Rare Shrubs for Decorative Planting 



Apparently the most difficult pati: of planting is select- 

 ing what to plant. This phase of the suhject has hereto- 

 fore received scant attention, for few have realized how 

 easy it is to give an air of individuality to the home 

 grounds. The general puhlic has been content to go on 

 jilanting about a dozen different species of common 

 shrubs, such as lilacs, syringas, spiraeas and the like when 



In spring, however, shrubs may usually be depended 

 on to bloom. The great difficulty has always been to 

 secure shrubs that will bloom after the first burst of 

 spring has passed. Although summer flowering shrubs 

 are rare in comparison with those that bloom earlier in 

 the year, a number exist, and one who would give an 

 air of individuality to his grounds should plant them. 



there is a much larger list to choose from and one that First in the list of this kind should be placed the rose of 



Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) a well known plant of old 

 fashioned gardens that deserves a place in all new ones. 

 During Juiy, August and part of September, it is literally 

 covered with bell-shaped, blue, pink or white flowers 

 that rather closely resemble the hollyhock. 



The angelica tree. (Aralia Qmertsis) and the devil's 



walking stick (A. 



has every advantage on the side of beauty and decorative 

 usefulness, writes Wm. N. Gute in American Botanist. 

 To be sure, he says, the species commonly planted 

 have the merit of being exceedingly hardy, very florifer- 

 ous and almost sure to bloom annuall}-, but many less 

 known plants have all these characteristics. Even the 

 species commonly 

 planted have rela- 

 tives fully as beau- 

 tiful and interest- 

 ing. The Persian 

 lilac, for instance, 

 costs no more than 

 the familiar shrub 

 of grandmother's 

 garden and is a 

 much more graci'- 

 ful and charm in ; 

 plant. 



It is unlikely that 

 any other spiraea 

 will ever supplant 

 the bridal wreatli 

 (Spiraea J'anlwiit- 

 tii) but its smaller 

 relative, known as 

 the snow^ garland 

 (.S". Tlnnihergii) 

 deserves more fre- 

 quent plantin,g. It 

 is one of the earli- 

 est of shrubs to 

 bloom and its 

 >\'and-like branche-^ 

 laden with small. 

 white, star-shaped 

 flowers is warrant 



, r .1 Courtesy Mcl'Iiiiii .•. Ciinsen Magiijiin-. 



enougn tor tne halesia tetraptera-silver bell. 



common n a m e . 



About the time that the snow garland becomes con- 

 spicuous in the shrubberies, a little known relative of 

 another common species comes into bloom. This is 

 the cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) which as any- 

 one familiar with generic names will perceive, is not a 

 cherr\- at all, but one of the dogwoods. The red-stemmed 



spmosa) are two 

 members of the 

 ginseng family that 

 are easy to grow, 

 curious in appear- 

 ance and practically 

 certain to produce 

 great panicles of 

 creamy-white flow- 

 ers every August. 

 These plants have 

 few true branches, 

 but they bear im- 

 mense decompound 

 leaves that have all 

 the appearance of 

 being such. In win- 

 ter, when the great 

 leaves have fallen, 

 the stout, thorny 

 stems, stiffly erect, 

 have an odd ap- 

 pearance which no 

 doubt accounts for 

 at least one of the 

 common names. 



One species of 

 tamarisk ( Tamarix 

 t^^allica) blooms in 

 mid-summer. It has 

 long slender 

 branches thickly set 



with tiny leaves like those of the cedar and the minute 

 rosy flowers are borne in spikes along the branches. It 

 is quite unlike other common plants and is most desirable 

 for the contrasts it makes. It is a native of the rather 

 dry and sterile parts of the Old World and will thrive 

 even in poor soil, .\nother species, Tamarix pan'iflora, 

 dogwoods (Cornus stuloiiifcra and C. sangniiica) are blooms earlier in the year and should not be selected 

 planted evervwhere for the warm and pleasing effect of if summer flowers are wanted. 



their red bark contrasted with snowbanks, but one whi 

 knows only these species would scarcely recognize the 

 cornelian cherry as belonging to the group. All our 

 native dogvi'oods have wdiite or creamy flowers which 

 open as the leaves unfold or after they are spread. 

 The cornelian cherry, on the contrary, has bright yellow 

 flowers which appear before the leaves. It forms a 

 round headed shrub some ten feet high and, when 

 covered with its clusters of flowers, is a most conspicuous 

 ■object and one that adds much to the appearance of our 

 borders at the beginning of the vernal season. Later 

 in the year the flowers are followed by red. purple, or 

 vellow fruits. 



r\ summer flowering Japanese tree that is coming 

 into cultivation is the pagoda tree {Sophora Japonica). 

 It bears long racemes of white flowers set off by the 

 shining leathery leaves. The tree, itself, is shaped much 

 like a well grown Persian lilac. The varnish tree 

 (Kolreuteria panicitlata) is another species that is not 

 well known at present. It belongs to the soap-berry 

 familv and is therefore akin to the maples and horse- 

 chestnuts. It bears large panicles of bright yellow 

 flowers at a season when flowering shrubs of any kind 

 are desirable, and will doubtless become more common 

 as its merits become known. 



Equally rare in the Northern States, at least, is the 



