Part 35

V. OPULUS.--Guelder Rose. A native shrub of great beauty, whether in foliage, flower, or fruit. The leaves are variously lobed or deeply toothed, large and handsome, and the flower heads of good size, flat, and composed of a number of small flowers, the outer only being sterile. Individually the flowers are dull and inconspicuous, but being produced in amazing quantity, they have a very pleasing and effective appearance. The great bunches of clear pinky berries render a fair-sized plant particularly handsome and attractive, and for which alone, as also beauty of autumnal foliage, the shrub is well worthy of extensive culture. It grows fully 15 feet high, and may frequently be seen as much through. V. Opulus sterilis (Snowball Tree) is one of the commonest occupants of our shrubberies, and a decidedly ornamental-flowering shrub. The large, almost globular flower heads hanging from every branch tip, are too well-known to require description, and have made the shrub one of the most popular in ornamental planting.

V. PAUCIFLORUM is a native of cold, moist woods from Labrador to Alaska, and may best be described as a miniature V. Opulus. It rarely grows more than 4 feet high, with small cymes of flowers, that are devoid of the neutral flowers of that species.

V. PLICATUM, from Japan 1846, is another very beautiful and desirable shrub, of rather dwarf, spreading growth, and having the leaves deeply wrinkled, plaited, and serrated on the margins. The flowers resemble those of the commonly cultivated species, but they are rather larger, and of a purer white. It is a decidedly ornamental species of easy growth in any good soil, and where not exposed to cold winds.

V. PRUNIFOLIUM, New England to Carolina, 1731, with Plum-like leaves, and pretty white flowers, is another free-growing and beautiful North American species.

V. PYRIFOLIUM.--Pear-leaved Viburnum. Pennsylvania to New Jersey, 1812. This is a rarely-seen, but very ornamental species, with oval-shaped, finely-toothed leaves, that are borne on short, slightly-winged stalks about half-an-inch long. Flowers sweetly scented, white, and in broad corymbs, the feathery appearance of the long, projecting stamens, each tipped with a golden anther, adding considerably to the beauty of the flowers.

V. RETICULATUM and V. LAEVIGATUM are rarely seen species, but of interest botanically, if not for floral beauty.

V. TINUS.--Laurustinus. South Europe, 1596. So commonly cultivated a shrub needs no description here, sufficient to say that the handsome evergreen foliage and pretty pinky-white flowers assign to it a first position amongst hardy ornamental flowering shrubs, V. Tinus strictum has darker foliage than the species, is more upright, rather more hardy, but not so profuse in the bearing of flowers. V. Tinus lucidum (Glossy-leaved Laurustinus), of the several varieties of Laurustinus has the largest foliage, finest flowers, and altogether is of the most robust growth. It is, unfortunately, not very hardy, probably in that respect not even equalling the parent plant. Usually it does not flower freely, neither are the flowers produced so early as in the species, but individually they are much larger. It is of tall growth, and rarely forms the neat, dense bush, for which the common shrub is so admired. V. Tinus rotundifolium has rounded leaves; and V. Tinus rotundifolium variegatum has irregularly variegated leaves.

VINCA.

VINCA MAJOR.--Band-plant, Cut-finger, and Larger Periwinkle. Europe (Britain). For trailing over tree-stumps or rockwork this pretty evergreen shrub has a distinctive value, the bright green leaves and showy deep blue flowers rendering it both conspicuous and ornamental. V. major elegantissima is a decided variety, the leaves being neatly and evenly variegated, and making the plant of great value for bank or rock-work decoration.

V. MINOR.--Lesser Periwinkle. This is of much smaller growth than the preceding, and differs, too, in not having the leaf-margins ciliated. The variety V. minor flore-albo has white flowers, those of the normal plant being pale blue; V. minor flore-pleno differs in having double blue flowers; V. minor foliis aureis has golden-tinted leaves; and V. minor foliis argenteis bears silvery mottled and very attractive foliage.

They are all of simple growth, succeeding well in somewhat shady situations, and in by no means the richest of soil. As they run about freely and soon cover an extent of ground they are rendered of great value for a variety of purposes.

VITEX.

VITEX AGNUS-CASTUS.--Chaste Tree, Hemp Tree, and Monk's Pepper-tree. A South European shrub (1670), growing from 6 feet to 10 feet high, with digitate leaves that are almost hoary beneath, and spikes of small violet flowers. It is not very hardy, although in some of the warmer parts of southern England and Ireland, fair-sized, healthy-looking specimens are now and then to be met with. As a wall plant, however, it succeeds best, and for which purpose, with its neat foliage and pretty flowers, it is peculiarly suitable.

