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THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Bambusa and Phyllostachys, are popularly known as Bamboos. 
They are most graceful plants, with long, straight terete 
stems furnished w'ith side branches. They show to best advan- 
tage when planted in bold groups on the lawn in some 
sheltered nook or dell, or near the margin of a lake or pond. 
A rich, deep, moist, loamy soil, not too heavy or too wet, is 
essential to grow these plants well. A position sheltered from 
east or north-east winds is also desirable. We have seen these 
handsome plants thrive well in suburban gardens. The best 
time to plant is in May. On no account plant in autumn or 
winter. Propagation may be effected by division of the root- 
stocks in May. Annual top-dressings of decayed cow manure 
should be given in autumn, and it is also a good plan to 
place a thick layer of tree leaves round the base of the plants 
to afford protection to them in wunter. The following are 
the best-known kinds : A. anceps, slender, very hardy, 8ft. ; 
A. auricoma, leaves striped with yellow, 3 to 4ft. ; A. Fortunei, 
leaves striped with white, very hardy, 2 to 3ft. ; A. japonica, 
leaves large, very hardy, 8 to 12ft. ; A. nitida, stems purple, 
leaves a vivid green, 8 to 10ft., very elegant; A. Veitchii, a 
dwarf species, 1 to 2ft. Natives of Japan. 
Aucuba. — A genus of laurel-like evergreen shrubs, with 
green or variegated foliage, a native of Japan, and a member 
of the Dogwood family (Cornacese). The Aucuba is one of 
the best of evergreen shrubs for growing in town and suburban 
gardens ; it withstands a smoky atmosphere better than any 
other shrub, is remarkably easy to grow, and will thrive in al- 
most any soil or position. Besides having handsome foliage, 
mottled or reticulated with green, creamy and golden-yellow, 
some of the plants also bear bright scarlet berries. There are 
distinct male and female varieties, and it is of course the 
latter which bear the fruit. In purchasing Aucubas, there- 
fore, care should be taken to have one or two male plants to 
grow with the female ones in order to ensure a crop of berries. 
A. japonica is the common species, with mottled foliage. Of 
this there are male varieties — picta, bicolor, sulphurea and 
ovata — with variegated foliage, and vera and grandis with 
green foliage; also female varieties, as sulphuiea, aurea mar- 
ginata and latimaculata with variegated foliage, and longi- 
folia, vera and angustifolia, green foliage ; likewise luteocarpa, 
with yellow berries. These shrubs may be planted in autumn 
or early spring. As they increase in size make a point of 
Shortening any straggly shoots so as to keep the shrub in a 
good shape. April is the best time to do this. Aucubas may 
be increased by seeds sown in sandy soil in pits or boxes in 
a cold frame ; by cuttings inserted in sandy soil in a cold 
frame in September; by layering the shoots in summer. 
