6o TREES AND SHRUBS 



purer white than our native species. The Yellow 

 Birch {B. luted) shows warm orange-brown tints on 

 the more recently exposed surfaces of its bark. The 

 bark of the River Birch (B. nigra) is not brightly 

 coloured, being of a dull dark brown, but it gives the 

 tree a notably curious aspect owing to the way it 

 stands out from the trunk and branches in great 

 ragged-looking flakes. 



A Flower Garden in Winter 



" It is possible to make a new feature in gardens by 

 setting apart a piece of ground exclusively for the 

 cultivation of trees, shrubs, and bulbs — in short, any 

 plants that flower or are bright with fruit or bark 

 between, say, the beginning of November and the 

 end of February. One might term it ' an out-door 

 winter garden.' For the purpose there would be 

 required a well-drained piece of ground, the soil of 

 which was fertile and open. The situation should 

 be fully exposed to the south and west, but guarded 

 well on the north and east sides by a thick belt of 

 evergreen trees and shrubs. The shelter would be 

 still more complete if the site sloped rather steeply to 

 the south-west. Such shelter would be welcome, 

 not only to the plants that grew there, but to those 

 who might visit and tend them. Some of the more 

 noteworthy trees and shrubs with ornamental barks 

 I have already mentioned. Plants that carry their 

 fruit into winter might be included, such as the 

 Hollies, especially the yellow-berried Holly ; Cra- 