VITIS.

VITIS HETEROPHYLLA HUMILIFOLIA.--Turquoise-berried Vine. North China and Japan, 1868. The leaves of this Vine are three to five lobed, and the small flowers freely produced in slightly branching cymes. The latter are succeeded by their most interesting and attractive berries, that ripen in September and October. They are pale china-blue, marked all over with very dark specks. The stems grow to a height of 4 feet to 8 feet, and should be trained against a wall in a sunny position to ripen the berries. The plant is perfectly hardy. The variety V. heterophylla variegata is a dwarf, low-growing plant with variegated leaves, and is used for pot work, for covering the ground in sub-tropical bedding designs, and might be used to great advantage for rambling over large stones in the rock garden.

WISTARIA.

WISTARIA CHINENSIS (syns W. sinensis, Glycine chinensis, and G. sinensis).--Chinese Wistaria. China, 1816. This is the only species at all common in gardens, and by far the handsomest in cultivation. It justly ranks amongst the most beautiful of hardy climbing shrubs, and is invaluable as a wall plant, or for clothing the bare stems of sparsely foliaged trees. The purplish-lilac flowers are produced in long, drooping racemes in early summer. W. chinensis alba has pretty white flowers; W. chinensis flore-pleno has not proved very satisfactory, but when seen at its best, which is, however, but rarely, the double flowers are both beautiful and showy; W. chinensis variegata has badly variegated foliage; and W. chinensis macrobotrys is a plant of great beauty with very long racemes of pale lavender flowers, but they vary a good deal in colour, those of some plants being almost white. It is a very desirable variety, and one that when better known is sure to attract attention.

W. FRUTESCENS (syns Glycine frutescens and Thyrsanthus frutescens).--North America, 1724. This is a very handsome deciduous climbing species from North America. The flowers, which appear towards autumn, are bluish purple and fragrant, and borne in erect racemes. It is quite hardy and equally suitable with the Chinese species for using as a wall covering. W. frutescens magnifica is an improved form of the species.

W. JAPONICA.--Japan. A bush-like species bearing white flowers, but it is rarely seen in cultivation. It is, however, quite hardy, and succeeds well in the bush state at Kew.

W. MULTIJUGA.--Japan, 1874. Resembles somewhat our commonly-cultivated species, and has pale purple flowers arranged in long racemes. It is a very ornamental and desirable species, but the flowers are not borne in great quantity.

The Wistarias are of simple culture, but succeed best in rather rich alluvial soil, and where protection from cold winds is provided.

XANTHOCERAS.

XANTHOCERAS SORBIFOLIA.--China, 1870. An extremely pretty flowered and handsome leaved shrub, but owing to its late introduction is not yet well known. So far it has proved itself perfectly hardy in this country, there being specimens at wide distances apart that have stood uninjured through our past severe winters.

The leaves are pale green, and pinnate, somewhat resembling those of the Rowan Tree. Flowers five petalled, creamy white, sometimes very slightly tinged with flesh colour, with a coppery red or violet-purple centre, and disposed in racemes. When fully expanded they are an inch across, and somewhat reflexed. It flowers early in April, with the appearance of the leaves, the blooms being produced in great abundance, in spike-like clusters fully seven inches long, and succeeded by a small green Pear-like fruit. This is one of the most distinct and handsome of recently introduced shrubs, and will, when more widely disseminated, be largely planted for purely ornamental purposes. It grows from 10 feet to about 15 feet high.

XANTHORHIZA.

XANTHORHIZA APIIFOLIA.--Yellow-root. Pennsylvania, 1776. A small growing shrub, with yellow creeping roots, from which suckers are thrown up profusely. The leaves are irregularly pinnate, and the minute flowers, which are borne in large, branching spikes, are of a peculiar dark purple colour. It prefers a cool, moist situation.

YUCCA.

YUCCA FILAMENTOSA.--Silk Grass. North America, 1675. A well-known and beautiful plant, with numerous leaves arranged in a dense rosette, and from 1 foot to 2 feet long by 2 inches broad. Flower scape rising to 5 feet or 6 feet in height, and bearing numerous flowers that are each about 2 inches deep. There is a beautiful variegated form of this species named Y. filamentosa variegata, and one with much narrower leaves than the typical species, and known as Y. filamentosa angustifolia.