24 Ornamental Shrubs. 



M. asplenifolia, commonly known as the sweet-fern, 

 also thrives in poor soils and is a good seaside plant. It 

 has fern-like foliage, more attractive than that of the ceri- 

 fera, while its flowers, which are freely produced, are really 

 beautiful. It grows about three feet high and is coming 

 to be planted for its own sake in the ordinary garden. 

 M. gale is another form with cut-leaved foliage which is 

 fragrant. It rises about three or four feet and helps cover 

 many a New England hillside with verdure. 



AZALEA. 



THE azaleas are among the most beautiful and in- 

 teresting of all our flowering plants. They have 

 been long known in the Old World, and have 

 always been objects of admiration. The genus belongs 

 to the natural order Ericace<z, and in many of its char- 

 acteristics is allied to the rhododendrons, though mostly 

 having deciduous leaves, and flowers with five stamens 

 instead of ten. There are numerous species and varie- 

 ties, some hardy and others suited only to hothouse 

 culture. 



A. pontica has been, perhaps, longer known to civil- 

 ization than any other, and it is certainly one of the most 

 attractive of the family. Its native habitat appears to 

 have been in the countries about the Black Sea and along 

 the northern shores of the Mediterranean. In later years 

 it has been carried to all parts of Europe, and largely 

 cultivated wherever the climate will allow. The plants 

 grow from three to five feet, often presenting a broad, 

 round head, with large, oblong, glossy leaves, and masses 



