54 
THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
Iltiiiliiic ridoriiiiii is a ihvarf, spread iiii; sliruli. tiiii' for mrk 
gardens, grows oul.v (J iuclies high, flowers very early, ijiiik and 
fragrant. Needs a light covering in -winter. 
Vraliicijiix J'l/rueantha Laltiiidi. — A groiii) of this plant most 
be admired by everyone. Evergreen and covered with orange 
berries. It makes some trouble to keeii the birds away from them, 
but it i.s a beauty seldom seen. 
For hillside plantins,'' on a dry slojje itot far from a 
driveway or path I would recommend : 
liohiniii hisiiiila — The roots run all over the ground; flowern 
pink, very fragrant; and liUics aiireiiiu. the fine scented yellow 
flowers, early in spring, fill the whole atmosphere. They are easy 
growers and cover quite a space in a short time. 
Ohclia ihiiiciisix gruiidi/tora. — I found one of the.se iiotted in 
our greenliouses, but they were hardy in Pennsylvania, and I 
tried the.se outdoors. They lived through our severe conditions for 
seven years. It is one of the most beautiful little shrubs with grace- 
ful bauvardia-like flowers, blooming all summer through, and the 
foliage is exceedingly fine ; try it and be convinced. 
Cari/oplcris iiiastneiiiitliiis (Blue Sijirea). — It is really a shrub, 
but on account of it growing back to the ground every j'ear, we 
find it in many catalogues, classified under Perennials, In Sep- 
tember and October this is certainly a beauty as a border plant 
in front of shrubs. Needs some protection in winter. 
I would also like to call your attention to a few hardy 
climbers of the greatest service. 
Ai)iitcloi)sis Enficlmanni is a far better variety than the common 
Virginia creeper, it will cling to a rough surface without any 
support, the same as the P>oston Ivy, but it does not look as stiff, 
plastered. The color effects in a sunny position are excellent. 
Xmiielopsis Lairii. — I believe it was introduced by Henry A. 
Dreer. Philadelphia, perhaps 10 years ago. It certainly is a most 
graceful climber without any suiiport, nothing better to cover 
rocks, etc. The leaves are of a pale green cidor in summer and 
change to all kinds of color in fall, 
Vitis lieferopln/lla varugnta or tricolor. — It is the climax of 
beauty all the time. The foliage is fine cut, the young shoots are 
pink and green, leaves — beautiful variegated, and in August the 
berries appear in multitudes. — The color of the berries is like a 
paint box, light green, dark green, indigo, rose, ultramarine blue, 
navy blue, etc., not to describe. If you see this vine once in 
August or September you will never forget it, I am sure. If I am 
not mistaken we grew this Vitis -10 years ago as a fine pot plant — 
but now it is hardy as a rock. Habit of plants might change like 
human beings. Forty years ago we had felt straps around the 
windows that no draft should strike us in the night ; now science 
warns that we cannot get enough fresh air in our sleeping 
chambers. 
Shrubs appear at their best when planted in masses — • 
to hide the border, as some fancy, or planted in front of 
trees, while some very effective shrubs look well when 
planted singly. In large parks, especially when not far 
removed from the driveway a mass planting of one va- 
riety may look well, but on smaller lawns smaller groups, 
say, two, three or up to a dozen, are more effective. Mo- 
notony should have no sentiment in a small place. It 
makes your place interesting to discover something new 
— something different — without making it confused or 
bizarre. 
BUDDLEIA VARIABILIS 
DUDDLEIA variabilis, which in Xature, is a vigor- 
ous, much-branched shrub, may, under artificial 
conditions, be grown as a standard or against a 
high wall, I remeinber, writes W. Betting Hemsley 
in The Garden (English), seeing in 1908 a very fine ex- 
ample covering the front of a cottage at Abbotsbury, 
Dorsetshire. Two rooted cuttings of this plant were 
among the shrubs giveti me by Kew to help furnish 
my empty garden at Strawberry Hill, on my retire- 
irient at the end of the same year. The winter of 
1908-9 was relatively severe, and one of the cuttings 
perished. The other grew freely and flowered pro- 
fusely in the summer of 1909. It presented a main 
stem with lateral branches, the lower ones of which I 
cut away, leaving the plant in the form of a miniattire 
tree. This habit I encouraged from year to year, and 
now mv tree has a trunk 4 feet high and 18 inches in 
girth, just below the point from which spring six 
primary branches. The crown is almost sp;herical, with 
a diameter of about 15 feet, and is kept to this size by 
annual pruning of the very mimerous year's growths, 
from 4 feet to 7 feet long. These yearl}- growths are 
much branched, each branch bearing a number of pani- 
cles, successively developed from the apex downwards, 
the whole continuing in flower for from four to six 
weeks. The panicles are dense, cylindrical, curved and 
tapering to the tip, and from 6 inches to 18 inches long, 
the terminal ones being much the largest ; and the fra- 
grant flowers, in my variety, are a bright red lilac with 
a yellow eye. 
Perhaps the safest method of growing Buddleia 
variabilis is against a wall with a southeast to a north- 
west aspect ; but as a standard it is almost incompar- 
able. On account of the extreme brittleness of the 
wood at the base of the shoots it demands a sheltered 
situation. Steady rains, as well as violent winds, are 
destructive, as the woolly tomentum of the leaves 
holds a large quantity of water, soinetiines of sufficient 
weight to break ofif the bough. Nevertheless, Buddleia 
variabilis is well worthy of cultivation, both for the 
beauty and abundance of its flowers, as well as for the 
long duration of its flowering period, at a season when 
the majority of flowering shrubs are over. I have a 
suspicion, however, that an unusually severe winter 
will kill it. Like its South American congener, B. 
globosa, it readily responds to changes of temiierature 
during the cold season, A mild week in inidwinter 
will cause it to put forth fresh shoots, to be nipped the 
next week perhaps, and replaced, maybe, two or three 
times during the winter. 
ANOMATHECAS. 
A MATEURS and others should now turn their 
thotights to the question of what bulbs can be 
procured and planted in Spring. There is special need 
for the brightening influences of flowers in these 
times, and the Anomathecas are capital for the border, 
rockery, greenhouse, or conservatory, and are also 
used with most attractive effect in window boxes, for 
which they are well suited. 
The Anoinathecas are dwarf plants belonging to 
the same Natural Order as the Irises. Few plants of 
that Order lack beauty% and the Anomathecas possess 
it in a high degree. They are attractive plants with 
grass-like leaves, broadish, however, and spikes of 
charming starry flowers of a good red, tinged with 
scarlet, with a deep crimson blotch on three of the 
lower segments of the flower. The plants are from 
six to nine inches high, and the flowers are borne in 
succession for a considerable time in suniiner. A 
grotip in the border is a pleasing feature, and in pots 
or window boxes well-grown plants are of great as- 
sistance in giving a welcome bit of color. 
Value is added to the Anomathecas by the fact that 
they look brighter even in shade than in sun, and that 
the intensit}' of their coloritig is greatly improved by 
their being screened from the brightest simshine. 
The best time for planting is the month of March, 
\\'hen the bulbs ought to be set about two inches deep 
in light, sandy soil. Where the soil is heavy some 
sand and leaf-soil should be mixed with it, and a hand- 
ful of the former placed about the bulb will be helpful 
under such conditions. 
For pots and window boxes, a compost of loam, 
leaf-soil, and sand may be made up in about equal pro- 
portions. In a small pot one bulb will be enough, but 
