MY SHRUBS 85 
another species, O. atropurpurea, from the Cape, which may be a 
trifle hardier. 
Olea is a genus of which I possess only the wild olive, O. europea, 
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. nitida, 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. msignis 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 
