436 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETV. 



or such like plants^ will often add much to a group of shrubs, es- 

 pecially if in bloom when the shrubs themselves show nothing but 

 foliage. 



The choice and arrangement of the individual shrubs, which 

 go to make up these so-called borders or beds, is of course a mat- 

 ter of personal taste, but in the matter of placing them the rule 

 laid down in the first part of this paper should be followed, and 

 those of the same kind should be grouped together rather than 

 scattered, so as to give, when in flower, masses rather than spots 

 of color. The tall growing kinds should be in the center, or back 

 of the group — according as to how it is to be viewed, whether 

 from the front only or from all sides — with the smaller varieties 

 around and the most dwarf at the outer edges, so as to bring the 

 foliage and bloom down to the green sward of the lawn. 



If the grounds to be improved belong to a country house 

 which is occupied only during certain months of the summer, the 

 owner would naturally select for his planting such species as 

 blossom at that particular season, for it would be foolish to spend 

 money for results that no one would enjoy and appreciate. Why 

 then do we so often forget that we generally occupy our homes 

 the year round, and that in this climate there are several months 

 of winter, during which the lawn and garden usually appear only 

 as a barren waste? 



A little forethought will provide a winter garden in some; 

 portion of the ground which even a "shut-in," if such unfortunate 

 be in the family, may enjoy from the window. We here are too 

 far north to use the rhododendrons, hollies and other so-called 

 broad-leaved evergreens, but the small and choice varieties of 

 conifers are at home with us to form the background of our win- 

 ter outlook ; shrubs and vines with persistent berries, such as the 

 bittersweets, cranberry bush, sumach, inkberry, barberries and oth- 

 ers, will take the place of flowers ; and seen against the drifts of 

 snow in the bright winter sunlight, the brilliant crimson, green and 

 golden bark of different species of dogwood and willow will glow 

 as though alive. 



Time fails me to speak of the beautiful and hardy peonies, 

 to be obtained now in hundreds of varieties and which promise 

 to be par-excellence the flower of the poor man as well as of the 

 millionaire; of the ferns and other native plants, which will make 

 green some spot where even grass refuses to grow, and of many 

 other species so bountifully placed at our disposal to cheer and 



