224 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



familiar that it is not necessary to consider it at any length here, but 

 some of its distinct and ornamental forms may be well referred to. The 

 silver variegated variety is very handsome, keeps its colour well, and, 

 like the type, succeeds in nearly all situations. Its pale green leaves 

 are speckled with cream- white. A good companion to the last named 

 is B. s. aurea variegata. Similar in habit, its leaves are heavily marked 

 with yellow and white. The variety rotundifolia is of sturd'y, bushy 

 habit, and very distinct. The golden-leaved form of B. japonica is 

 excellent for winter bedding. It is of compact habit, and its golden 

 colour is permanent. The Minorca Box (B. balearica) delights in a dry 

 bank facing south-west. It is of excellent growth when thus placed, 

 and, as autumn approaches, its thick, polished green leaves are touched 

 with bronze. 



Csesalpinia japonica is a pretty and uncommon leguminous shrub 

 from Japan. It is suitable for massing, and its glossy green leaves are 

 composed of numerous leaflets, while its rich, yellow flowers, with con- 

 spicuous anthers, are borne in long racemes with great freedom. It grows 

 luxuriantly in loam, provided the drainage is good and the position 

 open to the sun, but, at the same time, out of reach of cold easterly 

 winds. It is a pity that such an attractive, free-growing shrub should 

 be so seldom seen in gardens. 



Calluna VUlgaris (Ling). A native shrubby plant common on hill- 

 sides and waste ground in many parts of the country where lime is not 

 prevalent. It and its numerous varieties are of the greatest use in the 

 garden for they bloom freely from early August until the end of September. 

 Alportii and rubra have red flowers, and alba, Hammondi, and alba Serlei 

 are good white flowered kinds. Aurea has golden foliage and the leaves 

 of cuprea are copper-coloured. Hypnoides, Foxii, and pygmcea are very 

 dwarf and moss-like. This is also dealt with on p. 184 under " The 

 Heath Garden." 



The Calycanthuses (Allspice) form a small group of American 

 deciduous shrubs, varying from six feet to twelve feet in height. All have 

 flowers of different shades of red, and some are more fragrant than others. 

 They succeed in soils of various descriptions and aspects, but produce 

 the best results when in a cool, moist soil, with the additional advantage 

 of partial shade. C. floridus, the most popular of Allspices, was intro- 

 duced to this country from America in the seventeenth century. It 

 is perfectly hardy, compact in growth, and its bright red, deliciously- 

 scented flowers are about the size of a five-shilling piece, and borne 

 freely. C. accidental! s } which is the same as macrophyllus (Western All- 

 spice), is more vigorous, and with larger flowers than the first named. 

 The lively green leaves are also larger as well as the deep crimson 

 flowers, but these are unfortunately rather scantily produced on small 

 plants. To some the fragrance of the flowers of the popular Allspice is 

 unpleasantly strong, but those of C. glaucus are not so fragrant. The 

 colour is reddish-purple. 



Caraganas are good town garden shrubs, and excellent for dry 

 soils. The Siberian Pea Tree (C. arborescens) is the best known of the 



