s. Veitch have a splendid collection of conifers for all aspects and
positions; their small junipers are most fascinating little trees, with
flat spreading branches of the loveliest shade of green, and their
seedling firs are well balanced. They sell a great variety of lilac trees
too.

=GRAFTED LILACS.= A note on lilacs will not be amiss; if you notice that
any lilacs you may happen to have flower sparsely, and are poor in size
and colour it will be as well to examine the stems close to the soil, and
you will probably find a fine crop of suckers; all these must be cut away
as sedulously as those on your rose-trees, for =nearly all lilacs are
grafted=, very few kinds being sold on their own roots.

The _forsythias_ are =pretty climbers or shrubs=, according to the variety
chosen, much like the yellow jasmine, with its golden stars on leafless
stems. Just as the latter, however, is going out of flower the
_forsythias_ are coming on, and therefore give a succession of very pretty
blossoms.

Originally from China, =the wigelias= have now taken a place in many
English gardens, by reason of their fresh pink and white flowers and easy
cultivation. They bloom late in spring, and should be placed by preference
=against a dark wall=, as their flowers, being surrounded by pale-green
foliage, do not stand out sufficiently on a light one.

=THE DELICATE CEANOTHUS.= The exquisite summer-flowering _ceanothus_ has
been mentioned before, but I notice it here again because it is one of
those =shrubs that should not be overlooked= on any account; its leaves
are somewhat like those of a heliotrope, and its flowers are bluish-mauve
in colour and borne in trusses; it blooms for many weeks and has a most
delicious scent, and should be planted out in the spring.

=A neglected but really remarkable shrub is the= _rhus cotinus_--=the
smoke plant.= In early August it is a striking sight, with its curious
inflorescence quite impossible to describe. At Hampton Court there are two
or three fine species.

=WINTER SHRUBBERY.= It will be observed that shrubs presenting a
decorative appearance in winter are made much of; this is because
soft-wooded plants always look miserable then, whereas with a few
berry-bearing shrubs and a nice selection of bulbs, we may have a =pretty
garden all the year round=. Once planted, however, they should not be left
entirely to take care of themselves; the soil must be enriched
occasionally, if we wish for good res