ORNAMENTAL SHttUBfcJ. thi 



tree, is perhaps not quite so well known, but is a very desirable shrub, 

 with its somewhat ovate, shiny pea green leaves. And large panicles of 

 mistlike flowers in early June, making it very desirable, either in a group 

 or a single specimen. 



The common elder (Sambucus Canadensis) is well worth growing for 

 background, especially if enlivened with its golden brother (aurea). This 

 latter makes one of the finest yellow effects that I know of in a large 

 shrub, planted in a group or mass. 



The Symphoricarpos, or Snowberry, I will only touch upon, simply 

 saying that the red berried (Vulgaris) and the white berried (Race- 

 mosus) are both desirable and not used enough in our planting. 



The next family in hardiness and general usefulness, I think, is the 

 spiraeas. First, without a doubt, is Van Houttei. In hardiness it is able 

 to stand the most severe of our winters without killing back a particle; 

 will stand about as much general hardship and abuse as anything we 

 have, and will almost always give us a mass of white, the end of May 

 or early in June for about fourteen days. It is well worth growing, if it 

 never had a bloom at all, for its drooping, graceful habit. Anthony 

 Waterer, I think, is the next most desirable of the spiraeas. Bearing flat 

 heads of bright, rosy crimson flowers in abundance from the middle ot 

 June until frost, if we take the small trouble to pick off the flower heads 

 as soon as they commence to fade. It is quite a dwarf, hardly ever exceed- 

 ing two feet, but is one of the best shrubs we have for foreground in 

 shrub borders, or wherever a dwarf shrub is suitable. Spiraea arguta, 

 one of the earliest, with snow white blooms, makes a solid mass of white. 

 It has one small defect, that of portions of the bush dying back in spring. 

 But those should be cut out, and being a rapid grower, quickly recovers. 

 Spiraea sorifolia, or Ashleaf spiraea, is very line in foreground. Its finely 

 cut foliage, almost like a ferm, setting off to the best advantage its large 

 fejpikes of white flowers. Spiraea Douglasi is the most useful of all the 

 upright pink varieties. Its foliage is a somewhat darker shade of green 

 than most of the others, setting off the rosy pink blooms to perfection. 

 Of about seventeen other varieties of spiraea, I will only mention one 

 now, Opulifolia. It is a strong, rampant grower, with flat heads of white 

 flowers. It is very useful, but has none of the neat graceful beauties 

 of the other five mentioned. 



The common lilac, we are all well acquainted with. It has little to 

 recommend it except its persistence in growth. When the season is 

 favorable- for bloom, it is a beautiful sight, but unfortunately it gets 

 damaged with late frosts, making it very uncertain whether we will see 

 it in its beauty for four or five years in succession. Besides this, about 

 the time you think you have a nice bush, along comes Mr. Borer and 

 before you know it, has destroyed several of your main shoots. There 

 are, I believe, about sixty improved varieties, more or less distinct, but 

 I will only mention four or five. The old Persian is a vigorous grower, 

 although with more slender twigs, smaller leaves and small purple 

 flowers, generally much better than the common. White Persian, very 



