GOOD TREES AND SHRUBS 243 



well to keep the true purples away from other colours. They are beauti- 

 ful by themselves or with whites, and look best in half-shady places. 



RhodotypUS kerrioides is a much neglected Japanese shrub, 

 easily grown, and very pretty in May, with its pure white flowers two 

 inches across. It is thoroughly hardy, five feet or six feet high, 

 deciduous, and repays for good culture. 



Rhus (Sumachs). The Sumachs form a useful group of deciduous 

 trees and shrubs for the garden, and range from shrubs a few feet high 

 to quite small trees, and succeed in ordinary soil. The exquisite leaf 

 colours of autumn are quite a feature, and few shrubs of similar growth 

 are more effective at that season of the year. Propagation may be 

 carried on by cuttings and layers, and also by pieces of the fleshy roots, 

 cut into short lengths, planted in soil and placed in a warm tem- 

 perature to assist vegetation. 



JR. Cotinus (Venetian Sumach, or Smoke Plant) is a shrub six feet 

 or so in height, of spreading habit, with smooth, glaucous leaves, and 

 as autumn approaches the colour changes to exquisite shades of crimson 

 and purple. Its curious and conspicuous inflorescence, with few really 

 properly developed flowers, is followed by feathery seed plumes which 

 create a pleasing and uncommon effect in early autumn. It must not be 

 cramped for room, and if it can be planted in a sunny spot so much the 

 better, as the autumn foliage is considerably improved by exposure to 

 the sun. R. cotinoides (Chittam Wood) is in its autumn dress brighter 

 than the Venetian Sumach ; in fact, it has the showiest of autumn leaf 

 colouring. R. typhina, popularly called Stag's Horn Sumach, is hand- 

 some ; quite different in growth to either of the last named. It forms a 

 tree of small stature with stout branches, and large deep green leaves 

 which change before they fall to brilliant shades of reddish-purple and 

 orange. It succeeds well in town gardens, is attractive on the lawn, and 

 when grown on the single-rod system and cut back hard every year, may 

 be used in the sub-tropical garden. Another Rhus conspicuous for its 

 gorgeous leaf-colours in the autumn is the Poison Ivy (R. Toxicoden- 

 dron). On no account should it be planted in positions frequented by 

 children, as the shoots when broken emit poisonous sap. The fern- 

 leaved variety of R. glabra, called laciniata^ is more graceful, but it is 

 unfortunately a trifle tender, for which reason a sheltered nook beyond 

 the reach of biting wind is necessary. In such positions it grows freely 

 and forms a handsome specimen. A lovely plant for the sub-tropical 

 garden, and its foliage is unusually showy in autumn. 



Ribes (Flowering Currants) flourish in very poor soil and cold 

 situations. The flowers are of many colours. The type, R. sanguineum t 

 hails from North America, and bears red flowers in pendulous racemes. 

 Of this there are several excellent varieties, the following being perhaps 

 the best : Atrosanguineum, with its large richly coloured flowers, lasts a 

 long time in good condition; carneum produces rose-coloured flowers, 

 and those of albidum are white or nearly so. R. aureum is conspicuous 

 for its drooping racemes of yellow flowers, and in autumn its richly 

 coloured leaves are distinct and showy. The variety prxcox is a border 

 shrub, and even more valuable than the last named, as it flowers very 



