78 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



in summer with black, cherry-like fruit. This is another plant 

 that might be improved as an eatable fruit. The second form^ 

 our common P. pumila, seldom exceeds two feet in height. 

 Beside its flowering quality it is one of the finest plants for autumn 

 coloring. P. spinosa, P. spinosa Jlore pleno, and P. myrohalana 

 and its varieties are all hardy. P. tomentosa is a fine rose and 

 white fiowered variety from mountains near Pekin. P. triloba is 

 well known b}^ all, but its single variety has not been in this 

 country until a few years ago ; for the lovers of single flowers it 

 will be a great acquisition. The double-flowering almonds, P. 

 Japonica alba, rosea, and multiplex, are all good shrubs — hardy 

 but short lived. P. pendula, when well grown, makes a hand- 

 some plant for the lawn. P. chamcecerasus is grafted on either 

 standards or near the ground ; usually it is grafted high, but 

 when it is grafted close to the ground it makes a much more efl["ec- 

 tive plant for many purposes. P. semperjlorens continues in 

 bloom more or less all summer. The double-flowering cherries, 

 such as P. ranuculijlora, Watereri, Jlore pleno, acida and others, 

 are well worthy of a place in the garden. 



In the genus Spircea, we have good material to choose 

 from. S. salicifolia is the parent of many garden varieties, such 

 as Billardi, Leneana, latifolia, rosea, Bethlehemensis and others. 

 These, if pruned well back every spring, will throw flower spikes 

 of twice the size of those not pruned. S. Douglasii is a beautiful 

 species from the northwest ; this also has a number of varieties 

 that are very showy. S. cliamoedrifolia and its varieties are good 

 early flowering kinds. S. millefolia is a curious, rare species from 

 Nevada. S. media and its varieties are the earliest of all the 

 spiraeas, except S. Thunbergii, which is no doubt one of the 

 finest plants for foliage or flower. S. liypericifolia, S. cana and 

 S. savranica are among the early bloomers. S. trilobata and S. Van 

 Houttei are two of the best later flowering species. Of S. Jap- 

 onica the forms are numerous, and many varieties are offered by 

 nurserymen. Some of the best of these are Ruheriana, semper- 

 jlorens, superba, atrosanguinea, glabra, alba, and Bumalda. 

 S. Japonica has long been known as S. callosa and Fortunei. 

 They are all late bloomers, and if the old flower-heads are cut off 

 as soon as out of bloom, they will, on good soil, bloom well the 

 second time. S. sorbifolia and >S'. TobolsJcia are good abowy 

 plants with large spikes of pure white flowers in June. 



