156 SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENS 



THE MOUNTAIN LAUREL 



The mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolid) is a native of 

 the eastern United States and Canada and is one of the 

 most beautiful native plants under cultivation. It is 

 found high up among the New Hampshire mountains 

 and low down in the rocky marshes of Massachusetts, 

 also as far south as Georgia. It is very hardy but grows 

 slowly, reaching a height of from five to ten feet. It 

 prefers a moist place but may be grown almost any- 

 where if not allowed to become too dry in summer. 

 Plant in the open or among other shrubbery. The blos- 

 soms appear in June and July, the flowers varying from 

 pure white to a rich rose. The leaves are broad and 

 glossy, and it is very beautiful for bouquets if cut just 

 before the flowers open. 



CALIFORNIA PRIVET 



Plant California privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) in 

 October or as soon as the frost is out of the ground in 

 the spring. The planting time may be extended to about 

 the first of May, depending to some extent upon the 

 locality. The privet is hardy in the Northern states 

 south of Boston and Chicago. 



Set the plants in single rows one foot apart. Dig a 

 trench a foot deep and a foot wide and place three 

 inches of well-rotted manure in the bottom of it. Fill 

 in with good soil and tramp it down deep enough to 



