232 HARDY SHRUBS. 



CALLICARPA. The species of this genus are grown solely on account 

 of their beautiful fruits, which are quite small, but produced in abun- 

 dance. The color of the fruit is bright violet. In northern latitudes the 

 branches are apt to get Winter-killed, but new growths are produced, 

 and these flower and fruit the same season. C. purpurea and C. japonica 

 are the two species most worthy of cultivation. C. japonica is the 

 hardiest of all the species. Propagation is easiest accomplished by 

 taking cuttings of the half-ripe wood and rooting them indoors. 



CALYCANTHUS (Sweet Scented Shrub). Of this genus there are four 

 well-known species C. occidentals, C. laevigatus, C. gLiucus and C. 

 floridus. The last named is the most common in gardens, and has 

 several varieties. They vary in height from 3 to 12 feet; C. occidentalis 

 being the tallest and also the most tender, sometimes suffers severely 

 in this locality. All of the species are prized by some on account of the 

 vinous fragrance of the flowers, which are dark claret in color. C. occi- 

 dentalis and C. floridus bear seeds freely, which take only a short time in 

 germinating after being sown. The seeds may be kept m their capsules 

 during Winter and sown in a frame during the first half of April. The 

 seed leaves are very large, disturbing the surface soil a good deal in 

 unfolding, therefore the seed should be sown thinly. The seedlings may 

 be allowed to remain a year in their germinating quarters before being 

 transplanted. Plants are also secured by layering the branches. 



CARYOPTERIS MASTACANTHUS is unmistakably one of the finest 

 shrubs introduced in recent years. It was, and is, sometimes called the 

 Blue Spirssa, but it has no relation to that genus, as it is a near relative 

 of the chaste tree (Vitex) which is among those plants comprising the 

 Verbena family. The Caryopteris has been tried for several years, and 

 in Northern sections, owing to its being killed to the ground in 

 Winter, should there be treated more as an herbaceous plant than as a 

 shrub. In the latitude of Philadelphia and favorable positions further 

 North it has come out all right through recent Winters. In Washington 

 bushes of it are now 6 feet high. It is one of the last shrubs to come 

 into flower, opening out about the first half of September and lasting 

 several weeks. The flowers are produced in fair-sized heads in the axils 

 of the leaves on the shoots made during Summer; the color is bluish- 

 purple or white. Propagation can be carried on at any time during the 

 Summer or Fall, preferably during the latter season, for which prepara- 

 tions should be made some time in advance by cutting back some of the 

 stronger shoots to induce them to send out side shoots. The blind wood 

 can be used during the flowering period. As soon as the cuttings are 

 ready for removal from the sand they can either be potted or boxed and 

 stored in frames for the Winter. 



CERASUS LAUROCERASUS. The Cherry Laurel can be depended upon 

 as a hardy shrub in ordinarily well-sheltered situations south of Mason 

 and Dixon's line. In the grounds of the Department of Agriculture and 

 in Capitol Park many old plants have stood almost unharmed in ex- 

 posed places for years. The late John Saul, of Washington, D. C., gave 

 this plant a good deal of attention; during a long number of years he 

 made a collection of all the varieties to test their hardiness. While some 



