45  H 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  13,  1902 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
“Here  awa’,  There  awa’." 
Trees  and  Shrubs :  The  Planting  Season. 
One  lias  active  times  at  present  ■“  amumming  ”  with  the 
’Mun  liners,”  and  gadding  with  the  tree  and  shrub  men.  The 
gaddings  are  strictly  to  the  point,  and  severely  utilitarian,  for 
multurn  in  parvo  is  the  distinguishing  motto  of  the  passing  age. 
Someone  desires  a  short  list  of  dwarf  and  compact  growing 
evergreen  shrubs,  and  I  venture  to  name  the  following,  which 
Mr.  John  Russell,  of  Richmond  Nurseries,  in  Surrey,  lias  nice 
stocks  of  at  his  numerous  well-ordered  grounds :  — Osmanthus 
Aquifolium  and  its  variety  ilicifolium,  a  very  attractive  shrub 
that  never  grows  ungainly,  and  generally  slow  but  sure.  It  much 
resembles  a  fine-leaved  bushy  Holly,  and  has  a  chocolate-black 
colour  of  foliage.  It  furnishes  an  admirable  covert  plant,  though 
it  could  not  be  planted  on  a  large  scale,  yet  in  ornamental  parts 
of  the  ground,  where  covert  may  also  be  desirable,  it  is  worthy 
of  consideration.  ' 
Another  fine  shrub  is  Phillyrea  decora,  perhaps  one  of  the 
handsomest  evergreens  than  any  gardener  could  plant,  and  is 
highly  recommended  by  Mr.  Russell.  It  forms  a  compact,  yet 
withal  pleasingly  developed  shrub,  with  leathery,  dark  green, 
oblong,  and  smooth  leaves,  5in  to  Gin  in  length.  The  plants  can 
easily  be  kept  in  hand  by  a  judicious  use  of  the  pruning  knife 
every  few  years.  P.  buxifolia  has  very  small  leaves  and  twiggy 
growth;  and  there  are  also  P.  angustifolia,  latifolia,  P.  1. 
ilicifolia,  and  the  very  handsome  P.  Vilmoreana,  each  of  which 
has  qualities. 
Olearia  Haasti  is  continually  being  planted,  and  no  one  could 
desire  a  hardier  subject.  I  have  seen  it  flourishing — which  means 
that  it  was  thoroughly  established  and  happy — in  bleak,  wind¬ 
swept  beds  around  Edinburgh,  and  in  half-shaded  corners  of 
gardens,  and  flowers  came  year  after  year.  The  flowering  pro¬ 
pensity  indeed  almost  constitutes  a  fault,  for  the  plants  in  some 
cases  expend  their  whole  strength  in  floraison.  In  the  autumn 
the  downy  heads  of  seeds  turn  brownish,  and  not  everyone 
admires  the  appearance  of  them.  The  foliage  is  hard  and  small, 
but  pretty  on  account  of  its  bright  greenness  and  silvery  reverse. 
For  town  and  smoky  districts,  equally  for  the  remote  parts  of 
the  country  where  shelter  is  nob  a  feature,  this  shrub  succeeds. 
The  numerous  varieties  of  Euonymus  japonicus  must  not  bo 
omitted  from  the  present  list.  They  are  E.  j.  medio-pictus 
aureus,  with  narrow  green  leaves,  and  stems  and  centre  of  foliage 
bright  golden  ;  latifolius  albus  variegatus,  leaves  broadly  mar¬ 
gined  with  white,  and  a  compact  grower ;  ovatus  aureus,  the 
favourite  golden  coloured,  broad  leaved  variety,  and  argentea 
variegata,  with  broad  green  foliage,  margined  with  white,  very 
largely  planted.  The  type,  E.  japonicus,  is  very  hardy,  with 
leaves  of  a  shining  dark  green.  It  is  largely  used  for  beds  and 
for  close  undergrowth  plantations,  also  for  loose  hedge  screens 
in  front  of  villa  front  gardens.  Small  plants  are  admirable  for 
winter  bedding  and  for  window  boxes.  The  white  and  green 
variegated  creeping  variety,  so  largely  employed  to  carpet  what 
might  be  bare  spots  beneath  trees,  is  Euonymus  radicans 
variegata. 
Confining  the  choice  still  to  dwarf  evergreens,  what  is  better 
for  planting  on  neglected  shady  spaces  beneath  tall  trees  or  in 
similar  areas  than  the  Butcher’s  Broom  (Ruscus  aculeatus)  ?  The 
erect  shoots  are  closely  set  with  sharply  pointed,  even-edged,  and 
smooth  little  “  leaves,”  of  a  very  intense  dark  green  colour. 
When  the  plants  are  entirely  happy,  these  little  cladodes,  or 
leaves,  bear  tiny  Liliaceous,  head-like  flowers  on  one  of  their 
surfaces.  The  plant  demands  scarcely  any  attention,  and  will 
grow  on  dry  banks  without  showing  signs  of  distress.  Two  or 
three  feet  is  the  usual  height. 
