FLOWERING TREES 187 



Japanese Lilac, Syringa japonica^ is hardy and wonderfully 

 beautiful. The broad corymbs of creamy white flowers stand 

 well above the dark green of the leaves which are of large size 

 and heavy texture and the fragrance of the flowers is pungent 

 and strong. An avenue or drive lined with these trees in bloom 

 makes a picture of exceeding loveliness. 



More strictly southern and bringing the flavor of the gardens 

 of the Old South into those of the New is Magnolia grandiflora, 

 that lifts unnumbered cups of old ivory tints on lacquered trays 

 of shining green that the gods may sip to their fill of the nectar 

 that can only be distilled for them among the fragrant blossoms 

 of southern gardens in Midsummer. As dainty as the ladies of 

 those olden days, whose gardens they adorned, is the exquisite 

 Mimosa, Acacia Julibrissin, with its pink-tipped, thistle-like 

 blooms of pearl color. Every southern garden large enough to 

 contain them should have both of these trees, purely for senti- 

 ment's sake, even if not for their own beauty. The Magnolias, 

 Mimosas, and Crape Myrtles are companions in the romantic 

 history of the South and no trio of tree planting could be more 

 beautiful. The delicate rose-pink and the deeper rose madder 

 of the Crape Myrtles make them objects of striking interest and 

 beauty for many months each year. As hedges they are most 

 eff"ective. A vine-covered pergola with snowy columns limned 

 against the masses of a group of pink Crape Myrtles forms a 

 most artistic picture. 



Distinction in the planting of flowering trees can be secured 

 only by planting them in masses, and where the place is small it 

 is far better to confine oneself to one variety exclusively than to 

 attempt to mingle the groupings. Who has not heard of the 

 beautiful avenues of Cherry blossoms that make the roadways' 

 of Japan the Mecca of tourists from all parts of the world ? In 

 North Georgia there is a turnpike which is bordered by Apple 

 trees for a distance of forty miles. Some day, when the motorists 

 discover its fairy-like beauty in the early Spring, it will also become 

 a famous trysting place for the beauty-lovers of the world. High 

 up among the old red hills its beauty and charm are worth while 

 from early Spring until late Fall. One home in mid-Georgia is 



