Although it can reach 10ft by loftfjm by 3m) or more eventually, it is comparatively slow-growing and suitable, therefore, for small gardens. It makes an excellent lawn specimen and has the added quality of flowering when quite young. It is also unfussy as to soil so long as it is not waterlogged. Osmanthus delavayi is often referred to as a shrub for the connoisseur. This does not mean, however, that it is in any way difficult to grow. It is an evergreen of neat habit with dark green, rounded, prettily toothed leaves and produces its clusters of sweetly-scented white flowers in April. Eventually it will reach a height of 8 to ioft(2.5 to 3m) but not for many years. More vigorous and erect in growth is its hybrid with O. decorus, now known as О. x burkwoodii, which has longer, smoother leaves and is just as free flowering and fragrant. Similarly erect but otherwise very different is the evergreen Berberis x lologensis, a hybrid of B. darwinii and B. linearifolia. It is strong growing and possessed of blackish-green, narrow, leathery leaves which are completely forgotten in April when the brilliant orange, red-budded flowers crowd the branches. No other berberis, excepting its parents, can match this splendid hybrid in its striking flower colour. The family Ericaceae contains some of the most desirable shrubs for gardens on acid soils. Leaving aside Rhododendron and Azalea, which are dealt with elsewhere (see p. 205), there are still more than enough to occupy specialists for a lifetime. Enkianthus perulatus from Japan is the least known of its brethren in cultivation, which is difficult to understand, given its qualities. One of the smallest species, up to 6ft(2m), slow-growing and compact in habit, it seems custom-made for the small garden. Neither do its qualifications end there. In April its slender twigs are crowded with small, white, pitcher-shaped, nodding flowers while in autumn it offers rich crimson leaf tints and is reliable, too. As if this was not enough the bark of old stems peels and flakes creating an attractive piebald effect which careful pruning can enhance. Camellias are one of the most prized groups of shrubs in garden history and the hundreds of named cultivars available today make the choosing of those most suitable for ones own garden, a difficult task. Camellia enthusiasts all have their own ideas of what constitutes a good cultivar, but for first-time buyers there are several which can happily be recommended for general cultivation. Camellia Xwilliamsii, in a comparatively short time has produced several candidates for the above category. Perhaps the most popular is 'Donation' which is fairly hardy and reliable in its flowering. The large semi-double, orchid-pink blooms crowd the stems in April often causing them to bend under the weight. If it has one weakness it is the slender nature of the branches which tend to lean outwards and occasionally break in the wind.