CHAPTER  XXVI
 

                     Shrubs  in  Shady Places.



One of the most frequent inquiries is for shrubs which will grow in dense

shade,  such as under the branches of other trees, and in places which

buildings  never allow the sun  to reach.  It must be admitted  that the

number is small, and that the shrubs themselves are not of the gayest.  No

spot worse fitted for the welfare of most shrubs could, indeed, be found

than under  the branches of  large trees,  such  as  beech, horse-chestnut,

lime, and elm.  They are not only robbed  of light—one of the prime

necessaries of plant life—they have to  fight for moisture and  sustenance

against the roots of the giants  under which they are condemned  to live.

Yet in such places a screen is frequently needed to hide  undesirable

objects or mean buildings from  view, and it is often an improvement in a

well-kept garden to have an evergreen ground-covering beneath trees  on

lawns under which it is too dark for grass to grow.

    Of the taller evergreens, Aucuba japonica stands an  easy  first.  It  is

remarkable how healthy this shrub will  keep even under such greedy trees

as lime and  horse-chestnut.  The green varieties should be  planted more

frequently, and thus reduce the present  superabundance of the  spotted-

leaved one in gardens.   For the very worst places, where an evergreen  is

desired up to 6 ft. high,  reliance must almost entirely be placed on the

aucuba;  but in places  not quite so densely shaded the common  holly is

useful.  Both, but  especially the  holly, should be helped the first two

summers by giving good  soakings of water in hot weather and by mulch¬

ings.   Rhododendron ponticum  will thrive very  well under  such trees as

oak or sweet chestnut, also in woods where the trunks are lofty.  Although

it  is apt  to  grow lanky and thin in such places,  this tendency  can  be

corrected by cutting back the long sprawling shoots every few years.   In

the south and west, Euonymus japonicus is useful.   Ligustrum ovalifolium

does very well in shade, but does not retain its foliage through the winter

so well there as in full  light.  The common privet may also be used, but

is  almost or  quite without foliage in winter.  Ribes alpinum, a deciduous

shrub but very dense in growth, thrives well in shade.

   Of dwarfer plants, Berberis Aquifolium is  excellent, and grows well  in

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