278 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



Vitis. For beauty of leafage the Vines excel all our deciduous 

 climbers. They may be used for covering pergolas, arbours, trellised 

 walks, or for garlanding the trunks of old trees. There are many orna- 

 mental kinds, of which the following form a good selection : Vitis 

 Coignetice, a recent introduction, which bears leaves, often one foot across, 

 that assume a rich bronzy-crimson in the autumn. V. californica, V. 

 Labrusca, V. Romaneti, and V. vinifera purpurea, all of which are charac- 

 terised by rich autumnal tinting. V. laciniosa bears very deeply-cut 

 leaves, while V. heterophylla humulifolia, the Turquoise-berried Vine, in 

 addition to its handsome foliage, has the further merit of producing a 

 profusion of pale-blue fruit. The Japanese Vines are glorious climbing 

 plants ; their big leaves are a blaze of colour in autumn, and everyone 

 knows how graceful the Vine is beautiful, not merely for its foliage and 

 tendrils, but for its foot-clusters too. The Virginian Creepers, formerly 

 known as Ampelopsis, are now included in the Vitis family, the common 

 Virginian Creeper being called V. quinquefolia, while the clinging Ampe- 

 lopsis Veitchi, so largely used for covering house-walls, is named V. 

 inconstant. Ampelopsis, or muralis, is a very beautiful form, which does 

 not cling so closely as Veitchi, and turns to brilliant autumn colours. 

 The new species, V. armata, V. Thomsonii, V. henryana, V. lecoides, V. 

 megalophilla, and V. ftexuosa Wilsonii, should all be grown. 



Wistaria Chinensis, with its long tassels of scented, lavender 

 flowers, is one of the choicest of our spring-blooming climbers, and is 

 equally adapted to covering walls, arches, and pergolas. There is a 

 white variety and also a double form of this charming plant, but the type 

 is the most beautiful. W . multijuga is a species much grown in Japan ; 

 it produces extremely long flower-racemes and does well in many gardens 

 in this country. Wistarias may be propagated by layering the young 

 shoots in the summer. When well-established the plants make rapid 

 growth, but cases often occur where they fail to make vigorous shoots 

 for some years, in which event their roots should be exposed and afforded 

 a dressing of rich soil. Prune by shortening back the shoots in the early 

 year. 