Skimmia  japonica  must  also  be  included,  but  it  is  not  a 
favourite  shrub  with  many,  having  a  very  dumpy  habit  of  growth. 
It  is  very  hardy,  berries  well,  and  is  useful  amongst  dwarf 
evergreen  flowering  shrubs.  The  various  varieties  of  Buxus,  or 
Box  tribe,  are  employed  where  topiary  art  is  practised,  and  at 
Kew  one  has  a  splendid  lesson  on  how  to  use  the  different  sorts 
effectively  in  one  bed.  The  bed  is  a  large  round  one,  and  is 
filled  with  Buxus  only.  These  are  set  in  circles  from  the  centre  to 
the  edge,  taller  growing  varieties  in  the  middle  and  the  pigmies 
toward  the  outside.  Each  circle  consists  of  one  kind  of  Box, 
and  the  contrast  of  colour  is  very  satisfactory.  The  shears  are 
lightly  applied  to  the  shrubs,  so  that  their  form  is  kept  within 
the  desired  and  prescribed  limits,  though  without  severe  for¬ 
mality.  There  are  plenty  of  kinds  of  Buxus  at  the  Richmond 
Nurseries  to  choose  from,  and  these  plants  might  be  made  more 
use  of,  in  such  arrangements  as  that  referred  to. 
One  would  like  to  individualise  a  number  of  other  specially 
effective  and  useful  shrubs  along  this  line,  but  space  is  a  precious 
quantity,  and  the  notes  require  curtailment.  The  Cotoneasters 
are  rambling  growers,  more  suitable,  for  walls  than  for  the 
grounds.  Some  of  them,  however,  form  pretty  bushes — such  as 
C.  microphylla  and  C.  m.  thymifolia.  C.  horizontalis  may  also 
be  named.  The  others  are  larger  and  freer,  except  probably  C. 
congesta,  but  of  it  I  cannot  write.  The  Elaeagnus  are  very  useful 
— and  the  word  useful  here  means  that  they  are  adaptable  in  the 
hands  of  the  planter  for  a  variety  of  positions  and  uses,  all  for 
ornament,  however,  in  the  garden  or  kept  grounds  and  shrub¬ 
beries.  The  Andromedas,  like  the  Rhododendrons  and  Yacci- 
niums,  prefer,  though  they  do  not  absolutely  demand,  a  peaty 
soil.  A  calcareous  tilth  they  do  object  to.  Berberis  Darwini 
and  even  B.  stenophylla,  also  the  Mahonia  (B.  Aquifolium),  the 
latter  particularly,  are  suitable  for  inclusion  here.  The  Aucubas 
must  not  be  omitted,  and  for  exposed  knolls  or  dry  hillsides  and 
banks,  what  is  better  than  the  golden  flowered  Double  Gorse. 
Its  vivid  green  shoots  are  pretty  in  early  spring,  and  the  intense 
mass  of  richest  yellow  rivals  the  sun’s  splendour  during  April  and 
May.  To  the  foregoing  notes  I  would  like  to  append  selections 
of  other  shrubs  of  taller  growth,  and  having  an  evergreen 
character. 
Seedling  Nectarines. 
From  the  Editor  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  I  have  been 
favoured  with  two  seedling  Nectarines  of  Mr.  W.  Strugnell’s 
raising  at  Rood  Ashton  Gardens,  Trowbridge,  Wilts,  for  opinion, 
and,  as  they  have  some  distinct  features,  are  figured  in  both 
fruits  and  leaves. 
No.  1  seedling,  fig.  1,  A  and  B,  was  scarcely  ripe  when 
received — October  3,  1902.  Mr.  Strugnell,  in  a  note,  accounted 
for  this  through  wasps  being  so  destructive  and  only  two  rruits 
left,  and  it  was  kept  until  the  13th  of  that  month,  when  it  was 
sketched  and  eaten,  the  following  being  the  description  :  — 
Fruit,  medium  sized,  almost  round,  slightly  wider  than  in 
height,  depressed  at  the  apex,  and  with  a  wide  shallow  suture. 
Skin,  pale  green  at  the  base  and  shaded  side,  entirely  covered 
with  dark  purplish  red  next  the  sun.  Flesh  greenish,  with  a 
tinge  of  red  next  the  stone,  from  which  the  flesh  parts  freely, 
melting,  juicy,  rich,  and  highly  flavoured.  Leaves  serrated,  with¬ 
out  glands.  Mr.  Strugnell  has  obliged  with  the  following  replies 
to  my  queries  through  the  Editor:'  — 
1  Flowers,  large.  2.  Tree  grown  against  an  east  wall.  3. 
Origin,  Victoria  Nectarine;  flowers  fertilised  with  pollen  from 
Fig.  1.— Mr.  Strugnell’s  Seedling  Nectarine,  Nc.  1. 
A,  fruit,  natural  size;  a*  portion  of  fruit,  pale  green;  6,  part  of  fruit,  dark 
purplish  reel ;  e,  suture. 
B,  leaf,  two-thirds  natural  size ;  d,  petiole  glandless ;  e,  edges  sharply  serrated. 
