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. Josikaea) 

 ire native of southeastern Europe; the Persian Lilac 



