iiS FLOWER GARDENING 



flower (Daphne cneorum) are others. The gar- 

 land flower is so low that it drops conveniently into 

 lists of perennials supposed to be herbaceous. 

 Though little known, it is among the choicest of 

 hardy garden plants. The clustered pink blos- 

 soms coming in May and again, more sparsely, 

 at the end of summer are deliciously fragrant. 



For holly-like effects without regularity there are 

 the American and Japanese mahonias, both with 

 early yellow blossoms, and Osmanthus aqui folium, 

 which is quite dwarf. 



Although evergreen shrubs bloom, it is the de- 

 ciduous ones that, for convenience, are called flow- 

 ering shrubs. Here the riches are so embarrassing 

 that only parks and vast estates can hope to sound 

 very deep the joys of possession. One catalogue 

 lists no less than eighty-eight hardy species and 

 these are sub-divided into nearly four hundred 

 varieties. Eighty-eight species ; yet how many can 

 be called at all common in dooryards? The lilac, 

 snowball, Japan quince, weigela, Philadelphus 

 coronarius, deutzia, Spiraea Fan Houttei, Hydran- 

 gea pamculata, forsythia, althea and bush honey- 

 suckle less than a dozen. No fault is to be found 

 with these eleven shrubs, they will always be among 

 the best; but there are others that deserve to be 

 just as familiar. 



Nor is this all of the pity. There is much 

 ignorance of the fact that the commonest kinds 

 have not been standing still; new species and new 

 hybrids have been coming along. Once all you 



