GOOD TREES AND SHRUBS 259 



suitable for clothing rough banks. The French Gorse (U. Gallii) is worth 

 growing on dry sunny banks on account of its dwarf compact habit and 

 free-flowering qualities. The flowers appear during late summer and 

 autumn. 



Veronicas, The New Zealand kinds are neat shrubs, with evergreen 

 leaves and spikes of variously coloured flowers. Although not sufficiently 

 hardy for general planting throughout the British Isles, they may be 

 placed in a sheltered nook in the garden, especially in the south and 

 west of England. Avoid planting in positions exposed to the east, as 

 cold winds are harmful. The soil should be rich, not too moist, and 

 thoroughly well drained, as sour soil is most injurious to them. V. 

 Andersoni variegata is very handsome, with silver leaves. It is used 

 largely in the flower-garden, and for growing in pots for winter decora- 

 tion few shrubs are more attractive, or more easily grown. V. Traversii 

 is a neat-growing species, with deep green leaves, and in late summer 

 bears spikes of pale blue or white flowers. It grows four or five feet 

 high, and succeeds admirably near the sea-line. V. spedosa bears long 

 racemes of rich purplish-blue flowers. It is of good growth. The 

 garden varieties, Silver Star, Blue Gem, and Purple Queen, are very 

 attractive. 



Viburnums (Guelder Rose). These are quite hardy shrubs and very 

 free, especially such kinds as V. Opulus sterile, V. plicatum, and V. 

 macrocephalum. Deep loamy, well-drained soil suits them best, and to 

 encourage a thorough ripening of the wood a sunny position should be 

 selected. They are familiar border shrubs and admirably adapted for 

 blooming in winter under glass. V. Opulus, the native Guelder Rose, is 

 a valuable berry-bearing shrub. In October the leaves change to lovely 

 shades of crimson and orange. The variety sterile is perhaps the most 

 familiar Snowball Tree, very ornamental, of easy culture and good habit. 

 Its round heads of flowers are borne in great abundance and remain 

 attractive for a long time. V. plicatum (Japanese Snowball Tree), so far 

 as purity of flower is concerned, is superior to the last named, but the 

 plant is not nearly so graceful in habit. It blossoms usually in June, 

 and its snow-white flower clusters are produced at the points of the 

 small twigs along the shoots. It may be used with excellent effect as a 

 wall covering, and for flowering under glass during winter it can be well 

 recommended. It is a grand shrub for massing. V. macrocephalum, 

 an uncommon kind, is a native of China and deserves wall protection, 

 as it is a trifle tender and too valuable to pass by unnoticed. Its large 

 heads of white flowers are very beautiful, and a good-sized, well-grown 

 plant at flowering time is strikingly handsome. It is an admirable shrub 

 for greenhouse decoration during early spring. V. acerifolium, an old 

 inhabitant of our gardens, bears an abundance of white flowers in spring 

 and richly-coloured berries in autumn, at which time its tinted foliage 

 is very bright and distinct. It seldom grows more than five feet or six 

 feet high. The well-known Laurustinus (V. Tinus) is an evergreen shrub 

 of bushy habit, with small pleasing green leaves ; and in winter, when 

 bearing its wealth of pinkish-white flowers, is welcome in the border. 



