What shall I Plant '^ ill 



"WHAT SHALL I PLANT?" 



By Francis Parkman, Jamaica Plain, Mass. 



The season for making this inquiry is fast approaching, and we will 

 try to provide an answer in advance. As for the standard " bedding 

 plants," verbenas, fuchsias, heliotropes, geraniums, and the rest, most 

 people know what they want ; and, as for annuals, we refer them to the 

 descriptive catalogues of the leading seedsmen, several of which con- 

 tain a great amount of solid and trustworthy information, though, at the 

 same time, we would venture a friendly caution against " novelties," 

 which, very often, have little but their novelty to recommend them. 



What we propose here is to give a list of the twelve hardy shrubs, the 

 twelve hardy roses, and the twelve hardy herbaceous plants, which we 

 think most desirable for general cultivation, as regards beauty, robust- 

 ness of constitution, and permanency. 



Shrubs. 



1 . Al7Jio7id. — The double dwarf flowering pink species, and also the 

 double white. The latter is often sold as Pfzt?ms siiieJisis Jlore pleno^ 

 or Double Chinese Plum. 



2. Azalea. — The hardy, or Ghent varieties. Splendid shrubs, with 

 yellow, orange, red, and white flowers. For ourselves, we prefer the 

 deep orange sorts. Easy of cultivation, and not absolutely requiring a 

 peaty soil, though they thrive better in it. 



3. Chionanthus. — The " Virginia Fringe Tree." 



4. Cratcegus. — Hawthorns ; white, red, and jDink ; double and single. 



5. Cydonia. — The '■'■ Pyrzts Japonica ;" red, pink, and flesh color. 



6. Deutzia. — The best are D. gracilis and D. crenata Jl. pi. 



7. Lonicera. — "Tartarian Honeysuckle." The best is L. speciosa^ 

 also called L. grandijlora and L. pulverulenta. 



8. Philadelphus. — The " Syringa." Gordon's is perhaps the best. 



9. Ribcs. — The " Flowering Currant." Beaton's is the best for -our 

 climate, being perfectly hard}^ 



10. Spircca. — S. Reevesii is the best. There is a double variety of 

 it, not so hardy as the single. 



11. Vibzirjzum. — V. opulus sterilis.^ the "Snowball Tree," is per- 

 haps the best, excepting the comparatively rare V. plicatum. 



12. Weigelia. — The best are W. Desboisii., deep red, and W. Isoline^ 



