THE BEST SHRUBS. 1^1 



The Japanese rose, R, rugosa, is also a very fine shrub 

 for general planting. 



RuBus ODORATus. — The flowering raspberry is one 

 of the most useful and neglected of native shrubs. It 

 should generally be used in small masses for the empha- 

 sis which its large, striking foliage gives. Three to five 

 feet. Other brambles are very useful in many places. 



Salix, Willow. — Most of the willows tend to be 

 trees rather than shrubs, but many of them can be 

 grown as shrubs if severely cut back. They are espe- 

 cially desirable for the delicate gray-greens which they 

 give in spring, and some of them for the brightness of 

 their twigs in winter. Salix vitellina of horticulturists 

 has beautiful bright golden twigs. S, lucida is espe- 

 cially remarkable for its sliining foliage. The so-called 

 weeping willows grafted in the top of a straight trunk 

 are to be avoided. 



Spiraeas form, on the whole, tlie finest and most 

 useful group of shrubs we have. Their hardiness, thrift, 

 grace, floriferousness, all recommend them. Probably 

 the best one is the horticulturist's Sjnrcea Van Houttei, 

 sometimes called Bridal Wreath. No grounds any- 

 where ought to lack this. Then come 8. iwunifolia 

 and S. Jiypericifolia. The former has specially beautiful 

 foliage. The latter is much like a small edition of Yan 

 Houtt. S. Thunlergii is small (one to three feet) and 

 very delicate and graceful in growth and in foliage, 

 but not fully hardy northward. The golden spiraea 

 {S, aurea, Hort.) is a fine, upright grower, with good, 

 yellowish foliage, and bright stems in winter. Four to 

 ten feet. . 



Symphoricarpus racemosus, Snowberry. — A good 

 native shrub, with white berries in autumn. Two to 

 five feet. S. vulgaris, Coral berry or Indian currant, 

 is very common in the central and western states, and is 

 well worth j^lanting. It is graceful of growth and bears 



