THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



minutes of the meeting of December 8, 1909, were read and 

 approved. 



The death of Mr. Spencer Trask, one of the vice-presidents of 

 the Society was reported, and Mr. Wood announced that the 

 matter had been referred to a committee which would take 

 proper action. 



Seven medals, four silver and three bronze, were ready for 

 distribution, and in the absence of the recipients the secretary 

 was instructed to forward the medals to those interested. 



There being no other business before the meeting, the subject 

 announced for the day, " Winter Decorative Shrubs," was pre- 

 sented by Mr. George V. Nash, who illustrated his remarks with 

 lantern slides and specimens. The following is an abstract of 

 this lecture. 



Winter Decorative Shrubs 



People are inclined to think that when winter comes all is over in the 

 line of decorative shrubs, but this is far from true. Each season has its 

 shrubs — Forsythias and spiraeas in April and May — roses and rhododen- 

 drons in June, with others for July and August — and then the gorgeous 

 tints of our autumn foliage. Winter too has its charming shrubs, and 

 while not as numerous as for the rest of the year, they are perhaps even 

 more attractive, for they come at a time when all is gray and bleak, 

 and when every little that brings to memory the greenness and brightness 

 of summer is welcome. These winter shrubs of course cannot attract by 

 their flowers, but there are other features which make them a delight to 

 the eye, and these must be sought in the color of the bark, the beauty of 

 the evergreen foliage, or in the brightness of their persistent fruit. 



As an example of the first group, in which the color of the bark is the 

 attractive character, Kerria japonica, with its bright green twigs was re- 

 ferred to. Cornns alba sibirica and Cornus stolonifera, both with dark 

 red bark,/ and the yellow-stemmed form of the latter, known as variety 

 ftaviramca, were also mentioned. This variety is of a bright yellow and 

 seems to carry a bit of the sunshine into the snowbanks. 



The plants with evergreen foliage comprise two groups, one group known 

 as conifers and the other as broad-leaved evergreens. The dwarf forms 

 of retinisporas, cedars, pines, and thujas are admirable subjects for winter 

 decoration, being especially attractive when snow-laden. Rhododendrons, 

 mahonias, Lcucothoe Catcsbaci, and especially Ilex crenata, with its thick 

 dark-green leaves and graceful habit, were cited as examples of desirable 

 broad-leaved evergreens. 



Among the shrubs desirable on account of their persistent fruit were: 

 Aronia arbutifolia, commonly known as Pyrus arbutifolia; Rosa multiflora, 

 with its myriads of red fruits ; Ilex opaca, attractive also for its foliage, 



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