132 TREES AND SHRUBS 



There are other dwarf New Zealand Veronicas of 

 a leafy character, differing essentially from these 

 mimetic species, such as V. carnosula and V. pingui- 

 folia, also inhabiting regions 5000 feet above the 

 sea-level, which are suited for localities with average 

 advantages of climate. Others again, such as V. 

 Lyallii, V. glauco-ccerulea, and V. hulkeana, though they 

 grow naturally at lower altitudes, and must be 

 reckoned only half-hardy, may yet be serviceable for 

 Rock Gardens on the southern sea-board, or on the 

 west coast of Scotland. Belonging to the larger-grow- 

 ing and more familiar species of Shrubby Veronica, 

 mention may be made of a good purple-flowered 

 hybrid, of very compact growth, known as Purple 

 King, which is exceedingly ornamental from its free- 

 flowering habit. Many of the losses sustained amongst 

 these interesting New Zealand shrubs are owing to 

 drought rather than to frost, and their extreme sus- 

 ceptibility to dryness at the root is a fact not recog- 

 nised as it should be. 



Hardy Heaths are of the utmost value in the Rock 

 Garden, and range in height from the 6 feet or more 

 of Erica arborea to the 6 inches of the well-known 

 E. camea, and can be used in rough places, where 

 more delicate plants might not thrive. A. sudden 

 emergency once arose in the experience of the writer, 

 when a shelving mass of earth had to be shored-up 

 as quickly as possible with such material as lay ready 

 to hand at the moment. This happened to be found 

 in a heap of ugly, yellowish, water-worn boulders of 

 great size, which abound in that particular locality, 



