GOOD TREES AND SHRUBS 245 



Nyssa sylvatica. For the garden this North American tree should 

 not be overlooked. It succeeds best in moist soil and a sunny position, 

 when the wood becomes sturdy and well-ripened. It is not conspicuous 

 for showy flowers, its decorative value resting almost entirely upon the 

 glorious autumn tints of the decaying foliage. 



Olearias. The Olearias form a small and pleasing group of New 

 Zealand evergreen shrubs. With the exception of the Daisy Bush (0. 

 Haastii), all require some slight protection during severe winters, that 

 afforded by a wall being usually quite sufficient. It is a stiff bushy shrub, 

 four feet or five feet high, with small thick leaves, and in midsummer 

 a profusion of white fragrant flowers. It is a good shrub for massing. 

 0. gunniana, a slender species, is particularly pretty when bearing its 

 small pure white blossoms. It is very free flowering, and succeeds better 

 against a wall than in the shrubbery, unless a favoured spot is reserved 

 for it. 



Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius is a distinct and beautiful Australian 

 evergreen shrub, with long slender growths, and small narrow leaves. 

 Its small flowers are white, produced freely, and remain attractive for 

 several w r eeks during summer. It should be planted in rich soil and a 

 sunny spot, and is usually regarded as a shrub suitable only for the mild 

 counties of Devonshire and Cornwall. We have, however, recently seen 

 it growing and flowering well in heavy clay soil in Essex, and no doubt 

 it is much hardier than is generally supposed. 



Parrotia persica (Iron Tree). A rare deciduous tree from Persia, 

 succeeding best in a rather dry soil on a slightly raised mound facing 

 south. It is a low-growing, much branched tree, with green Witch 

 Hazel-like leaves turning to brilliant shades of crimson, purple, and 

 bronze-yellow in autumn. Individually the flowers of the Iron Tree are 

 small, with crimson-tipped stamens, produced abundantly in February 

 and March while the branches are leafless. 



Paulownia imperialis is a noble tree, and under certain treatment 

 proves a valuable addition to the sub-tropical garden. Grown naturally 

 in the pleasure-ground, where growth is unrestricted, it makes an im- 

 posing picture, its large leaves being quite distinct. Its sweet-scented, 

 violet-coloured flowers rarely come to perfection in these Isles, as they 

 appear early and nearly always suffer from late frosts. It often grows 

 forty feet high, and succeeds best in moist soil. When grown in the sub- 

 tropical garden it should be kept to a single stem, which should be cut 

 down close to the base in autumn, and in spring several growths will 

 break from the old stool. Allow the best to remain and remove the 

 others. Leaves produced on shoots treated thus are considerably larger 

 than those on trees left to grow naturally. 



Pavia. See ^Esculus. 



Pernettyas, known also as Prickly Heaths, are the showiest and 

 most useful of small berry-bearing evergreen shrubs, and it seems strange 

 that a group of plants so attractive, hardy, and easily grown should be 

 so neglected in gardens. They may be grouped on the turf, and grown 

 in pots for the greenhouse. Peaty, well-drained soil suits them best, 



