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Shrubs and Vines: Buddleia

Buddleia, Butterfly Bush. Buddleia bushes should be planted out in spring only, in a warm, sunny location in ground that is well drained. They are valued chiefly for their effective lilac flowers that come in August and September. It is a quick growing shrub, the foliage effect is rather scanty. In March cut the shoots back to within 3 or 4 buds of the old wood, this is especially necessary in the North where [193] the severe winters cause the shoots to die back considerably. The flowers are borne on wood of the current season's growth. Varieties. B. Variabilis Superba, lilac. B. Variabilis Veitchiana, lilac with yellow eye. Buxus, Boxwood, requires no introduction, it is of great value in ornamental gardening and may well be classed among the aristocrats of the garden. Great care must be exercised in transplanting bushes of boxwood, large specimens should be moved under expert supervision, but when once established the bushes require little care. They like a little shade and a reasonably fertile soil that contains a fair amount of moisture without being wet. A little annual trimming done in May helps to keep the growth uniform and healthy, but this is largely a matter of individual taste, some people prefer the rugged, picturesque appearance of unpruned box. If the foliage becomes slightly yellowish in appearance a top dressing of Scotch Soot will, in time, help to restore its normal color. It is a good idea to apply this top dressing to a depth of 2 inches or so, on the soil immediately surrounding the bush, each autumn, but it can also be applied during the growing season.

Most gardeners who have had any experience with boxwood have been troubled with the appearance of [194] a small, white maggot which appears on the leaves late in May. They are the larvæ of the boxwood leafminer and must be combated with successive sprayings applied from May 15th to June 1st of kerosene emulsion or a mixture of 1 part sorgham molasses to 3 parts water, to which may be added 3/4 of a teaspoon of nicotine sulphate to every gallon of molasses and water.

Boxwood may be propagated by cuttings taken in late summer and fall. Plant the cuttings in flats and winter them in a frame. The following spring plunge the flats in soil outdoors allowing them to remain all summer in the flats. Rooting is facilitated by keeping the cuttings watered and shaded and also by placing a layer, an inch or two deep, of coarse, clean, builder's sand over the soil in the flat. Roots form more readily in pure sand and as growth commences they will strike through the layer of sand to the soil beneath. Calycanthus Floridus, or Sweet-Scented Shrub, blooms in early summer, it is valued chiefly for its dark glossy foliage and is especially well suited to old-fashioned gardens. It is hardy, easily transplanted, and does well in sun or partial shade and in any average garden loam. The bushes grow to the height of about 4 or 5 feet.