In My Vicarage Garden 



hardy that it does not require a wall, and would 

 probably do well trained up a tree ; but it 

 deserves a wall, and being a fast grower it will 

 very soon cover a large extent of a high wall. 

 The beauty of it lies in its long, graceful wreaths 

 of golden flowers ; wreaths six feet long are not 

 uncommon, and after the flowering it should be 

 pruned, and then it has a good appearance all the 

 summer. Close by in a sheltered corner, but not 

 trained to the wall, I have the Japanese hawthorn, 

 Photinia serrulata. It is not in flower ; it seldom 

 flowers in England, but I value it for its beauty 

 in spring. At all times it is a handsome shrub, 

 with its bright, shining leaves (hence its name), but 

 at this time of the year the young shoots at the 

 ends of the branches are of a deep crimson colour, 

 so that at a little distance the shrub looks like a 

 fine flowering shrub with its flowers half-expanded. 

 Then there is the Rhododendron Davuricum, one 

 of the earliest shrubs that flower in the open 

 ground (the cheimonanthus and the Lonicera 

 fragrantissima are earlier, but require a wall). 

 This is a shrub well worth growing. It is sup- 

 posed by some to be a geographical variety of 

 the Alpine rose {R. ferrugineufri), but for garden 

 purposes it is very distinct. Coming from Siberia, 

 it is perfectly hardy, and is not so particular about 

 soil as other rhododendrons ; but I cannot say it 

 is so pretty, as the flowers stand singly at the 

 ends of the branches, and the whole plant has 

 rather an untidy habit ; but the flowers come very 

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