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THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



leaved variety are often remarkably beautiful, by reason of the wealth of turquoise-blue 

 berries they bear. The large pyramidal clusters of fruit borne by the Stag-horn Sumach are 

 also attractive, being covered with crimson hairs Few native shrubs surpass in beauty the 

 Spindle-tree (Euonymus) when its rosy scarlet fruits are bursting and disclosing the orange- 

 coloured seeds within. 



A Winter GARDEN. — There seems to be room for a new feature in gardens — at least, 

 in gardens of fair size. This 1 may term the outdoor winter garden — that is, a piece of ground 

 specially prepared and set apart for trees, shrubs, bulbs, or, indeed, any plants that flower or 

 are bright with fruit or bark', say from November to the end of February. For the purpose 

 we should need a fertile, well-drained piece of ground open to the south, but sheltered by thick 

 evergreens from north and east. Some of the trees and shrubs with ornamental fruit or bark 

 that could be used 1 have alluded to already. The following is a list of those that flower 

 during the winter. If the plan of bringing them together in one spot be not adopted, the list 

 may still be of use to those who wish their gardens to be as bright as possible during that 

 season. Some country houses are seldom visited at any other time. November : Arbutus 

 hybrida, A. Unedo and varieties, Daphne Mezereon variety grandiflora, Elaeagnus glabra, E. macro- 

 phylla, E. pungens (all three delightfully fragrant), Hamamelis virginica, Jasminum nudiflorum, 

 Lonicera fragrantissima, L. Standishi. December and January : Chimonanthus fragrans and 

 varieties, Clematis calycina, Crataegus monagyna variety prrecox (Glastonbury Thorn), Erica 

 mediterranea hybrida, E. carnea and E. carnea alba, Garrya elliptiea, the Laurustinus. 

 February and early March : Berbens nepalensis, Cornus Mas, Corylopsis spicata, Daphne 

 Blagayana, D. Laureola, D. Mezereum and variety alba, and D. oleoides, Erica mediterranea, 

 Forsythia suspensa, Hamamelis arborea, H. japonica, H. mollis (the best), and H. Zuccariniana, 

 Primus Davidiana, P. Amygdalus variety persieoides (the earliest Almond), Pyrus japonica, 

 Rhododendron altaclarense, R. dauricum, R. Nobleanum, and R. praecox. A little later come 

 Rhododendron fulgens and R. Thomsoni, Cassandra calyculata, Nuttallia eerasiformis, Forsythia 

 intermedia and F. viridissima, Pieris (or Andromeda) floribunda and P. japonica, and 

 Common Gorse. 



The last group may be said to usher in the great flowering-time of our hardy trees 

 and shrubs, w hich extends from the end of March till the end of June. The zenith is reached 

 in the middle of May ; from July onwards the number sadly diminishes. It is between Julv 

 and March that we need more hardy shrubs in flower, and collectors should bear this fact in 

 mind. Tlif number is, however, increasing, and some valuable additions to the group have 

 been made in recent years. Of those that flower in winter and early spring 1 have given a 

 fairly complete list; here is a selection of the more noteworthy that bloom from August 

 till October : Caryopteris Mastacanthus, Hydrangea paniculata and the variety grandiflora 

 (both effective, especially if the number of shoots is reduced early in the season so as to 

 increase the size of the trusses ; by good cultivation they may be obtained i8in. long and 

 I2in. in diameter), various Hypericums and Clematis, Magnolia grandiflora, Hibiscus syriacus 

 (this and its numerous varieties are very charming in warm localities), Ulex nanus, Lespedeza 

 bicolor and L. Sieboldi, Sophora japonica, Hamamelis virginica, Tecoma radicans, Dabcecia 

 polifoiia, various Ericas, Clethra alnifolia variety tomentosa, Ligustrum lucidum, L. Quihoui 

 (a very pretty Privet), Buddlea variabilis, Clerodendron trichotomum. Fortunately the 

 great bulk' of Composite herbaceous plants flower during autumn, and it is to them more 

 than to woody vegetation that we shall probably always have to look to brighten our 

 gardens at that season. 



AUTUMN COLOURS. — In Britain it is, apparently, impossible to obtain the colour 

 effects that make the autumn vegetation of North America so glorious. Even trees that 

 thrive perfectly here fail to colour. Still, we possess a large number of trees and shrubs 

 that are delightful in their autumnal livery of crimson, purple, scarlet, and gold. The 

 following may be mentioned as of more than ordinary interest in this connection : The 



