VARIETY IN NEWER FLOWERS 71 



The beautiful Korean clematis, C. tanguHca, is now in bloom 

 also. The buds of this vine are held on a stiff little green stem 

 to within an eighth of an inch of the bud, when they suddenly 

 drop at a perfect right angle and the dome-shaped bud hangs 

 with its point downward. So hangs the flower too when opened; 

 its four petals are seldom widely apart, but form a bell-shaped 

 bloom of pale straw color; the leaves are long and narrow. To 

 my thinking, a lovelier creeper than this never came to us from 

 over the sea. It is a native of western China. But an equally 

 lovely one is Ampelopsis aconitifola. Mr. E. H. Wilson calls the 

 foliage of this vine the most delicate and attractive of that of 

 all climbers. " The finely dissected leaves are highly interesting 

 and the small fruit changes as it ripens from yellow to blue and 

 pale purple." 



On my table, as I write, is a spray of that handsome, yet 

 comparatively little-known, honeysuckle, Lonicera Heckrottii. 

 For at least two months with us, from mid-June to mid-August, 

 this climber is covered with flowers. They lack fragrance but 

 this is balanced by their color, which is both unusual and lovely. 

 Deep rose-color without, pale yellow within, not unlike the 

 general tones of tulip Kaufmannianay the clusters of flowers are 

 very striking, and in the Arnold Arboretum Professor Sargent 

 has noticed — and noted — that the vine flowers more con- 

 stantly and more persistently than any other plant in the col- 

 lections. One must admit that this is saying much. 



Three magnificent lilacs must now come in for consideration, 

 but since time and space are limited, one can do barely more 

 than name them : they are macrostachya, pubescens and Swegin- 

 zoivii superha: the first a charming pale pink with tremendous 

 thyrses of flowers; the next a tree of fine palest lavender flowers 

 with a most heliotrope-like fragrance; the last a very dream 

 of beauty in lilacs, a fountain of delicate blush-white flowers. 



