MY SHRUBS 85 



another species, O. atropurpurea, from the Cape, which may be a 

 trifle hardier. 



Oka is a genus of which I possess only the wild olive, O. europ&a, 

 that flowers fragrantly and makes a beautiful little silvery tree, 

 and O. fragrans, a choice but tender treasure from Japan. My 

 plant has yet to offer its trifling but wonderfully sweet, butter- 

 coloured blossoms. It needs winter protection, and is worth it. 

 This race appears to be botanically muddled with Osmanthus. 



Olearia furnishes some very splendid additions to the shrub- 

 lover's garden ; indeed all the cultivated species are worth a place. 

 My handsome giant is O. macrodonta, which I figure in its full 

 splendour. The flower corymbs are innumerable, and cluster on 

 every bough ; the evergreen foliage is holly-like, and of a slaty- 

 blue green. This, I suppose, is the largest variety, though O. argo- 

 phylla is also a tremendous grower. Its foliage is handsome, its 

 flower of no account. The genus comes from Australia and New 

 Zealand, and O. nummularifolia so called because its foliage does 

 not in the least resemble a money-wort is a New Zealander of a 

 delightful habit and most distinctive bearing. It differs from the 

 others every way except in charm, and no better dwarf shrub will 

 be found for a corner of the rockery. From a height of 4000 feet 

 it comes. O. nttida, another New Zealander, is a neat bushy 

 variety with white flowers and shining, dark green foliage, and 

 O. stellulata is the most familiar garden variety a delightful bush 

 from Tasmania. O. Haastii will not have escaped your attention ; 

 but O. insignis is still very rare in cultivation. It has splendid 

 leathery foliage, with thick, white under-down and large daisy-like 

 flowers, borne singly on 6-inch stalks. It is hardy here, and of a 

 sturdy dwarf habit. O. Traversii is another very choice species of 



