146 ARISTOCRATS OF THE GARDEN 



and are freely visited by bees. The Japanese Box, 

 which is distinguished from the Common Box by the 

 relatively long stalk to the rudimentary ovary of the 

 male flowers, is far from being well known. It is 

 rare in nurseries where forms of the less hardy B. 

 sempervirens erroneously and unintentionally pass 

 muster for it. 



The lovely Oregon Grape (Mahonia Aquifolium), 

 with its lustrous, metallic green leaves which in late 

 fall assume rich shades of bronzy green and blackish 

 crimson is, unfortunately, not properly hardy here. 

 In winters, when the snowfall is heavy and lies on 

 the ground until spring, this shrub winters fairly 

 well; but usually the leaves burn badly and though 

 the stems are not often killed the plants are very un- 

 sightly until new leaves develop. Much hardier 

 and entirely satisfactory is its relative M. repens, 

 with similar terminal clusters of yellow flowers and 

 bloomy black fruits but gray-green leaves. This 

 species grows about a foot high and has a creeping 

 rootstock from which shoots arise and form a broad, 

 low thicket. Very beautiful and quite hardy is the 

 new Chinese Berberis verruculosa, with prostrate 

 and arching stems, small, prickly Holly-like leaves, 

 dark shining green above and white below. It 

 grows from one to two feet high, is very densely 



