December 14, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINK 



963 



EVERGREEN SHRUBS WITH 



SHOWY FLOWERS. 



On© is often appealed to for a selection 

 of evergreen shrubs with showy flowers, 

 the height being limited to six feet or 

 thereabouts. A\'here rhododendrons and 

 their allies thrive it is an easy matter to 

 compile a long list of suitable subjects, but 



where these are not available the choice 

 is far more limited than it is by the un- 

 initiated considered to be. The chief sub- 

 jects that, outside of rhododendrons and 

 plants of that nature, can be confidently 

 recommended for the purpose are : Berbeiis 

 aquifolium and its several varieties, whose 

 golden flowers are not only very showy in 

 the spring, but in autumn the leaves ac- 

 quire a more or less bronzy or reddish tint, 

 ll. Darwini is one of the most handsome 

 evergreen shrubs we have^ the rich orange 

 blossoms being borne in the greatest profu- 

 sion during the month of May, while in some 

 cases a fair crop is borne again during 

 early autumn. This wall considerably ex- 

 ceed the height of six feet, but it may 

 bo readily kept down to about that height. 

 B, stenophylla, which vies with B. Dar- 

 wini in beauty, has deep golden-yellow 

 flowers. Lastly among barberries comes B. 

 Wallichiana, a pretty and distinct species. 

 This is a spiny shrub, which, clothed with 

 very dark green leathery leaves, has flowers 



of a much lighter yellow than any of the 

 preceding. 



Choisya ternata, also known as the 

 Mexican Orange Flower, is a shrub with 

 the reputation of being somewhat tender, 

 but it is really as hardy as the common 

 laurel. The white flowers borne in clusters 

 late in spring or early in summer have a 

 very pleasing fragrance. 



Given a warm, dry situation, there are 

 several forms of Cist us or Sun rose that 

 can be depended upon to pi oduce a charm- 

 ing effect. Among them may 'be especially 

 mentioned C, laurifolius, with large, white 

 flowers ; C. ladaniferus, in which the blooms 

 are white with a purple blotch at the base 

 of each petal ; C. cyprius, somewhat in the 

 same way, and C. villosus, also known as 

 nndulatus, whose blossoms are of a red- 

 dish-purple colour. Their near allies, the 

 helianthemums (rock roses) are beautiful, 

 free-flowering evergreens, but from their 

 lowly stature they must be regarded rather 

 as subjects for the rockwork or sunny bank 

 than for the open border. 



Daphnes are not numerous, the princi- 

 pal ones that come under this heading being 

 Blagayana, a small, spre^iding shrub 

 with ivory-white flowers, the still smaller- 

 growing D. cneorum, whose fragrant blos- 

 soms are of a delightful rose-pink shade, 

 and D. neapolitana or Fioniana, a little up- 

 ^ig^it-growing shrub, w^th clusters of pretty, 

 rosy-purple coloured flowers. 



The Rose of Sharon (Hypericum calyci- 

 rinm) is a pretty, dwarf evergreen for the 

 ^Iging of groups, clothing of banks, or 

 even under trees. Considering its lowly 

 stature the flowers are large, rich golden- 

 yellow in colour, and borne in great profu- 

 sion during the summer months. The 

 lavender (Lavendula spica) is another well- 

 known subject, whose blossoms are from 

 their delightful fragrance admired by every- 

 ^Hf^, \vhile the peculiar greyish tone of the 

 foliage singles it out for notice at all 



Of i)rivoi.s the most showy, from a floral 

 n'>mt <if view, i.s Tjigustrum sinense flori- 

 mnduiM, l)ut this must bo regarded as more 

 of a snl)-overgn'eii. T.. jn})()nicmn. witlidark 

 K^een. leatherv loa\<^s. l)ears a |)r<)fusion 

 upright panicles of < re:nny-white flowers 

 tmvards the end of the sumT^er. This is 



'■Strictly an e\'ergreen. 



'Thv Xiuv Zealand Oleaiia Haasti forms 



FILBERTS AND COBS. 



Filberts an 

 tent ion its a 



garden 



crop, and, provided 

 they are planted in a tiuitable soil and posi- 

 tion, invariably prove remunerative. Jix- 

 perienco goes to show that when grown in 

 exceedingly rich t^oil, over-exuberance is 

 producixl at the cxpeiLst* of fertility ; while, 

 on the other liaiid, good i rops are the order 

 of the day when they are given, or are 



planttHl in, saiidy loam, with only a small 

 quantity of nianiue. Where the natural 

 soil is very light and j)orous it is permissible 



to add manure in liberal quantities at the 

 time of preparation, and this may be sup- 

 plemented by muk'hing when the trees are 

 in full bearing. 



It is n(H*essa-ry to say a word as to clayey 

 loams, which often rest ujx)n pure clay, and 

 in such cases special preparation should be 

 made by placing a quantity of brick-bats, 

 clinkers, cinders, etc,, at a depth of two 

 feet. This layer of drainage material 

 should be at least eight indices in thickness^ 

 and further, if builders' rubble <'an be pro- 



a som.ewhat box-like shrub, which alx)ut the 

 end of July or in August is absolutely 

 coveied with clusters of small white daisy- 

 like blooms. Ulex europa?a flore plena 

 (Double-flowered Furze) is a remarkably 

 showy shrub, its brilliant golden-yellow 

 flowers being borne in great profxision. 

 Like the typical kiiid, it will hold its own 

 even on dry, stony soils, indeed it is not 

 seen at its best in rich soil. 



The laurestinus (Viburnum tinus) is a 

 well-known and valuable evergreen, not the 

 least of its attractive features being the 

 fact that, given a mild winter, its clusters 

 of pretty, whitish flowers are borne 

 throughout the entire season. The com- 

 paratively new Viburnum rhytidophyllum 

 has large clusters of creamy flowers during 

 the spring and often in the autumn months. 

