THE SnuyGA. 36 



flowering may be said to be at least almost sitmmer. 

 There is a nearly allied species, S. iiioi/oni.'i, which, as the 

 name implies, produces scentless flowers. The Japan 

 species, named P. salnnmi. or P. ■s/ueiix/x, is a. i-eal Ijeauty, 

 slender in growth, with narrow leaves and large white 

 flowers. The latest flowering sjjecies is GoRhjn's phihi- 

 delphns {P. Gordvniauna) , an American species, producing 

 flowers of great size. 



The common mock-orange of gardens is a respectalde 

 shi'uli of no particular value. It is the coronal or garland 

 syringa (PliiladelphuH eorvnariiix) , a native of Europe, 

 growing Ave to ten feet high, with smooth ovate leaves, 

 and having an abundant blciom of creamy-white fragrant 

 flowers which appear in the month of i\Iay. Thus the 

 syringa, as commonly known, belongs to the spring rather 

 than to the summer. Cultivation promotes variation, and 

 in this case the usual results have followed, for there are 

 some interesting varieties of the mock-(irange io be found 

 in gardens. The best of them for general purjioses are 

 the d(_iuble-Howered and the variegated-leaved varieties. 



Having spoken of second-class shrubs, we feel bound 

 flrst to beg their jjardon for apparent Ijut unintended de- 

 preciation. It is in the nature of our connoisseurs as well 

 as of apjsraisers to comjDare values, and we are not dis- 

 posed to rave about the mock-orange any more than ab(jut 

 the real orange, but acknowledge at once that b(.)th are 

 useful. Let the ^jhiladelphus, if it be the least aggrieved, 

 do as some human philadelphists do : let it take consolation 

 from the respectability of its family connections. In the 

 order of saxifrages we And some iirst-class garden shrubs, 

 «-hich we ^vill now name for the advantage of readers who 

 do not happen to possess them. 



