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Gardening for Amateurs 



Other useful kinds are C. purgans, C. 

 leucanthus, and C. biflorus. Many of the 

 Cytisuses may be propagated by cuttings 

 of young shoots inserted in sandy soil in a 

 closed but cold frame in August, or they may 

 be grafted upon roots of the Laburnum. 

 The true species are, however, most satis- 

 factory when grown from seeds. 



Erinacea pungens is a charming little 

 shrub from the Eastern Pyrenees and 

 North-West Africa. It grows but a few 

 inches high, has stunted spiny branches, 

 and produces showy violet-coloured Pea- 

 shaped flowers. The rockery affords the 

 best position for its culture. 



Exochorda. Two are suitable for garden 

 decoration, E. grandiflora, from China, and 

 E. Alberti, a native of Turkestan. Both are 

 vigorous shrubs, the former attaining a 

 height of 12 or 15 feet and the latter a height 

 of 7 or 8 feet. Both produce racemes of 

 showy white flowers during late May and 

 early June. Good loamy soil is necessary, 

 and no regular pruning is required. Pro- 

 pagation may be by cuttings during summer, 

 or by seeds. 



Forsythia suspensa (Golden Bell). 

 A Chinese shrub, one of the earliest of the 

 spring-flowering section to attract attention. 

 As a rule, it is at its best from the end of 

 March to the third week in April, during 

 which time the branches are wreathed with 

 showy bell-shaped blossoms. It is grown 

 in a variety of ways : as a climber against 

 wall or trellis, over another shrub, or in 

 beds as a tall upright bush. To secure the 

 latter effect it is necessary to prime the 

 branches back to within two or three buds 

 of their base as soon as the flowers are over. 

 Plants grown against walls or trellises must 

 be treated in the same way. No subsequent 

 pruning must, however, be given. Rich 

 loamy soil is essential to success, and a 

 surface dressing of manure occasionally is 

 attended by increased vigour. F. virid- 

 issima is a bushy plant, 3 to 5 feet high, 

 which blooms a fortnight later than the 

 foregoing ; it also flowers freely, and is of 

 Chinese origin. F. intermedia, a hybrid 

 between the two last-named, attains a height 

 of 8 or 9 feet ; the yellow flowers are borne 

 freely in April. Neither of the two latter 

 sorts requires any regular pruning, whilst 



all three kinds may be increased quite easily 

 by means of soft cuttings inserted in a close 

 frame in June. F. europaea. a comparatively 

 new plant from Albania, is not worthy of 

 general attention. 



Fothergilla Gardeni is a low-growing, 

 white-flowered bush from North America 

 belonging to the Hamamelis family. It is, 

 however, surpassed in usefulness by the 

 newer F. major from the same country. 

 This one grows quite 3 feet high, and bears 

 its white flowers freely. The leaves turn 

 to a golden hue before they fall. Propagation 

 is by cuttings, and light loamy soil con- 

 taining a little peat forms the most satis- 

 factory rooting medium. Regular pruning 

 is not necessary. 



Genista is a closely allied family to 

 Cytisus, and its species are often referred 

 to as Brooms likewise. Good, early-flowering 

 ones are G. hispanica, sometimes called the 

 Spanish Gorse ; G. pilosa, a dwarf -growing 

 European plant with golden flowers ; G. 

 sagittalis, a kind peculiar by reason of its 

 dwarf, habit and winged stems ; G. dalmatica, 

 a miniature Spanish Gorse, very beautiful 

 when covered with its golden flowers, and 

 fitted for rockery planting ; and G. radiata, 

 a European plant growing 1 feet or so high. 

 They require similar cultural conditions to 

 the Cytisus. 



Kerria japonica (Jew's Mallow) is 

 a yellow-flowered Chinese and Japanese 

 shrub, growing 3 to 4 feet high. It has a 

 variety with silver variegated leaves, and 

 another with double flowers. The last- 

 named is the best known, and is common in 

 cottage gardens throughout the country. 

 The best results are obtained by planting 

 it in loam, and by cutting some of the old 

 wood away as soon as the flowers fade. 

 Cuttings root quite easily during summer. 



Lonicera (Honeysuckle). The Loni- 

 ceras are divided into two groups according 

 to habit of growth, one group possessing the 

 familiar climbing branches of the common 

 Honeysuckle, the branches of the other 

 being more rigid and forming themselves 

 into dense bushes. Many of the bushy 

 kinds blossom during May. Some of the 

 best are L. tatarica, with small white or 

 rose-flushed fragrant flowers ; L. Maacki, 

 a vigorous bush with white blossoms ; L. 



