38 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



moves out and smothers anything in its way. The bloom of 

 Sorbaria arborca comes along in June, and lasts through most of the 

 Summer. There is an early burst of bloom, but it is seldom that 

 a large number of flowers are open at one time. They make a floral 

 procession which is as interesting as it is pleasing. Judging from 

 the specimens in the Arboretum, this is not a particularly good 

 plant for small gardens, but is excellent for use on large estates. 



There would be fewer disappointments if amateurs in general 

 would choose some other variety of Privet than the common Cali- 

 fornia Privet when planting a hedge. There are some sections 

 where California Privet thrives, but in the North it is very likely 

 to be badly winter-killed. If you will visit the shrub garden at 

 the Arboretum you will find half a dozen varieties growing side by 

 side, and can study them at your leisure. Most of the Privets 

 have attractive blossoms if they are not kept trimmed, while in 

 the Fall they yield a profusion of black and blue berries. Ligustrwn 

 Ibota is a most desirable hedge Privet for this section. It is also 

 attractive when grown as a specimen or in mass planting. 



Among the plants introduced by the Arboretum from central 

 and western China, through the explorations of Mr. Wilson, none 

 give greater promise as garden plants for the North than some of 

 the Cotoneasters, of which twenty species and varieties are now 

 established here. Cotoucastcr hupchcnsis is a species with very 

 showy flowers and is perhaps the most worthwhile shrub for north- 

 ern gardens which Mr. Wilson has brought back from the far East. 

 It is handsome in the Fall as well as in the Spring, for then its 

 branches are covered with scarlet, lustrous fruits. Several of the 

 Cotoneasters grow six or eight feet high, while others form dense 

 mats of prostrate stems, but nearly all have dark green and very 

 lustrous leaves, which retain their color until the late Autumn. 

 Besides the collection in the shrub garden, there is another con- 

 taining the newest Chinese Cotoneasters in a long bed on the 

 southern slope of Bussey Hill. 



Spiraea nipponica or bractcata is a particularly handsome and 

 hardy Japanese shrub, which is not known in American gardens 

 as well as it should be. The family of Spiraeas is a very large one, 

 and the amateur finds it difficult to choose intelligently among the 

 varieties offered by nurserymen. It will help greatly to make a 



