HARDY SHRUBS 317 



is active in Spring, or after the wood is fairly ripe in August. /. 

 opaca is more difficult to raise from seed than /. Aquifolium. The 

 outer covering of the seeds of Holly is quite hard, and often they do 

 not germinate the same season as sown. If sown as soon as ripe, 

 in very sandy soil, and care taken to keep them from drying out 

 during the dry months of Summer, they will germinate the following 

 Spring. Sow the seed rather deep and cover with a mulching in 

 Winter, which covering is easily removed when freezing weather is 

 past. A good method is to sow in a mixture of peat and sphagnum 

 moss, made quite firm, and place in a greenhouse where it will get 

 the full sun, keeping the mixture moderately wet. Plants grown for 

 their berries, or, in fact, for any purpose except for hedges, should 

 never be selected from seedlings, as there are two kinds, one with 

 the female organs, imperfectly developed, but with the stamens 

 well formed bearing abundance of pollen; they are the most abun- 

 dant bloomers, but do not bear fruit. The other kind has fewer 

 flowers, with the pistils all well formed and quite prominent in the 

 center of the flower. The stamens on the other hand seem imper- 

 fect in most cases, but doubtless there is enough pollen on them to 

 fertilize the flower, as fruiting plants set seed all right a long distance 

 away from the pistillate plants. Therefore, cions should always 

 be selected from berry bearing plants. /. cornnta, grown in com- 

 pany with varieties of the English species, does not come true from 

 seed. 



ITEA (Virginian Willow). The cultivated form of I tea vir- 

 ginica is much superior to plants found in the wild state. It has 

 long racemes of rather pretty greenish white flowers. It usually 

 grows from 2 to 4 feet high, and is a denizen of low, wet places. 

 The Autumn color is a handsome red. 



Propagation. It may be propagated by division, or by seeds 

 which ripen freely. 



JASMINUM (Jasmine). J. nudiflorum may be used either 

 as a bush plant on the lawn or open border, for covering walls or 

 arbors, or for forming a light hedge. It is not particular as to 

 soil or situation, growing almost anywhere. Its flowers are pro- 

 duced during mild Winters. Beginning in December, they expand 

 as the weather permits till April. It is not hardy north of Washing- 

 ton and is used principally as a greenhouse plant. /. humile 

 (revolutum), J.fruticans and J.floridum, all of them yellow flowered 

 species, usually stand the Winters here. /. humile is the 

 iardiest. 



