38o 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



Rochester has double white flowers ; it is of erect habit, and 

 very distinct. D. c. punctata deserves a place on account of its 

 pretty variegated foliage — pale green, striped with white and 

 blotched with dark green, D. parviflora is the first to flower 

 in the open air; it is a native of Northern China, and makes 

 a dense bush 5 ft. high ; the creamy-white flowers are produced 

 in profusion. D, corymbiflora is a new kind, of elegant habit 

 and wonderfully free-flowering ; the pure white flowers are borne 

 in graceful panicles, and last in good condition for a long 



time ; a very valu- 

 able addition. . D. 

 gracilis is the most 

 generally cultivated 

 member of the genus ; 

 it is perfectly hardy, 

 of slender growth, 

 2ft. high, very free- 

 flowering, and valu- 

 able for forcing. 

 Another dwarf- 

 habited kind, but of 

 stronger growth than 

 D. gracilis^ is D. 

 Lemoinei^ also use- 

 ful for forcing ; it 

 is a very handsome 

 variety, and excep- 

 tionally floriferous, 

 the small white 

 flowers being borne 

 in compact trusses. 



DiERViLLAS. — Few 

 dwarf-growing shrubs 

 are more easily 

 grown, or create 

 better efl'ect, than 

 the Diervillas (Wei- 

 gelias or Bush 

 Honeysuckles). 

 Fig. 246. — DiERViLLA Van Houttei. Planted in beds on 



the turf, or in front 



of taller-growing shrubs in the border, they succeed and 

 look well. They like rich, well-drained soil, and an annual 

 top-dressing of leaf-mould increases the floral display. The 

 thin, flowerless shoots should be removed. A good selection 

 should include some or all of the following : amabilis is of 

 good growth, and bears an abundance of rose-coloured flowers 

 in early summer. Van Houttei (Fig. 246), carmine shaded red 



