THE BEST SHRUBS. 115 



ing knife and the shears are to be applied to any slirub, 

 they should usually cut out at the base. Old, straggling 

 stems are cut away, and fresh, clean, vigorous sprouts 

 come up in their places. Many species, like the sumachs, 

 give the best results if they are cut back almost annu- 

 ally quite to the ground, and allowed to sprout afresh 

 from the stools. 



Alder. — Several of the alders make very useful 

 shrubs for border planting, particularly the European 

 alder, which is rather a small tree if full grown. The 

 Green or Mountain alder, Alnus viridis, is one of the 

 best, three to eight feet tall. Ahnis incana is a good 

 plant of its size, eight to twenty feet. 



Amalanchier Canadensis, Juneberry, Shad Bush. 

 — The dwarf varieties, two to five feet high, are best 

 for planting. 



Amokpha fruticosa, False Indigo. — A good, hardy 

 shrub. Amorplia canescens, Lead plant, is mostly her- 

 baceous, w^ith fine, soft, silvery foliage, and wtII worth 

 more extensive planting. It has beautiful spikes of 

 deep violet-purple flowers. One to three feet. 



Aralia spinosa, Hercules Club. — Bears immense 

 leaves which give a striking, somewhat tropical effect. 

 Six to eighteen feet. 



Berp.eris, Barberry. — Very useful shrubs. The 

 common species is from Europe, but is naturalized in 

 many parts of the eastern states. The Puri:)le-leaved 

 barberry is a variety of this. B. Tlmnhergii is a small 

 shrub from Japan with beautiful, delicate foliage, taking 

 a fine red color after frost. 



Calycanthus floridus, Spice Bush. — A small 

 shrub with very sweet scented flowers. 



Caragana, Pea Tree. — C. friiie^cens is a low shrub, 

 bearing an abundance of bright yellow, pea-like flowers 

 in spring. C. arlorescens is similai-, but larger. 



Cephalanthus occidextalis, Button Bush. — A 

 hardy native shrub of wide distribution, making a round 



