Spires a. 197 



flowers. This plant is included here only in consequence 

 of the resemblance of its leaves to a pinnate-leaved fern. 

 By pinching off the flowers it may be used with good 

 effect as a green, fern-like edging plant, and it is pretty in 

 borders. Division in winter or spring. 



*Spiraea (Hoteia) japonica. A handsome, herba- 

 ceous perennial, forming rich tufts of dark shining green 

 much-divided leaves, which have a somewhat fern-like 

 appearance. These tufts are usually from a foot to 16 ins. 

 high. The flowers are very freely produced in graceful 

 panicles, of which the bracts, little flower-stems, and all 

 the ramifications are, like the flowers, white. It is par- 

 ticularly fond of a sandy peat, or very sandy loam, a 

 sheltered position, and moist soil. Multiplied by division 

 of the tufts in spring or the end of summer. Japan. 



*Spirsea Lindleyana. A graceful shrub, with 

 erect stems, from 6^- ft. to nearly 10 ft. high, and large 

 compound leaves, with finely-toothed leaflets. Flowers 

 late in summer, white, in very large and handsome ter- 

 minal panicles. This well-known plant is second to none 

 for its grace and distinctness, both of foliage and flower. 

 It is a native of the Himalayas, and easily procured in 

 our nurseries ; it should receive far more attention than 

 the majority of our shrubs do, and should be employed 

 both in a young and fully-grown state in and near the 

 flower-garden. Few things, tender or hardy, known in 

 our gardens, afford a better effect than may be obtained 

 from this. 



It is probably one of those plants which would look 

 exceedingly effective if trained to a single stem and 

 cut down every year, as recommended for the Ailantus 



