120 FLOWER GARDENING 
- Of shrubs that are not so common, there is an 
altogether too scant showing of deciduous azaleas, 
magnolias and flowering crabs (Malus) in the 
hardy garden. Named varieties of Azalea mollis 
are strikingly fine for early yellow, red and rose 
effects, as the bloom precedes the foliage. This 
azalea will do well in the open, but it and the 
gorgeous flame azalea (4. calendulacea) are the 
better for being treated as undergrowth in partial 
shade. A dozen two-foot plants of either sells for 
about seven dollars and a half. Magnolias occa- 
sionally are winter-killed even after standing for 
so many years that they have become trees of con- 
siderable size; but often a single season’s bloom 
is worth the cost. The dwarf species (M. stellata), 
which costs two dollars and a half for the three- 
foot size, is a beautiful garden shrub, especially 
when it blooms by the side of forsythia. The 
creamy Chinese magnolia (M. conspicua) and the 
purplish Japan species (M. atropurpurea) are best 
suited for the edge of the garden unless the layout 
is an extensive one. The flowering crabs are really 
small trees. The Siberian crab (Malus baccata) 
is a good choice; so are the double M. spectabilis 
alba fl. pl. and the dwarf M. Toringo. Four-foot 
trees are under a dollar in price. 
The amygdaline, or almond, group offers, in its 
way, quite as much beauty. The double pink and 
white almonds (Amygdalus chinensis) are charm- 
ing shrubs that are grossly neglected nowadays. 
These are very hardy. The double pink and white 