 The blossoms are certainly less showy than 

 some of the others, but at the same time, 

 they impart a distinct appearance to a 

 specimen, w^hile the bright-coloureil berries 

 and peculiar rugose leaves all command at- 

 tention. The peri^vinkles (Vinca major and 

 minor) are very pretty, but of a low, cret^p- 

 ing nature, that they are suited rather as 

 an edging to taller-growling subjects than 

 in any other position. 



In particularly favoured distri<ts the 

 choice is less limited, for beside those men- 

 tioned above may be noted the Chilian Ber- 

 beridopsis corallina wdth drooping berberis- 

 like flowers of a bright crimson colour ; 

 Carpenteria californica, with willow-like 

 leaves and white flow^ers ; camellias of sorts, 

 which are hardier than many consider them 

 to be; Desfontainea spinosa, which in 

 foliage mimics a holly, but has tubular- 

 shaped, scarlet and gold flowers ; Fabiana 

 imbricata, a heath-like shrub with pure 

 white, tuliular-shaped blossoms ; Grevillea 

 rosmarinifolia, and G. sulphurea, the two 

 hardiest of the grevilleas ; olearias of sorts, 

 more tender than Olearia Haasti ; Ozotliam- 

 nus rosmarinifolius, vnth. long shoots 



studded with small w^hite flow^ers ; and Tri- 

 cuspidaria lanceolata, which is also known 

 as Tricuspidaria hexapetala, T. dependens, 

 and Crinodendron Hookerianum. This 



has bright red, globular flowers of a pen- over-luxuriance, "as also those which" tend 

 dulous nature, suggesting cherries hanging ^ evo\v^ the central parts of the trees, 

 on long stalks, and remarkable for their ^i^^^i^ be removed, not forgetting that the 



po 



oots 



carrie 



October to Feibruary, and young trc^s or 

 bushes with a clean stem of two and a-iialf 

 feet should be selected. Care must be 

 taken that they are not planted deeper than 

 they were in their nursery quarters, the lino 

 of demarcation being plainly seen. They 

 should be arranged at least ten feet apart, 

 and an imjwrtant point is to thoroughly 

 solidify the soil around the roots, also to give 

 a support until establishe<l, to prevent them 

 being swayed by the wind. Tlie time and 

 labour involvt^ in training and pruning the 

 nut bushes will be well repaid, and the cor- 

 rect method is to train out about a dozen of 

 the best growths eighteen inches apart, 

 securing them to a WKKxlen hoop fastened to 

 a stake. This will lay tlu^ foundation of 

 well-balanced specimens, while the thin dis- 

 position of the branches allows the free 

 entry of sun and light. 



Subsequently, growths that show signs of 



distinctness and beauty. 



The different garden varieties of veronica 

 are, in many districts, especially near the 



small spray or lateral growths are responsi- 

 ble for the fruit, and should only be shor- 

 tened nvoid densitv. A word as to the 



sea, delightful flowering evergreens, but in fertilisation of the female blossoms, whicli 

 some localities they are very liable to be 

 injured during the winter. The New Zea- 

 land Veronica Traversi is much hardier than 



the garden varieties of V. speciosa, and is 

 largely grown as a hardy shrub over a con- 

 siderable portion of the country. Good 

 examples of this dense-growing and free- 

 flowering species may often be seen in Lon- 

 don and suburban gardens. S. W. 



appear at a later date than the male flow^ers. 

 In view of the fact that the nut plant is 

 monoecious, it is very necessary that 



ALLAMANDA NERIIFOLIA. 



A[any pcK>pIe woidd like to grow an alla- 

 manda^ so as to enjoy its rich yellow 

 flowers, whicli have such a delicate fra- 

 grance, but are prevented from doing so 

 by the lack of a tropical house. This is 

 because the species generally seen are such 

 stove kinds as A. Henderson i, A. Schotti, 

 etc., w^hich not only require heat, but also 

 a deal of .lieadroom. Whilst the shrubby 

 species, A. neriifolia, may l)e growMi well in 

 a warm griH^nliouse, it does not require an 

 extravagant amount of room. The flower s 

 are not so large as those of the < 



sufficient quantity of tbe latter are left to 

 supply pollen when the threadlike styles 

 of the minute female flowers are protruded 

 for its reception in early spring. 



One often sees nuts being harvested long 

 before they are proi:>erly inaiuie<l, whicn 

 results in shrivelling; in fact, tlioy are ren- 

 ilered comparativelv worthless. The proper 

 time is clearly indi<'ated by their dropping 

 freelv from the trees, :nuU with re^ptn-t to 

 varieties, some exceptionally Inu' kinds 

 have been l aised and placed in commeri'e in 

 recent years. Amongst cobs ^Merveille de 

 BoUwylier and Bergere are tremendous 

 croppers, while the old Kentish Cob is of 

 frreat merit. In filberts, Prolific, Ke<l Ex- 

 hibition and White ditto are fine indeed. 



Waltkr it. Aggktt. 



' other 



species, but tiny possess all their < harin of 

 form, colour, and fragrance, ami ar*^ freely 



produced. The foliage is much smaller, and, 

 as the specific name implies, is suggestive of 

 that of the Oleander, or Xerium, as it is 

 often called. Cecil AvnuEY. 



Peristrophe speciosa.— Thonorh 



the flowers of this acanthaceous plant, which 

 are nia^enta-purple, are not among the popu- 

 lar colours of the present day, it is for all 

 that a very useful subject for flower ino^ in 

 the warm ^reenhoupic, where it will maintain 

 a succession of blossoms throughout the win- 

 ter months, 



S. W. 



It is of very eaf^y culture. 



