332 



PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS cytisus 



more than thirty years ago. It makes a 

 dense and compact grovrth, and the bright 

 green slender twigs give it an evergreen 

 character when not in blossom. From 

 the middle of April till about the middle 

 of May, the young shoots, often nearly 

 2 ft. long, are literally covered with 

 masses of pale primrose-yellow flowers, 

 which however emit a rather powerful 

 and not particularly pleasant odour. 



Culture dc. as above. The only way 

 to keep this hybrid true to character is to 

 increase it by cuttings inserted in sandy 

 soil about August or September, as recom- 

 mended above. It usually ripens seeds 

 freely, but like many other plants of 

 hybrid origin, the chances of obtaining the 

 true variety from seeds are very remote. 



C. purpureus {Pti/rple Broom). — A 

 beautifiil wiry branched trailing shrub, 

 with oblong leaflets, and purple flowers 

 in May, in great abundance. Native of 

 Eastern Europe. 



Culture ic, as above. It is often 

 grafted on standards of the Laburnum to 

 show its weeping habit. Among rocks 

 and boulders the branches look very effec- 

 tive when in bloom. There is a white- 

 flowered variety called albus, and a pretty 

 yellow-flowered one known as ratis- 

 bonensis. 



C. scoparius {Common Broom). — A 

 native shrub 2-10 ft. high, with slender 

 angular hairy branches. Leaves 3-folio- 

 late, with oblong leaflets. Flowers from 

 April to July, yellow, solitary. There are 

 several forms of this species, but the 

 most important and beautiful is cmd/rea- 

 nus (Genista andreana), in which the 

 wings of the yellow flowers are of a rich 

 purple-brovra. This variety is much 

 grown as a pot plant, and is gently forced 

 into bloom in greenhouses in early spring. 

 Other varieties are pendulus, with a weep- 

 ing habit ; and sulpliureus, with pale 

 yellow sulphur-coloured blossoms. 



Culture do. as above. This showy 

 shrub will flourish under almost any cir- 

 cumstances, except in wet, cold and 

 boggy situations. 



C. sessilifolius. — A smooth, round- 

 branched shrub 4-6 ft. high, native of S. 

 Europe. Leaflets 3, ovate. Flowers in 

 May, yellow, in short erect racemes. 



Culture do. as above. 



ONONIS (Best Haueow). — A genus 

 with about 60 species of smooth, downy 

 or hairy, often clammy annual, biennial, or 



perennial herbs or undershrubs. Leaves 

 usually pinnately 3-foliolate, with the 

 veins running into teeth on the edges. 

 Stipules adnate to the leaf stalk. Flowers 

 rose, yeUow, or white, in axillary solitary 

 or 2-3-flowered racemes. Calyx tube 

 short with nearly equal lobes. Standard 

 petal nearly round, with a short claw ; 

 wings obovate oblong; keel incurved, 

 beaked, rarely blunt. Stamens 10, united, 

 or the upper one rarely free. Pod oblong 

 or linear, inflated or round. 



Culture and Propagation. — The Rest 

 Harrows may be utilised for covering 

 rough banks and parts of the rockery. 

 They grow in any soU, and are easily 

 increased by seeds, or division of the 

 roots in early autumn or spring. The 

 seeds may be sown as soon as ripe in 

 warm sheltered spots out of doors, or in 

 cold frames, and the seedlings may be 

 transplanted the following spring. The 

 shrubby kinds may also be increased by 

 cuttings of the fairly well-ripened shoots 

 inserted in sandy soil under a handlight 

 about August and September. 



Both O. spinosa and 0. recUnata, are 

 British plants, usually found on dry pas- 

 tures, fields, cliffs &o., and although 

 pretty, perhaps hardly worth cultivating 

 when there are so many better plants. 



O. aragonensis. — A pretty half-hardy 

 shrub 1-2 ft. high, with smooth S-foliolate 

 leaves composed of roundish serrate leaf- 

 lets. The almost staUdess flowers appear 

 from May to July on a leafless raceme, 

 the yellow blossoms being usually in pairs. 



Culture da. as above. This species 

 is fairly hardy in the neighbourhood of 

 London, and ripens seeds freely. 



O. fruticosa. — A handsome shrub 1-2 

 ft. high, native of S.W. Europe. Leaflets 

 3, sessile, smooth, lance-shaped, shining, 

 unequally serrated. Flowers in summer, 

 pinrple, three on a stalk. 



Culture dc. as above. Increased by 

 seeds or cuttings. 



O. Natrix. — A S. European perennial 

 li-2 ft. high, clothed with a clammy 

 pubescence. Leaflets 3, oblong, serrated 

 at the apex. Flowers in summer, yellow, 

 veined with red. 



Culture dc. as above. Increased by 

 se'eds or division. 



O. rotundifolia. — A pretty rather 

 shrubby perennial, 1-1^ ft. high, native 

 of South Europe. Leaflets 3, obovate, 



