April  9,  183(3. 
82? 
Journal  of  horticulture  and  cottage  gardener. 
allotted  space  as  fast  as  they  will  grow,  and  in  future  years  thinning 
them  to  prevent  overcrowding. 
On  the  same  building  is  a  noble  giant  in  the  form  of  that  unique 
old  climber  Wistaria  sinensis  ;  it  covers  a  wonderful  area  of  wall, 
and  in  all  directions  the  wood  is  bristling  with  flower  buds  just, 
ready  to  burst.  In  a  few  weeks  this  will  be  a  sight  to  “  see  and 
remember.”  In  the  treatment  of  this  climber  the  orthodox  plan  of 
laying  in  long  shoots  to  cover  the  available  space,  and  then  spurring 
them  closely  back  each  year,  has  not  been  pursued,  but  young  shoots 
are  being  continually  trained  in  all  directions,  and  worn-out  ones 
removed.  In  this  way  it  is  easy  to  cover  every  foot  of  space  with 
flowering  wood,  for  this  young  wood  produces  abundance  of  short 
This  is  certainly  a  happy  combination,  which  others  would  do  well 
to  follow. 
In  the  shrubberies  near  by  Berberis  Darwini  and  B.  dulcis  are 
in  full  beauty,  their  pretty  yellow  drooping  bells  having  a  quiet  charm 
of  their  own.  Ribes  sanguineum,  near  by,  is  by  no  means  to  be 
despised,  for  though  common  it  is  showy,  and  will  grow  in  dry 
positions  partially  shaded  by  trees,  where  many  things  will  not. 
Among  shrubs  that  succeed  as  standards  there  is  nothing  flowering 
at  the  present  time  so  showy  as  the  Almond  (Amygdalus  communis), 
every  shoot  is  literally  a  mass  of  pale  pink  ;  a  few  standards  dotted 
among  shrubberies  impart  a  brightness  which  all  who  see  admire. 
Daffodils  and  Hyacinths  growing  from  a  carpet  of  rich  green  grass 
Fig.  56.— NEW  ZEALAND  FORGET-ME-NOT. 
natural  spurs  from  2  to  3  inches  in  length,  which  flower  at  every 
joint. 
It  is  not  often  that  three  veritable  “  gems  ”  among  flowering 
shrubs  are  found  growing  side  by  side,  but  they  are  certainly  in 
evidence  here  ;  that  which  completes  the  trio  is  Cydonia  japonica, 
and  I  fancy  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  any  hardy  shrub,  flowering 
in  March,  more  noted  for  the  brilliancy  of  its  flowers.  The  plant 
under  notice  is  grown  in  a  somewhat  novel  way,  for  it  is  trained 
over  the  stems  of  the  Wistaria  ;  the  latter  seems  to  have  had  no 
training  in  its  youth,  the  result  being  from  the  ground  line  to  a 
height  of  8  feet  a  number  of  thick  branches  are  interwoven  in  such 
a  way  as  to  form  an  admirable  trellis.  Some  shrewd  gardener  years 
ago  took  advantage  of  this,  and  planted  a  Cydonia  at  the  base  of 
the  Wistaria,  or  rather  on  one  side  of  it.  The  Cydonia  has  made 
steady  progress,  till  it  has  now  almost  covered  the  gnarled  old 
items  that  support  it,  which  now  look  gay  with  wreaths  of  scarlet. 
make  a  gorgeous  display.  This  is  truly  a  form  of  natural  gardening 
which  has  much  to  recommend  it,  for  it  turns  to  good  account  the 
best  of  the  bulbs  that  have  been  forced,  and  supplies  flowers  for 
cutting  with  a  minimum  of  trouble. 
In  the  flower  garden  I  do  not  find  much  that  is  attractive  just 
now,  but  the  promise  of  a  wealth  of  bloom  in  a  few  weeks.  Bulbs 
we  have  not  used  in  the  beds  this  season,  knowing  the  family 
would  be  away  at  the  time  when  the  bulk  of  them  flower.  Here, 
however,  we  find  plenty  of  work  to  be  done.  Edges  of  Arabis, 
both  the  variegated  and  green  leaved  form,  require  a  little  clipping 
into  shape,  so  as  to  give  them  a  trim  appearance  when  in  flower,  as 
their  buds  are  beginning  to  open  ;  edgings  of  Sedum  acre  aurea 
look  very  attractive,  the  gold  tipped  points  of  their  leaves  shine 
brilliantly  on  sunny  days. 
These  edges  also  require  a  little  trimming  now  to  get  them 
in  proper  shape,  and  prevent  them  from  overrunning  the  Box 
