420 
THE FLOWER GARDEN, 
where required to grow ; or in shallow drills in a border, lifting 
the seedlings two years afterwards ; also by cuttings in sandy 
soil in a cold frame in summer. 
Spiraea. (Shrubby Meadowsweet). — The Spiraeas are 
pretty, free flowering, hardy deciduous shrubs, belonging to the 
Rose order (Rosaceae). The herbaceous species are dealt with 
elsewhere. The following are very beautiful : S. arguta, a 
hybrid between S. Thunbergi and S. multiflora, and furnished 
with graceful shoots studded with small white blossoms in 
May. Height 3 to 4ft. A fine shrub for small gardens. S. 
bella, a Himalayan species, growing 3ft. high, and bearing 
red flowers in corymbs along the shoots in July. Suitable for 
small gardens. S. discolor (Syn. S. ariaefolia) comes from 
N.W. America, grows 8ft. high, and bears white flowers in 
large drooping, spray-like panicles in summer. A most beau- 
tiful shrub to grow as a specimen on the lawn or in the mixed 
shrubbery. S. Douglasii is also an American species, growing 
3ft. high, and bearing rosy flowers in dense spikes in August. 
Very suitable for the mixed shrubbery in large or small 
gardens. S. japonica (Rosy Meadow Sweet) is a Chinese 
species, growing 3ft. high, and bearing rosy-red flow'ers in 
flat corymbs in July. Bumalda, rose-pink, 2ft. ; Anthony 
Waterer, purple-red ; and alba, white, 1 ft. , are pretty varieties 
of the latter. S. lindleyana, a native of the Himalayas, 6 to 
10ft., bears white flowers in large plumy clusters in August. 
It also has elegant pinnate foliage, and is a very beautiful 
species when grown in a warm position. S. prunifolia comes 
from Japan, grows 4ft. high, and bears white flowers in 
clusters. There is a pretty double-flowered variety named 
flore pleno. S. Thunbergi is a dwarf Japanese species, 1 to 
3ft. high, with small leaves and slender stems wreathed with 
white flowers in April. A charming kind for a small garden. 
S. Van Houttei grows about 6ft. high, and bears a profusion of 
white flowers in May. A good kind for the mixed shrubbery. 
The shrubby spiraeas will succeed in good ordinary soil, and 
S. lindleyana will also do well on chalky soils. Plant in 
autumn. All the species, except S. arguta, which only needs 
the removal of a shoot here and there, to keep it in good shape, 
should be pruned directly after flowering, cutting away the 
shoots that have flowered, and leaving the young growth intact 
to flower the next season. Increased by cuttings of the young 
wood placed in sandy soil in a cold frame in summer; also by 
layering in autumn. 
staphylea (Bladder Nut).— Hardy deciduous flowering 
shrubs, belonging to the Horse-chestnut family (Sapindaceae). 
S. colchica, a native of the Caucasus, has divided leaves. 
