GOOD TREES AND SHRUBS 221 



(Bambusa Fortunei variegata) is a neat and ornamental grass, a foot or so 

 high, suitable for adorning the front of the shrubbery, or for growing 

 in pots for placing in cool greenhouses. It is quite hardy, and its narrow, 

 pale green leaves, striped with white, are very effective. A. auricoma, 

 better known as the golden form of Bambusa Fortunei, is indigenous to 

 Japan, and grows about three feet high. It spreads rapidly, and its 

 yellowish-green leaves are regularly striped with green. A. japonica, 

 well known as Bambusa Metake, is the most frequently planted kind, 

 and certainly the least exacting of the vigorous Bamboos, because it not 

 only grows luxuriantly in damp soils, but is quite a success in dry situa- 

 tions. Its long growths, and broad, deep green leaves are graceful and 

 distinct. As it increases quickly at the base, it should not be restricted 

 for root room. A. Simoni (Bambusa Simoni) is vigorous, graceful, and 

 perfectly hardy. It grows from a dozen feet to sixteen feet high, and its 

 upright shoots, and long, narrow, light green leaves are pretty. A. 

 nitida, with its purplish-brown stems, short branches, and pale green 

 leaves, is one of the most handsome of Bamboos when suitably placed. 

 It prefers partial shade to full sunlight, and as it is of vigorous growth, 

 plenty of head-room should be allowed for its graceful outline. A. 

 Veitchii (syn. Bambusa Veitchii) is dwarf, vigorous, and very attractive, 

 and its broad leaves are of a pleasing shade of green. 



Phyllostachys nigra (Bambusa nigra), with its long dark purple 

 stems, is one of the most pleasing of vigorous Bamboos. P. castillonis 

 (Bambusa castillonis) produces long stems clothed with bright green 

 leaves marked with white. It is of good growth and thoroughly hardy. 

 Another particularly handsome sort is viridi-glaucescens, with long ele- 

 gant growths and glaucous leaves. P. Quilioi is another tall-growing 

 species, with arching growths and deep green leaves. P. aurea (Bambusa 

 aurea), the Golden Bamboo, is very showy. It grows upwards of a 

 dozen feet in height, and its graceful stems, as well as its leaves, are of 

 a golden-yellow colour, hence the name Golden Bamboo. P. fastuosa 

 is, however, the most stately of all hardy Bamboos. Rising to a height 

 of eighteen feet, it forms plume-like branches with dark green leaves 

 which keep their colour later in the spring than those of other Bamboos. 



The Berberis family forms an attractive group of hardy shrubs 

 of medium growth. They all flower in spring and early summer, and 

 some are remarkable for the free display of showy fruits in autumn, 

 which in some cases hang upon the leafless bushes until Christmas. The 

 decaying foliage assumes gorgeous tints. They do not need special 

 care in the preparation of soil or position ; in fact, it is well to remember 

 that the purple-leaved form of the common Barberry always gives the 

 best results in rather dry, gravelly soil, because if planted in very rich 

 compost it is apt to become coarse and lose much of its purple tint. 

 Experience proves that the best colour effects are obtained if the whole 

 of the vigorous shoots of this ornamental shrub are cut down every year 

 close to the soil, because the leaves are bigger and the purple colour 

 more intense than is the case with plants left uncut. For the sake of 

 its brightly-coloured fruits in autumn the type is too valuable to pass 



