234 t)e farfcen's 



Only through experimenting, however, can one 

 determine what to attempt and what to avoid. 



Of the Diervillas, or Weigclas, many of the 

 so-termed rose-colored kinds, I think, are to be 

 avoided. The nurserymen's catalogues swarm 

 with the many varieties of this shrub. The typ- 

 ical color" rose "is poor, and I should con- 

 demn the Weigela as a garden shrub were it 

 limited to its commoner form. The white va- " 

 rieties, on the contrary, are desirable, and so 

 are some of the dark reds, which are not fre- 

 quently seen. A clear, rose-colored variety, re- 

 cently introduced under the name of " Othello," 

 is an exception to the typical rose-color, and is 

 possessed of much merit. The dark form, " Jean 

 Mace," lately sent out, is distinct, its long, tubu- 

 lar, maroon flowers being specially striking in 

 the bud stage. " Edouard Andr " and " Laval- 

 lei " are among the best of the dark hybrids, but 

 the latter has a straggling habit. Most of the 

 Weigelas are apt to grow straggling with age 

 an objectionable feature of the genus. 



The Hibiscus, althaea, or rose of Sharon, is a 

 charming adjunct to the shrubbery neat in 

 form, free-flowering, and always gay during late 

 summer and September, when the shrubbery 

 begins to look dull, and the sad-voiced crickets 

 remind one that the floral beauty of the year has 



