366 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS 



SPIR^A 



Culture doc. as above. This beautiful 

 plant should find a place in every good 

 collection of flowering shrubs. It is per- 

 fectly hardy in most parts of the kingdom, 

 and may be easily increased by means of 

 layers or cuttings of the young or half- 

 ripened shoots. Plants in pots may be 

 gently forced into early blossom in green- 

 houses in spring. 



S. bella. — A Himalayan species 2-3 ft. 

 high, with smooth, rusty-coloured stems, 

 and smooth, ovate, serrate leaves, glaucous 

 beneath. Flowers in July and August, 

 beautiful red, in spreading terminal 

 corymbs. There is a white-flowered 

 variety. 



Culture <tc. as above, p. 365. 



S. betulifolia (S. corymbosa). — An al- 

 most smooth shrub 1-2 ft. high, native 

 N.E. Asia and N. America. Leaves simple 

 oval or ovate, toothed towards apex. 

 Flowers in June, oreamy-white, in large 

 flat compound corymbs. 



CuUv/re etc. as above. 



S. Blumei. — A native of Japan 3-6 ft. 

 high, with obovate, blunt leaves, deeply 

 toothed at the apex. Flowers white, in 

 terminal cymes. 



Culture (tc. as above, p. 365. 



S. bracteata (S. media rottmddfolia). 

 A beautiful Japanese shrub 5-6 ft. high, 

 very free in growth, having roundish 

 leaves with 3 more or less blunt teeth at 

 the apex. It produces an abundance of 

 pure white sweet-scented flowers during 

 the early summer months, in rounded 

 clusters at the ends of the shoots. The 

 upper leaves are much smaller and assume 

 the form of bracts beneath the flower 

 heads. 



Culture (Be. as above. This very fine 

 plant looks well in bold masses and flour- 

 ishes in good and fairly moist garden soil. 

 It may be forced gently in greenhouses. 



S. buUata (8. erispifolia). — A dwarf 

 Japanese shrub 1-1^ ft. high, with erect, 

 wiry branches, densely covered with a 

 rusty down. Leaves nearly sessile, i in. 

 long, ovate oblong, crenate, leathery, 

 smooth, dark green and wrinkled above. 

 Flowers in summer, deep pink or ruby, 

 in dense terminal corymbs. 



Culture do. as above. An excellent 

 shrub for the rook garden. It is quite 

 hardy in the north. 



S. cana. — A native of Central Europe, 

 1-2 ft. high. Leaves ovate, i-l^ in. long, 



acute, entire or slightly toothed, hoary- 

 haired. Flowers in summer, white, in 

 racemose corymbs. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 365. 



S. canescens. — An erect, hairy shrub, 

 4-6 ft. high, native of the Himalayas. 

 Leaves oval or obovate, blunt, entire. 

 Flowers in summer, pale pink or white, 

 in crowded tomentose corymbs. In the 

 ' Kew Handlist ' as many as 24 different 

 names are recorded for this species. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 365. 



S. cantoniensis {S. reevesiana). — A 

 smooth evergreen Japanese shrub, 3-4 ft. 

 high, with smaU, simple, lance-shaped 

 leaves, 3-lobed and deeply toothed. 

 Flowers in early summer, white, in showy 

 terminal umbels. There is a beautiful 

 double-flowered variety. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 365. 



S. chamsdrifolia (8. ceanotMfoKa). 

 A species 1-2 ft. high, distributed from 

 S.E. Europe to Japan. Leaves ovate, 

 deeply serrate at the apex, downy. 

 Flowers in summer, white, in half-round 

 corymbs. The variety flexuosa has 

 elliptic lance-shaped, uneqiiaUy serrated 

 leaves, and white flowers generally smaller 

 than in the type. The variety ulmifolia 

 is a handsome shrub, 3-5 ft. high, with 

 Elm-like leaves, and white flowers in half- 

 round terminal corymbs. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 365. 



S. decumbens. — A dwarf, trailing 

 shrub 6-9 in. high, fit for rocks and banks, 

 native of the Tyrol. Leaves roundish 

 oval, orenately toothed. Flowers in sum- 

 mer, white, in terminal corymbs. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 365. 



S. discolor (8. aricBfolia). — 8pray 

 Bush. — A beautiful flowering shrub 8-10 

 ft. high, native of N.W. America. Leaves 

 rigid, wedge-shaped at the base, dark 

 green above, silvery beneath. Flowers in 

 sunamer, duU white, in graceful, nodding 

 panicles. This species is seen to the best 

 advantage as an isolated specimen on 

 grass. The variety dutnosa (also known 

 as 8. Boursieri) differs from discolor in 

 being dwarfer in growth, and with less 

 branched panicles. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 365. 



S. Douglasi.— A beautiful shrub 3 ft. 

 high, native of N.W. America. Leaves 

 simple, oblong lance-shaped, blunt, serru- 

 late at the apex, downy, white beneath. 

 Flowers in August, rosy, in a dense 



