902 



Gardening for Amateurs 



FLOWERING IN MARCH, APRIL AND 

 MAY 



Amelanchier (June-berry). The best 

 known tree in this family is the June-berry 

 (A. Canadensis). Forming a round-headed 

 tree 15 to 25 feet high, it is very conspicuous 

 in April by reason of its covering of snow- 

 white flowers, and in autumn by reason of 

 the pretty scarlet and gold tints of its leaves. 

 The variety oblongifolia is of dwarf habit. 

 Growing about 5 or 6 feet high, it spreads 

 by underground stems and forms a pretty 

 specimen bed. The white flowers open 

 towards the end of April. An effective 

 picture is formed by carpeting the ground 

 beneath its branches with Muscari Heav- 

 enly Blue, for the flowers of both are open 

 at the same time. The Amelanchiers require 

 loamy soil and give little cultural trouble. 



Azalea. (See " Rhododendrons and 

 Azaleas.") 



Berberis (Barberry). April and May 

 find many kinds of Barberry in flower, but 

 the best are included in the chapter on 

 " Evergreens." Good deciduous specimens, 

 however, are vulgaris, Thunbergi, concinna, 

 and Wilsonae. 



Gydonia (Quince) is well represented 

 throughout the country by C. japonica, 

 which is such a familiar figure on cottage 

 and other walls. Its rich red flowers are 

 very showy, and its green fruits may be 

 used for jelly in the same way as the common 

 Quince. It has many varieties with white, 

 pink, red, or striped flowers. In the south 

 it may be grown as a bush in the open ground 

 or as a hedge plant. The best results from 

 wall plants are obtained by keeping the 

 branches shortened back well, plants in 

 the open, however, require no regular 

 pruning. C. Maulei is a dwarf Japanese 

 plant with brick-red flowers and deliciously 

 scented yellow fruits. Its varieties superba, 

 atrosanguinea and Leichtlini have very rich 

 crimson flowers. The common Quince, C. 

 vulgaris is more often planted in the orchard 

 than in the pleasure ground, although its 

 pretty flowers and large fruits have a decora- 

 tive appearance at the back of a shrubbery. 



Gytisus (Broom). Early May witnesses 

 the flowering of the earliest of the Brooms, 

 whilst before the end of the month many 

 sorts are in full flower. The Brooms are 



excellent flowering shrubs, for they thrive 

 almost anywhere, even where the soil is of 

 an inferior quality, and, providing a few 

 details of culture are observed, they give 

 little trouble. One point to remember is 

 that the majority of kinds may be trans- 

 planted successfully whilst quite small, and 

 another is that it is never safe to prune 

 into wood which is more than two years 

 old. The best plan to follow is to plant them 

 in permanent positions when not more than 

 two years old, and to keep them cut back 

 after flowering almost to the base of the 

 previous year's wood for the first four or 

 five years. Comparatively young plants are 

 always more satisfactory than older ones, 

 and when any show signs of deterioration 

 it is a good plan to destroy them and begin 

 again with young stock. C. praecox, a 

 large-growing bush with cream-coloured 

 flowers, is the first to blossom. It is followed 

 by the Common Broom, C. scoparius, which 

 is a familiar object on railway banks, hills, 

 and commons throughout the country, its 

 golden blossoms being even more conspicuous 

 than those of the Gorse. The varieties 

 andreanus, with gold and brownish-red 

 flowers, and sulphureus, with sulphur-coloured 

 blooms, and pendulus, of scandent habit, 

 are very pleasing. C. albus, the Portuguese 

 Broom, is another pretty, tall-growing kind ; 

 its countless white flowers make it most 

 attractive. C. Ardoini is a dwarf-growing 

 golden-flowered plant from the Maritime 

 Alps ; scarcely attaining a height of 6 inches, 

 it is seen in May as a carpet of gold. 



Several very useful natural hybrids have 

 been raised from its seeds, the golden- 

 flowered Beanii and the cream-coloured 

 Kewensis being the best. They are low- 

 growing plants, and with their parent are 

 suitable for the rockery or for a groundwork 

 for beds of taller shrubs. C. Dallimorei is a 

 comparatively new plant. Of hybrid parent- 

 age, it grows as large as the common Broom, 

 and is remarkable for its reddish-purple 

 flowers. C. purpureus and C. versicolor 

 differ from other kinds by producing new 

 shoots from the rootstock each year. They, 

 too, may be treated differently from other 

 sorts, for the old shoots may be cut out each 

 year to encourage the development of strong 

 young growths. 



