io8 Ornamental Shrubs. 



These appear in May, and are also very fragrant, making 

 the plant in every way desirable for ornamental purposes. 



P. m. floribunda, the Japanese flowering apple, is one 

 of the most interesting acquisitions that has been made 

 to our list of ornamental trees in many years. It grows 

 five to six feet in height, has small, obovate leaves, and 

 produces beautiful, rich, rosy-red blossoms in great abun- 

 dance in early spring, and sparingly throughout the sum- 

 mer. The shoots are slender, and often bend beneath the 

 weight of the small apples which are borne on long stems, 

 and it is difficult to tell whether the shrub is more to 

 be desired for its appearance when in flower or in fruit. 

 Of this Garden and Forest says, editorially : " This, it 

 seems to us, is the most beautiful of its race, and one of 

 the best ornamental plants in cultivation. It is particu- 

 larly beautiful before the flowers expand, when the bright 

 red flower-buds cover the branches. The Japanese crab 

 should be planted in rich soil, and allowed plenty of room 

 in which to spread its wand-like branches. * * * Im- 

 proving with age, the Japanese crab grows more beautiful 

 every year ; the severest winters leave it uninjured, and 

 insects and diseases pass it by. The variety with bright 

 pink, semi-double flowers, known as Pyru s parkmannii, is 

 equally beautiful, though it is a rather less hardy plant." 



The Siberian crab, P. in. prunifolia, has been much 

 planted, and has also many good qualities. The white, 

 single flowers often cover the entire tree, and give it a 

 showy head in April or May. The fruit when ripe is 

 yellow, with the side toward the sun showy red. The 

 tree is of larger growth than most of its class, rising some 



