176 The American Flower Garden 



BLADDER NUT (Staphylea tri folia). Greenish white flowers in nodding 

 panicles. April, May; 6 to 15 feet. Sharply toothed leaves slightly 

 hairy. A strikingly pretty shrub with three-foliate leaves. Any 



soil and position, but best in rich, moist loam partly shaded. 



(. Colchica). 12 feet. 5 leaflets. Has more conspicuous flowers. 

 Pods of both much inflated in summer. 



BLADDER SENNA (Colutea arborescens). Flowers yellow. July to 

 September. To 15 feet. Rapid growing, free flowering. Valuable 

 for lightening the shrubbery with its pale green foliage. Large 

 inflated pods in late summer. Not quite hardy North. Any soil, 

 with preference to fairly dry and sunny. Propagate by seeds in 

 spring, mature wood cuttings in fall. 



BLUE SPIREA (Caryopteris Mast acanthus). Conical flower spikes with 

 lavender-blue flowers. August, September. The only blue-flowered 

 shrub of late summer and fall. Extremely attractive to bees; flour 

 ishes well along the seacoast. Cut down to the ground annually by 

 frost, but makes a good growth and blooms every season. Blue 

 flower spikes suggest a larkspur. 



BUCKTHORN (Rhamnus cathartica). Sturdy shrub with spring branches. 

 Oval leaves, flowers white. May. 10 feet. Fruit a black berry, 



large. Very hardy. Garden soil, rather dry. , ALDER 



(R. Frangula). Has fruit red, changing to black in September. 



12 feet. Moist soil. , SEA (Hippophae rhamnoides). Best 



grayish-green foliage for seaside and sandy soils; used for binding. 

 Also grows well in garden soils. On poorest land sometimes as 

 low as two feet. Staminate plants more upright than pistillate. 

 Berries orange-yellow. September; 10 feet, sometimes a tree 20 

 feet. Yellowish flowers in May. 



BUDDLEIA (Buddleia Lindleyand). June, July; 3 to 6 feet. Racemes 

 of purplish violet flowers 6 inches long. Not quite hardy in the 

 North, but flowers on new growth from the root. Worth growing 

 for its colour. Light, well-drained soil, sunny position. Propagate 

 by greenwood cuttings in spring, or hardwood cuttings in fall kept 

 away from frost. 



BUSH CLOVER (Lespedeza Sieboldi). Small pea-like flowers in rosy pink 

 clusters in September; up to 6 or 8 feet, but usually much smaller 

 from winter-killing. Hardy in central New England. Valuable 

 for its late season. Any soil. Propagate by division. 



