72 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the ground thinks that he has done all that is necessary for a 

 successful plantation. He is therefore much surprised in the fol- 

 lowing spring, to find so many half-dead plants, and often blames 

 the nurseryman for selling him dead plants, when in reality 

 the loss was due to his own ignorance of what were hardy or 

 tender. Man}' persons when planting new places procure nursery 

 catalogues and make out their lists from them, selecting only such 

 as are represented as most rare and showy, or the}^ may have 

 made their lists from plants which they have seen in horticultural 

 exhibitions, never thinking that they require any extraordinarj' 

 care in culture or in situation, to produce such specimens as they 

 saw exhibited. 



Now this is all a mistake, for many catalogues are deceptive, 

 and the sooner nurserymen and others correct this evil, the better 

 it will be for all. Many planters, after buying plants which are 

 not hardy under ordinary' treatment, become disgusted to see them 

 dying off every year, and finally come to the conclusion that the 

 general run of plants-men are dishonest and that it is throwing 

 money awa}' to buy and plant trees and shrubs, when such is not 

 the case. What the public need is trustworthy information, and 

 the catalogues of nurserymen and seedsmen should be good 

 places to find it. What is wanted is an honest description of each 

 plant, and if it has weak spots to have them pointed out, stating 

 whether it needs protection, or a special situation, and in what 

 way. This would make the sales of this class of plants no less, 

 and people would plant intelligently, knowing the place or posi- 

 tion in which each would succeed best. Most of those who have 

 had anything to do with planting know that many of our choicest 

 shrubs need special care and protection in our New England cli- 

 mate if they wish to see them succeed. It must not be thought 

 for a moment that I do not advocate the planting of this class 

 which are not perfectly hardy, for I do in their proper places. 

 Many of them are so beautiful that they well repay us for all the 

 labor and care required to grow them successfully. 



But the object of this paper is to give a list of those which have 

 grown side b}' side under ordinar}' circumstances, through cold 

 and heat, and have stood the test. In a short paper like this one 

 could hardly give the names of all the shrubs tliat are perfectly 

 hardy, but I will give the best of them, and have no doubt that 

 there will be an ample number and variety from which to select. 



