214 ARISTOCRATS OF THE GARDEN 



Lilac was introduced to North America, but Wash- 

 ington wrote about it in his diary and planted it at 

 Mt. Vernon where his plants or their descendants 

 are growing to this day. But although so long culti- 

 vated in gardens it is only recently that its native 

 habitat has become known. In the Arnold Arbor- 

 etum may be seen growing specimens raised from 

 seeds gathered from wild plants. They have narrow 

 clusters of dull-purplish flowers and are by no means 

 attractive garden shrubs. 



During the last fifty years horticulturists, espe- 

 cially those of France and in a lesser degree those of 

 Germany, have paid great attention to the Common 

 Lilac and the result has been a plethora of beautiful 

 shrubs. In fact, virtually all the plants known in a 

 general way as Lilacs have been derived from S. 

 vulgaris. I shall recur to this point later, but it may 

 be stated here that the possibilities of improving upon 

 the present-day forms of the Common Lilac appear 

 to be few but there are other members of the kingdom 

 possessing vast potential values. 



The Lilacs, of which some twenty-five species are 

 known, are all native of the Old World and some are 

 shrubs and others small trees. The Common Lilac 

 (S. vulgaris} and its Hungarian confrere (S. Josikaed) 

 ire native of southeastern Europe; the Persian Lilac 



