liONICEEA 



GUELDER ROSE ORDER 



DIEBVILLA 485 



duous species, and does not open its 

 blossoms so soon. 



Culture dc. as above. 



L. tatarica. — A deciduous twiner, 

 native of Tartary. Leaves heart-shaped 

 ovate, somewhat acute. Flowers in April 

 and May, in pairs, rosy ; corolla tube 

 rather gibbous at the base. Fruits black, 

 nearly round when young, but at length 

 united at the base. There is a variety 

 alhiflora with white flowers ; micrcvntha 

 with small pink flowers changing to yellow, 

 and succeeded by small red berries ; 

 and rubriflora with purple-red flowers. 



Culture do. as above. This is one of 

 the hardiest and best flowering of Honey- 

 suckles, but it has a tendency to lose its 

 leaves rather too early towards the end of 

 summer. 



L. Xylosteum {Xylosteum dumetorum) . 

 Fly HoneysucklB. — An erect deciduous 

 shrub native of Europe and N. Asia, but 

 naturalised in parts of the eastern and 

 southern counties of England. Leaves 

 2-3 in. long, shortly stalked, ovate or 

 obovate. Flowers in May and June, I in. 

 across, yellow, downy, sessile. Berries 

 small, crimson. The variety leuoocarpum 

 has white berries ; mela/noca/rpum, black ; 

 and xamthocarjpv/m, yeUow. 



Culture dc. as above. 



LEYCESTERIA (Flowbeing Nut- 

 meg). — This genus contains only one 

 species : — 



L. formosa. — A handsome deciduous 

 shrub 4-6 ft. high, native of the tem- 

 perate Himalayas, with hollow stems, 

 and rather large, ovate-lance-shaped, 

 pointed, stalked, smooth, entire leaves. 

 Flowers in summer, small, white or 

 purplish, in short leafy drooping racemes, 

 at the ends of the branches. Calyx-lobes 

 hnear, uneq^ual. Corolla funnel-shaped, 

 5-lobed, gibbous above the base. Bracts 

 large, leafy, purplish, downy, generally 6 

 under each whorl of flowers. Berries dull 

 purple, many-seeded. There ia a form 

 with variegated foliage. 



Cultu/re a/nd Propagation, — This 

 species thrives in good garden soil, and 

 in mild districts will retain its foliage. 

 It may be increased by cuttings of the 

 young shoots in spring, or by older ones 

 in autumn under a handlight or cold 

 frame. Seeds may also be sown in 

 spring or in autumn as soon as ripe in 

 cold frames. The seedhngs when large 

 enough may be pricked out into light 



rich soil in warm and sheltered parts of 

 the garden. Pheasants are very fond of 

 the berries. 



DIERVILLA (Weigela). — Bush 

 Honeysuckle. — A genus of handsome 

 flowering shrubs, with opposite sessile 

 or stalked leaves, and showy flowers in 

 axillary and terminal clusters. Oalyx- 

 tube very slender, produced above the 

 ovary. CoroUa foimel- or bell-shaped, 

 nearly regular. Stamens 5. Style 

 simple, slender, protruding, with a capi- 

 tate stigma. 



Culture and Propagation. — Diervillas 

 are among the best and showiest of 

 ornamental flowering shrubs, and for- 

 tunately are easily grown in any good 

 soil in rather moist and partially shady 

 situations. They are easily increased by 

 cuttings in spring or autumn inserted in 

 sandy soil under a handlight, or from the 

 freely produced suckers. In groups on 

 grass or in shrubberies DierviUas are 

 always effective when in leaf and blossom, 

 although owing to their deciduous natui-e 

 they are in a leafless state for a short 

 period of the year. During the winter 

 months an opportunity is given to cut out 

 any old or decaying branches, or others 

 which may be crowding the centre too 

 much so as to prevent the admission of 

 sunshine and free circulation of air. 

 A good mulching of weU-decomposed 

 manure in autumn or winter will be of 

 great assistance in keeping the plants in 

 a vigorous, healthy, and free-flowering 

 condition. 



There seems to be a good deal of 

 confusion in regard to the naming of the 

 various species. In the Kew herbarium 

 there are specimens labelled D. grandi- 

 flora, -D. fiorida, D. japonica, 'D. versi- 

 color, -D. floribunda, and D. hortensis, 

 aU more or less alike, the chief difference 

 being in the size of the leaves. The kind 

 labelled granddflora has larger and wider 

 leaves than the others, but to make the 

 confusion worse, this plant has now been 

 referred to a hitherto almost unheard-of 

 species, D. corceensis, by the ' Kew Index.' 



D. grandiflora (D. amdbiUa). — A 

 beautiful Japanese shrub about 8 ft. high, 

 with leaves strongly veined on the under 

 side. Flowers in early summer, pink. 

 There are several varieties, among which 

 may be mentioned : Abel Carriere, 

 IsoUnecB, striata, Vcrni Houttei, Groeno- 

 wegenei &c., but some of these and 



