66 THE BOOK OF SHRUBS 
it will attain a height of three or four feet, and produce 
in profusion during the winter months its large clusters 
of elegant catkins. Both the male and female forms 
should be planted. 
ILex or Hotiy.—The hollies constitute the most 
valuable of all the evergreens with inconspicuous 
flowers, for they thrive in soils and situations of all 
descriptions, and succeed in both town and country 
gardens. Hollies are highly effective in association 
with deciduous and evergreen shrubs in borders, and 
they contribute materially to the attractions of the garden 
when grown as single specimens on the lawn. A well- 
drained soil is desirable, and in preparing heavy soils 
a liberal addition of road sand, the sweepings of walks, 
will greatly improve it. During the earlier stages, the 
leading shoots of the plants should be supported by neat 
stakes and other strong growths should be checked, and 
throughout their growth they should be pruned suf- 
ficiently to keep them compact without being unduly 
formal. Usually the removal of a portion of the 
very strong shoots will accomplish all that is desired. 
The pruning should be done in the spring, and with a 
knife, as the use of shears in pruning hollies is most 
objectionable. 
The best of the green-leaved varieties of Tex aquifolium 
for gardens are: Angustifolia, an elegant form with rather 
long narrow leaves ; Handsworthiensis, a handsome broad- 
leaved form; Hodginsi, a distinct variety, with broad 
smooth leaves, very handsome, and the best for town 
gardens in smoky districts; crenata, an elegant variety 
with small myrtle-like leaves. The variegated forms 
that should have the preference are Golden Queen and 
Silver Queen, which are very bright and effective, and 
have golden and silvery variegation respectively. 
Laurets.—These are, for the most part, too robust 
in growth to be planted otherwise than sparingly in 
