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May 25, 1922 



The Florists^ Review 



33 



LILACS AT ARNOU) ARBORETUM. 



Popular Flower. 



Of all the many beautiful deciduous 

 ilowering shrubs suitable for cultiva- 

 tion in our colder states, none is more 

 aniversally popular than the lilac. 

 Lilacs have many factors in their favor 

 — hardiness, floriferousness, fragrance, 

 ,1 wide range of colors, the fact that 

 they produce their foliage early and re- 

 tain it late and the added fact that by 

 planting early, mid-season and late va- 

 rieties, a flowering season of two 

 months' duration is possible. Old, over- 

 grown plants can, if necessary, be cut 

 down close to the ground and, if a few 

 of the strongest shoots are selected, fine 

 flowering plants will be produced in a 

 few years. Lilacs are singularly free 

 from the attacks of insect pests. San 

 Jose or other forms of scale sometimes 

 attack them, but spraying with lime- 

 sulphur or a soluble oil, while the plants 

 are in the dormant stage, easily controls 

 these scales. 



Planting can be done in either spring 

 or fall with equal success. The early 

 part of November and April are prob- 

 ably the two best months for planting. 

 Large specimens are best moved with 

 frozen balls and, when carefully wa- 

 tered and mulched, soon become estab- 

 lished. It assists the plants much if, 

 •after flowering, the old trusses are re- 

 moved; this applies equally to rhodo- 

 dendrons, azaleas and kalmias. 



There are over 200 named varieties of 

 lilacs. A great many of these nave 

 been raised by that most noted of all 

 European hybridists, M. Lemoine, of 

 Xancy, France. Some good varieties 

 have been raised in America by John 

 Dunbar, of Rochester, whose famous 

 collection in Highland park attracts 

 fjreat crowds of visitors annually. 



Lilacs Have Their Day. 



The Arnold Arboretum collection 

 comprises about 140 varieties, planted 

 in grass on a sloping hillside, with a 

 wide cultivated circle around each 

 plant. Many thousands of people visit 

 the arboretum while the lilac display 

 I'ontinues. The collection is to be found 

 at about a 5-minute walk from the For- 

 '■st Hills gate, which is conveniently 

 near the terminus of the Boston Ele- 

 vated railroad and surface and railroad 

 terminals. 



While in some years lilacs in Massa- 

 I'husetts are at their best early in May, 

 in 1916 lilac day was as late as June 15. 

 An average date is on or about May 25. 

 This season the height of the flowering 

 season was from May 12 to 23. 



The varieties oblata and hyacinthi- 

 flora plena are the earliest bloomers 

 here, while the villosa types, followed 

 by the tree lilacs, Syringa pekinensis 

 <ind S. japonica, are the latest bloomers. 

 The following varieties are selected as 

 'he best in the Arboretum collection: 

 Taking the single-flowered varieties 

 '•rst, there is no pure white superior 

 '0 Marie Legraye, Vestale and Mont 

 Rlanc, all new, promising varieties, with 

 ■ound trusses. Frau Bertha Dam- 

 :nann has large, sweetly scented pani- 



cles. Virginalis alba is a pretty, grace- 

 ful white, with smaller individual flow- 

 ers and trusses. Princess Alexandria 

 is a beautiful white variety, coming 

 close to Marie Legraye. Alba grandi- 

 flora is a pretty wliite, but not equal to 

 Marie Legraye or Princess Alexandria. 

 Of the dark-colored singles, Philemon is 

 still one of the finest; its large trusses 

 are of a deep reddish purple color and 

 the flowers are not too tightly packed 

 in the trusses. Congo is a fine deep pur- 

 ple and so is Negro. Each of these is 

 often classed as superior to Philemon, 

 but a close-up comparison fails to prove 

 this. 



Souvenir de Louis Spaeth is another 

 excellent and popular dark purple, 

 often used for forcing. President Mas- 

 sard is a dark and promising variety. 

 Edmond Boissier, comparatively new, 

 gives one the impression of a winner. 

 The color is dark purple. De Miribel 

 also shows up well in this class. Charles 

 Joly, one of the older varieties, contin- 

 ues to be one of the best. Volcan is 

 another excellent dark purple. 



In the pinks, Lavaliensis, with small, 

 dense trusses, is extremely graceful. 

 Waldbeck Eousseau flowers heavily, 

 with good-sized trusses. Lucie Baltet, 

 a new variety with round trusses, is a 

 distinct pink of an exquisite shade. 

 Fiirst Lichtenstein is a lovely pink with 

 handsome trusses, but the queen of the 

 pinks continues to be S. macrostachia, 

 with immense trusses not too heavily 

 crowded with flowers and of a delight- 

 ful pink color. S. nigricans is a good 

 pale pink and the name is not appro- 

 priate and would be more befitting a 

 dark-colored variety. Marechal Larbet 

 is a promising sort and Ambroise Ver- 

 schaffelt, while carrying a truss of only 

 medium size, is of a lovely pink shade. 

 Professor Sargent carries rather deep 

 pink flowers in strong, erect trusses. 

 Mme. Francisque Morel, another pretty 

 single pink, has a delicious fragrance, 

 as has Ambrose VerschafEelt. 



Lilac-Purple Beauties. 



The lilac, or purple-colored varieties, 

 .•ire quite numerous. Gloire de Lorraine 



