HARDY ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS. 



285 



necessary as in the formation of ordinary borders 

 or beds. 



Bamboos. — These hardy evergreens, of which 

 some forty different kinds are cultivated in Bri- 

 tain, are, with one or two exceptions, natives 

 of China or Japan. They are described under 

 Ajrundinaria, Bambusa, and Phyllostachys. 

 The recommendations of these plants are their 

 unrivalled gracefulness, their free and quick 

 growth in favourable situations, and the 



Fig. 344.— Phyllostachys nigra. 



peculiar quality they possess of retaining their 

 leaves in a healthy green condition all through 

 the winter, even when many other evergreens 

 have put on a dull and sombre hue. Their one 

 drawback is that after a severe winter a large 

 proportion of the foliage turns brown, and the 

 plants are rendered thereby unsightly until 

 May or June. For information as to their 

 culture see under Bambusa (p. 291). In no 

 position is the beauty of hardy Bamboos more 

 effectively shown than one near water — a posi- 

 tion, too, which, in satisfying their great love 

 of moisture, usually induces a most luxuriant 

 growth. 



Propagation. — This subject is dealt with fully 

 elsewhere. We may, however, point out here 

 that with rare exceptions all trees and shrubs 

 are better on their own roots than when 

 grafted or budded. Grafted plants may have 

 an advantage at the start, but in the long run 

 seedlings and own-rooted plants will overtake 

 them. For instance, Phillyrea decora, grafted 

 on the common Privet, succeeds well enough 

 for two or three years, but after that time 



it almost invariably becomes sickly. Ever- 

 green Oaks grafted on deciduous ones, and all 

 grafted Conifers, should be avoided. The fine 

 garden varieties of Lilac are frequently grafted 

 on the common form, with the result that, unless 

 a continual look-out is maintained, the named 

 variety ultimately disappears in a forest of 

 suckers. Hardy garden varieties of Rhodo- 

 dendron are usually grafted upon Pi. ponticvm, 

 which proves a suitable stock if kept free from 

 suckers, but if neglected in this respect the 

 scions in time entirely disappear through the 

 suckering of the stocks. In the case of trees, 

 there is always a danger of the stems snapping 

 off through faulty stocks or an imperfect union, 

 which is often also the seat of cankerous, fungus- 

 infested wounds. The safest method of graft- 

 ing is to work the scion on the root of the stock; 

 this usually prevents the formation of suckers, 

 and has also the great advantage of allowing 

 the scion to root on its own account. 



The American Garden. — This term is usually 

 applied to a piece of ground set apart for plants 

 which enjoy a moist, peaty soil. Many of 

 them are natives of North America, and they 

 have come to be known collectively as "Ameri- 

 can plants". In its geographical application 

 the term is somewhat misleading, numerous 

 shrubs belonging to this group being natives of 

 Japan, Europe, and even of the British Isles. 

 "American plants" are for the most part in- 

 cluded under the two natural orders Ericaceae 

 and Vacciniaceai, and some of the chief genera 

 comprising the group are: — Rhododendron, 

 Azalea, Kalmia, Erica, Arbutus, Andromeda, 

 Clethra, Pernettya, Vaccinium, Ledum, Gaul- 

 theria, Daboecia, Arctostaphylos, Pieris, Leu- 

 cothoe, Lyonia, Zenobia, Menziesia, &c. Their 

 special value lies in their neat dwarf habit, the 

 beauty and profusion of their flowers, and their 

 rich green and mostly persistent foliage. A 

 few, however, like the Azaleas, are deciduous. 



American plants prefer a moist, cool soil, and 

 generally they dislike lime, so that in many 

 limestone districts it is useless to attempt to 

 grow them unless in specially prepared soil. 

 It is, however, interesting to note that some 

 few of the Heath family thrive even better 

 where it is present: Rhododendron hirsutum and 

 Bhodothamnus Chamcecistus are cases in point. 

 J Several of the Ericas, too, thrive in chalky dis- 

 tricts, such as E. mediterranea and E. clnerea. 

 Where the natural soil is free from chalk the 

 stronger-growing species may be used in shrub- 

 bery borders. The soil most suitable is un- 

 doubtedly one of a peaty nature, but many of 



