico, is the small- 

 est of the group, and may be planted in the front of the shrubbery 

 as well as in the rock-garden. It is bushy, between two feet and three 

 feet in height, with twiggy branches, tiny leaves, and small white 

 flowers. Of this there are several excellent varieties, the undermen- 

 tioned being the best : Lemoinei, the first of the set, quickly followed by 

 L. erectus, Gerbe de Neige, Boule d' Argent (semi-double), Mont Blanc, 

 and Candelabre. Lemoinei is as pretty as any. 



Phillyrea. All the Phillyreas mentioned are thoroughly hardy, of 

 easy culture, and very ornamental, evergreen shrubs, suitable for plant- 

 ing under large trees. The Laurel-leaved (P. decora), known in 

 nurseries as P. vilmoriniana, is conspicuous for its long, leathery, bright 

 green leaves the largest of all the Phillyreas. It is a fine foliage shrub, 

 of spreading habit, and its small, white, sweet-scented flowers remind 

 one of those of Hawthorn ; they are borne in clusters in the axils of the 

 leaves, and are succeeded by round black berries in summer. The 

 shrub when in berry must be netted or birds will soon relieve the bushes 

 of their burden. P. angustifolia, a narrow-leaved kind, grows well ; and 

 P. media is a shrub of pretty habit, and a success in cold situations. 



Pieris. These evergreen shrubs are ornamental, hardy, and succeed 

 best in peaty soil and positions shielded from cold winds. P. japonica 



