HARDY SHRUBS AND TREES 159 



at the base of a barn, or wherever they can be seen to 

 advantage from the house. 



Of the flowering shrubs there is, to my mind, noth- 

 ing else so good as the deutzias. All the varieties of 

 this plant are fine, but for a tall sort I should unhesi- 

 tatingly choose Pride of Rochester and should plant it 

 singly, in groups and as a specimen on the lawn. For 

 a low-growing deutzia I should select Deutzia gracilis 

 and plant it in front of evergreens or taller-growing 

 shrubs so that it might have an effective background 

 for its wealth of lovely white flowers. Then, having 

 planted freely of these two deutzias I should go on 

 and plant all the other varieties of deutzias I could 

 buy, beg or borrow, for I can assure you there is not 

 one which is not well worth cultivating. ' 



Certain of the spiraeas make desirable hedge plants 

 where a light, graceful growth is desired. Spiraea 

 Van Houtte is the beat of sorts, and Spiraea Pruni- 

 folia fl. pi. equally as good. Where one has an abun- 

 dant water supply one may plant freely of the vari- 

 ous hydrangeas, especially paniculata grandiflora and 

 arborescens, but where it is impossible to water these 

 shrubs sufficiently they are apt to prove a little disap- 

 pointing. Paniculata makes a dense root growth quite 

 close to the surface of the ground and for this reason 

 is apt to suffer in a dry spell. It is a good plan to 

 mulch heavily with old barnyard manure in the fall, 

 removing the coarsest in the spring and covering the 



