The Butcher's Broom (Ruscus Aculea-Tus)

Although having but small claims to an ornamental shrub, yet the fact that two species at least of Ruscus have been found suitable for town planting will be sufficient excuse for including them in this book. It is a native evergreen shrub, with rigid cla-dodes, which take the place of leaves, and small greenish-white flowers which are succeeded by bright red berries about the size of marbles. It is a capital town plant and may be seen in several very smoky quarters of North and East London. That it flourishes well in the shade is another valuable trait.

R. Hypophyllum is also suited for positions similar to the former, from which it is recognized by its longer and brighter leaflike branches. The flowers and fruit of this species are produced on the under sides of the cladodes, while those of R. Hypoglossum are produced on the upper side.

Amongst Bamboos

Amongst Bamboos, few are suited for planting in smoky localities, though in the more open gardens and in the suburbs a few species have been established for several years. One of the best is Arundinaria Veitchii with stout stems about 2 ft. high and narrow oblong leaves that are of a pleasant green colour above and decidedly glaucous beneath. For the shade it is also probably the best of the family. Bambusa palmata has also done well where the air is not too vitiated by impurities, and is of stout growth, with leaves which often are 1 ft. long by 3 in. wide.

The commonly cultivated Arundinaria japonica is well suited for the town garden, although its appearance during Winter, when subjected to excessive smoke and soot, is shabby in the extreme, owing to the leaves falling off. In Spring, however, it soon revives. Other species that have done fairly well in some of our town parks are Arun-dinaria Simoni, A. fortunei variegata, Phyl-lostachys nigra, the most striking of all, with dark stems, and plumes of bright green foliage, and Bambusa pygmaea, the hardiest and most accommodating of any. Good rich loam, with plenty of thoroughly decayed manure and deeply trenched ground, are necessities for the successful cultivation of all the Bamboos.

In the gardens of the Royal Botanical Society of London, Regent's Park, which are by no means free from fog or smoke, the following out of a large number of shrubs that have been tried, succeed best: - Skimmia ob-lataandS. japonica, Ruscus aculeatus, Cornus Mas, Rubus deliciosus, Gum cistus, Hypericum perforatum, Euonymus, Box, Mahonia aquifolia, Berberis stenophylla, Cytisus sco-parius, Ledum palustre, and three species of Spirea (S. Lindleyana, S. Douglasii, and S. fruticosa). But the most remarkable instance is that of the Bearberry (Arctostyphalos Uva ursi), which positively seems to revel in the smoke-laden atmosphere of these gardens, and has increased from a tiny plant to a bold spreading clump some 4 ft. across, with foliage of the healthiest description. It is certainly strange why a shrub that is native of high mountain districts where the air is of the purest description can even subsist, let alone positively thrive, near sea-level and in the foulest of town atmospheres.