26 MY SHRUBS 
allegory of a starving cupressus, or tell the whole secret of in- 
domitable will conquering abominable bad luck in the shape of a 
thirsty and lop-sided thuya lingering upside down against fearful 
and cruel odds. No—I see the spiritual significance, and I worship 
the Wisdom of the East, that has lifted gardening to these soulful 
heights ; but I go on trying to make my things lovely above ground 
and happy below; and I am quite certain that they prefer my way, 
because, like myself, they know no better. 
Calodendron capensis has languished in a pot for years, but 
made no effort worth the name ; Callicoma serratifola still awaits 
me. The latter is the black wattle of New South Wales, and is 
declared to be a very desirable shrub. 
Calothamnus pyroleflorus is a stout, dwarf, deciduous shrub 
from Alaska, with chocolate-coloured flowers and an iron consti- 
tution against cold; but it will succumb swiftly to too much hot 
sunshine. ‘The newer C’. Baxteri is an Australian evergreen with 
crimson flowers—beautiful, but not too easy. 
Calycanthus floridus, the Carolina allspice, pursues its way in 
half shade, and produces its lumpy chocolate-coloured flowers, 
while C. macrophyllus is also going ahead handicapped by per- 
petual shade. We put upon these willing customers, and, because 
they will do their duty in shade, though quite as fond of an 
occasional sunbeam as most other living creatures, condemn them 
to live without a ray. 
Camellia does well in half shade here, and I have Gauntlett’s 
splendid hybrid—pure, single white, with yellow anthers, together 
with good pieces of the double Japanese white and red. C. 
latifolia, a hardy species, also does well. C. Sasanqua died, but has 
appeared again in a cooler corner, and as for C. reticulata, the 
