OENAMEITl'AL DECIDUOUS SHRUBS. 115 



dying out after a few yeai's' culture. Their value is mainly in 

 some position near the top of some rocky point. Stems 

 greenish yellow, flowers yellow in June and July. 



The SoPHOKA. — The sophora Japonica or Japan sophora is a 

 beautiful round-headed tree, with smooth dark green bark and 

 delicate blue green foliage. In the Northern and Middle States 

 it is not perfectly hardy, but south of Philadelphia it stands 

 pretty well, and deserves a place in all grounds where the 

 climate will admit. It is sometimes grown in sheltered situa- 



FlQ. 61.— SpiRfflA Caixosa. 



tions at the North, amid evergreens or on poor thin soils, which 

 seem to increase its hardiness, probably because of less succu- 

 lence in the shoots and their better ripening. 



The Spie^a. — The species and varieties of spiroBa number over 

 fifty, all of which are hardy and beautiful both in flower and 

 foliage. A group may be formed alone of the varieties of spiraea 

 that will give almost a continuation of flowers from May until 

 October. Their growth is usually from two to . four feet,- 



