TREES AND SHRUBS. 
403 
is established care must be taken to keep the soil moist. 
For the first summer syringe the foliage every evening after 
a hot day. No pruning must be attempted ; merely train 
the shoots as they grow to the wall. The growth will be 
slow for the first few years. The deciduous species require 
no special soil. A good sandy loam or well-drained ordinary 
soil svill suit them well. Plant in autumn. The only pruning 
Magnolias require is the removal of sickly shoots and shorten- 
ing here and there a straggly shoot to keep the tree in good 
shape. Such pruning is best done directly the trees have 
flowered. Increased by seeds sown in sandy peat in a cold 
frame ; by cuttings of ripened shoots removed with a “ heel ” 
of old wood and inserted in sandy peat in slight heat in 
summer; by layering in summer. 
Mitraria. (Mitre Flower). — M. coccinea is a dwarf ever- 
green flowering shrub from Chili, belonging to the Gloxinia 
order (Gesneriacese). It grows 2 to 3ft. high, has slender 
shoots, and bears bright scarlet, urn-shaped flowers during 
early summer. This shrub is hardy only in mild districts, 
and requires to be planted in a well-drained bed of sandy peat 
and loam in a sheltered position. Plant in May or September. 
No pruning required, except to cut away dead wood. In- 
creased by division of the roots in spring, also by cuttings 
inserted in sandy soil in a cold frame in summer. 
Myrica (Bog Myrtle). — A genus of deciduous and 
evergreen shrubs with fragrant foliage. They belong to the 
Sweet Gale order (Myricaceae). M. Gale (Sweet Gale or Bog 
Myrtle) is a native deciduous species growing 3 to 4ft. high. 
This has brownish-green flowers borne in early summer. M. 
cerifeA (Candleberry Myrtle) is a Canadian evergreen species, 
with reddish flowers, and growing from 6 to 10ft. high. M. 
asplenifolia (Sweet Fern) is a deciduous species from N. 
America. It has fern-like fragrant foliage and grows 3 to 4ft. 
high. The flowers are white and borne in March. These 
shrubs require to be grown in a moist peaty soil in partial 
shade. Plant in autumn. Increased by layering the shoots 
in autumn. 
Myricaria (German Tamarisk). — The only species grown 
of this genus is M. germanica, a hardy evergreen shrub, be- 
longing to the Tamarisk order (Tamaricaceae). It grows 
about 5 to 6ft. high, has feathery, tamarisk-like foliage, and 
bears rosy-pink flowers in plumes or spikes during the summer. 
A native of S. Europe. This shrub is well suited for growing 
on dry banks, where the soil is sandy and the position not too 
exposed. Plant in early autumn. Prune directly after flower- 
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