36 GARDENING WITH BRAINS '^ 



be made to bloom from two to six or even eight 

 months. 



LET FRAGRANCE DECIDE 



If your time is limited, plant flowering shrubs, 

 or bulbs, or perennials in preference to annuals, 

 because they are generally — if given a good 

 start — ^better able to take care of themselves. 

 Among a hundred lilac bushes there are prob- 

 ably not three which receive any attention, yet, 

 ever faithful, they bloom from year to year. 

 Almost equally independent are most other 

 hardy flowering shrubs. Among the multitude 

 to select from, choose by all means those which, 

 like the lilac, delight the sense of smell as well 

 as the color sense. 



Earliest of all flowers in our parks is the 

 Tartarian honeysuckle, the blossoms of which 

 are in such a hurry to perfume the air that 

 they do not wait for the leaves to appear. You 

 also want, of course, one or two syringa bushes, 

 also called mock orange; but be sure to get one 

 of the varieties which really do mock the 

 delicious perfume of the orange blossom; some 

 don't and are therefore disappointing. 



Hydrangeas are coming more and more into 

 favor, and so are the Japanese deutzias and 

 snowballs, but these are not fragrant. Nor is 

 the dogwood, or the spirea, one variety of which 

 (Bridal Wreath) has been called the most beau- 

 tiful and useful of shrubs. But the striking 



