42 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



tested by Boston people, for the seeds brought back by Mr. Wilson 

 should have produced flowering plants by that time. 



Syringa villosa is a very handsome Lilac with one point distinctly 

 in its favor. It blooms late, thus prolonging the flowering season 

 of the Lilacs. On the other hand, it has an odor which is distinctly 

 disagreeable. Villosa makes a fine, round-topped bush, and if 

 you refrain from sniffing the blossoms, you will find it a splendid 

 acquisition. Look it up next Spring when the Lilacs are in bloom. 



A remarkable Lilac known as Syringa reflexa grows on the 

 mountains of western Hupeh, in central China, where it was 

 discovered by Mr. Wilson several years ago. It is especially 

 interesting because it is the only Lilac with pendent flower clusters. 



There are scores of Lilac varieties in commerce, but trials made 

 at the Arboretum show that the list of kinds suited to the average 

 garden can easily be culled to a dozen. It will be worth the while 

 of any garden maker fond of IJlacs to visit the Arboretum next 

 Spring, when the flowers are in bloom, and note those which please 

 him most. Then, by consulting an Arboretum Bulletin, he can 

 find whether they are suitable for culture in home gardens. 



On the south side of Lilac Drive the Viburnums are grouped, 

 and they, too, make a remarkable display over a long season. The 

 Viburnums are highly valuable, because they give us flowers very 

 early in the season, as well as handsome fruit in the Fall. Four 

 American species have been used freely in the roadside plantations 

 of the Arboretum. One of the most satisfactory is Viburnum 

 cussinoides, a native New England shrub with a broad, round top, 

 and thick lustrous leaves. The flowers are cream white and the 

 fruit, while pink for a short time, gradually changes color to dark 

 blue. Sometimes green, pink, and blue berries are to be found on 

 the same cluster at the same time. 



Another native Viburnum is pubescens, which deserves much 

 wider recognition on the part of landscape gardeners than it has 

 yet received. The success achieved by the use of native shrubs 

 of this character in the Arboretum planting indicates the possi- 

 bilities which our own plants possess as subjects for landscape 

 work on a large scale. Viburnum pubescens, especially, grows in 

 limestone soil, yet lime is not necessary for it, and it can be grown 

 over most of the country. This species has small pointed leaves, and 



