146 Hardy J Deciduous^ and Evergreen Shrubs. 



We shall divide our selection into two classes, viz., Decid- 

 uous and Evergreen shrubs, and arrange the kinds according 

 to their average height of growth, so that the young ama- 

 teur may have some guide as to the proper place of planting 

 in a border, that the dwarfer kinds may not be overgrown by 

 the taller varieties. 



I. Deciduous Shrubs. 



Sec I. Shrubs growing fiom two to four feet high. 



1. Common Mezereum, (Da/^Ane Mezereum.) A showy lit- 

 tle shrub, of quite dwarf habit, and one of the earliest flow- 

 ering ones our gardens possess : the blossoms, which are of a 

 bright pink, quite clothe the branches, appearing in April be- 

 fore the leaves. On account of the earliness of its blooming 

 alone it should be in every small collection. It grows in any 

 good soil. 



2. Japan Quince, {Cydbnia japonica.) Among the most 

 brilliant of early blooming shrubs The flowers are of a deep 

 glowing red, and appear in profusion along the shoots. They 

 open immediately on the appearance of good weather in 

 April, and continue in bloom a long time. The plants have 

 a dwarf and straggling habit. 



There are two varieties of the Japan quince, viz., the 

 white, so called, but whose flowers are only a pale blush ; and 

 the double-flowered^ whose flowers, however, consist of only 

 two rows of petals of the same deep color as the original spe- 

 cies ; all are desirable in a large collection. 



3. Tree Pjeony, (Pawda Moutan.) It is but a few years since 

 the pteony has been cultivated as a hardy shrub. It is, however, 

 one of the most splendid we now possess, with flowers measur- 

 ing eight or ten inches in diameter and perfectly double ; a small 

 bush with twenty or thirty of these huge flowers presenting a 

 magnificent object. It is of slow growth, and requires a deep 

 and rich soil. In very cold and moist localities, it is best to 

 slightly protect the young plants with a covering of manure, 

 straw, or pine boughs. P. M. Banksidd and papaverdcea are 

 the common kinds. Blossoms in June. 



AVilhin a few years, a great number of elegant varieties 

 have been produced by the French and Belgian florists, as 

 well as by our own cultivators. These are yet rare, and only 



