504 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



moil barberry bush of New England, but its foliage for the first two months 

 after bursting into growth is a deep chocolate purple. It is so singular 

 and attractive in appearance that it has beer, for several years a special 

 favorite of mine. 



"Senex," in Philadelphia Press, furnishes a note upon the same shrub, 

 quite complimentary to it: Of the so-called purple leaved shrubs, which are 

 not really purple, but rather wine or plum colon d, there is none which holds 

 its color better than the barberry. Its habit is twiggy, and it is far from 

 being as graceful as many other shrubs of the same family, but its flowers 

 and fruit are both pleasing. 



Early Flowering Shrubs — W. A. Stiles, of the Philadelphia Press, com- 

 ments upon valuable early flowering shrubs in the following : 



The best known shrub of this class is the Forsythia. As its common name 

 — the golden bell — indicates, its flowers are a bright yellow, and produced 

 abundantly before the leaves appear. In this latitude it has been in flower a 

 full fortnight already. Besides the one ordinarily planted there is a variety 

 known as Fortunii, of more slender and upright growth, besides a drooping 

 form — Suspensa — which is rather effective on rocky banks. When out of 

 bloom the shrub is not attractive. The Spiraea Thunbergii is now at its best ; 

 that is, at the height of its bloom. But it is a beautiful shrub all summer 

 through on account of its delicate foliage and the fernlike grace of its habit. 

 In autumn, too, it is conspicuous for the bright color it wears. Its flowers 

 are snow-white and borne in profusion. 



Earlier than either is the Jasminum Nudiflorum, which bears small yellow 

 flowers, and the fragrant pinkish bloom of the upright honeysuckle — Louicera 

 fragraiitissima — is already open before the rich green of the leaves is seen. 

 The Japan quinces, of which there are a dozen varieties, with flowers of orange, 

 scarlet, pink and white, are now in bloom, and the Spiraeas prunifolia, Keeve- 

 siana and others will follow soon. With them appear the pure white ilowers 

 of the exochorda, a choice plant, which deserves more general cultivation. 

 One of our native shrubs, the Leatherwood (Dirca pulustris) is now in bloom, 

 but its small yellow Ilowers are not striking. The shrub itself, however, with 

 its compact, rounded form, bright-colored bark and tough, pliant twigs, is 

 most attractive. It is rarely seen, however, in cultivation. Still more rare is 

 the Japan Daphne. This, too, is one of those early bloomers whose flowers 

 appear before the foliage. These flowers are a violet blue and delightfully 

 fragrant, and altogether this Daphne Genkwa is one of the most desirable of 

 shrubs for the lawn. 



Late Blooming Shrubs. — A correspondent of the Country Gentleman dis- 

 courses at some length upon shrubs for fall flowers from which we epitomize: 



Altheas grow well in almost any soil or situation, but, of course, the better 

 their conditions of growth the more satisfactory will be the results. Prune 

 them well back every winter, as they blossom on the current year's wood only. 

 Their flowers are single or double, white, and of many shades of purple, and 

 there is a very pretty variegated-leaved form. 



The common white alder ('/. alnifoha), although somewhat rare in gardens, 

 is common enough in our swamps, but is an excellent garden shrub, neat, copi- 

 ous and late*flowering. Its flowers are white, fragrant, and arranged in up- 



