"Somewhat similar to the Willows in the character of their bark, but useful in being adapted for drier situations, are the Cornels (_Cornus_). The best of the genus in this connexion are _Cornus alba_ and its variety _sibirica_. They produce bark which for one or two seasons remains a bright red during the time the branches are leafless. A group of _Cornus alba_, with _Chionodoxa Luciliæ_ or Winter Aconite planted thickly beneath, gives a very pleasing bit of colour early in the year. A yellow-barked form of _Cornus stolonifera_, known as _flaviramea_, deserves mention.
"Several shrubs are notable for the particularly bright green of their bark. The forms of _Kerria japonica_ and _Neillia_ are very bright during the winter on this account, but still more effective is a near ally, _Stephanandra Tanakæ_, a comparatively new shrub, also from Japan, but of little value in any other respect. Finally, I may mention the Rubuses with white stems. As in _Salix daphnoides_, the bark is covered with the waxy secretion known as 'bloom,' and of a blue-tinted white. Some six or seven species of Rubus have this character. Of those obtainable from nurseries, _R. biflorus_, a Himalayan species often to be had from dealers under the erroneous name of _Rubus leucodermis_, is the best. Dr. A. Henry has introduced a Chinese species, _Rubus lasiostylus_, which is even better than _biflorus_; the bloom is more distinctly blue, and the stems sturdier and more self-supporting. The species is, however, an extremely rare one in cultivation. It is scarcely necessary to repeat how essential it is that these Brambles and Cornels should be planted in bold groups.
"Among trees the most noteworthy as regards the colour of their bark are the Birches. The beauty of the Common White Birch has not been overlooked by planters. A single specimen or a few grouped together make a bright winter picture when associated with evergreens. The Canoe Birch of North America (_Betula papyrifera_) has a bark of an even purer white than our native species. The Yellow Birch (_B. lutea_) shows warm orange-brown tints on the more recently exposed surfaces of its bark. The bark of the River Birch (_B. nigra_) is not brightly coloured, being of a dull dark brown, but it gives the tree a notably curious aspect owing to the way it stands out from the trunk and branches in great ragged-looking flakes.