PART III 
TREES AND SHRUES. 
HARDY FLOWERING KINDS. 
Abelia.. — A genus of fragrant-flowered, half-hardy shrubs, 
natives of China and Japan, and belonging to the Honey- 
suckle family (Caprifoliaceae). In the British Isles they require 
to be grown against a south wall, and even then may only be 
relied upon to succeed well in the milder parts of the kingdom. 
Abelias thrive best in sandy peat and loam, and should be 
planted in October or March. The shoots should be trained 
thinly to the wall, and it is a good plan to thin out those shoots 
that have flowered directly after blooming. Propagation is 
effected by cuttings of shoots removed with a “ heel,” and 
inserted in pots of sandy peat in a cold frame in autumn, or 
by layering the shoots in August. The chief species are A. 
chinensis (Syn. rupestris), pink, autumn, 4ft. ; A. c. grandiflora, 
rosy-white, autumn, 4ft. ; A. floribunda, rosy-purple, March, 
3ft. ; A. serrata, pale red, 3ft. ; A. spathulata, white and 
yellow, 3ft. ; A. triflora, yellow and pink, Sept., 3ft. ; A. 
uniflora, pink and white, 3ft. The first is a deciduous and 
the rest evergreen species. 
/Esculus (Horse Chestnut; Buckeye). — A genus of beau- 
tiful hardy deciduous flowering trees and shrubs, belonging 
to the Natural Order Sapindaceae. The Horse Chestnut (/E. 
Hippocastinum) is a native of S.E. Europe, and when in 
blossom in April and May there are few trees to equal it 
in attractiveness and beauty. It makes a handsome tree 
grown singly on the lawn, or in association with others in the 
shrubbery, or as an avenue tree. In good soil and favourable 
positions it attains a height of 70 to Soft. The flowers are 
borne in terminal racemes, and are white, tinged with red or 
pink. There are several varieties of it — Album flore pleno, 
white, double ; foliis variegata, leaves variegated with yellow ; 
and lanciniatum, with fern-like foliage. Another showy and 
handsome species well suited for small gardens because it is 
a less vigorous grower, is ^E. carnea. This grows about 
20ft. high, and bears rich scarlet flowers in June. /E. cali- 
fornica may be described as a shrub rather than a tree. It 
grows 12 to 15ft. high, and bears white or rose-coloured 
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