The Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)

The Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) is a good town shrub and valuable for its bark colouring, which is of the brightest red and most effective during the winter season. The flowers are creamy-white and succeeded by pretty black berries. It will succeed in almost any dampish soil.

Stephanandra flexuosa is a deciduous shrub of Japanese origin and a valuable species for town planting. It is of somewhat procumbent growth, with neatly-toothed leaves and produces an abundance of individually small white flowers. Peaty loam suits it well. Not only in London does this shrub do well, but in several others of our most smoky towns it is considered one of the most valuable for planting.

Buddleia Variabilis

Buddleia Variabilis and its still more floriferous variety Veitchiana have few equals for planting in the most unhealthy of our towns and cities. Being of strong growth and with an iron constitution, both are peculiarly suitable for smoke-infested areas, while they are remarkable for the production of immense panicles of rosy, lavender flowers. They reproduce themselves freely from seed, and quantities of young plants have been picked up around the parent specimens when planted in our London gardens.

Olearia Macrodonta

Olearia Macrodonta has given every satisfaction when planted in the impurest of town atmospheres. It is a beautiful shrub, of neat and compact habit, and produces dense heads of white flowers in abundance.

Olearia Haastii. To face page 98.

O. Haastii is also desirable for smoky-towns, the leathery leaves of both species causing them to withstand heat and foul air in a remarkable manner.

Griselinia Littoralis

Although a little-known evergreen, this is well suited for town planting, experiments having proved it a most valuable addition to the limited number of shrubs suitable for such a purpose. The appearance of the plant with its deep-green, glossy leaves, is highly attractive. It grows freely in ordinary soil, and is readily propagated; it is to be hoped it will receive the notice it is fairly entitled to as a valuable hardy shrub.

Hibiscus Syriacus

Hibiscus Syriacus is one of our most valuable late autumn-flowering shrubs, and is also one of the few that can successfully battle with an impure atmosphere. In many parts of London, where the air is vitiated by emanations from factory chimneys, this pretty shrub is seen in perfect health, with plenty of foliage of the richest description and quite a wealth of showy flowers. It grows freely in ordinary soil. It may be trimmed in at pleasure and withstands frost perfectly. It is a shrub which town residents should plant freely if they have a bit of ground that they want to look pretty.