40 GARDEN GUIDE 



Certain shrubs are fascinating because of peculiar flowers, seeds 

 and bark. The Sweet Shrub, Galycanthus, or, as it is also called, the 

 Strawberry shrub, is very interesting; the twigs are aromatic all Winter 

 and the leather-petaled, dull red flowers are very individual in fragrance. 

 Picked today they have one fragrance, perhaps that of Strawbencies; to- 

 morrow, the fragrance is more like that of Apples. , The Winged Spindle- 

 Tree (Euonymus alata) bears peculiar corky angles on the twigs, and 

 a fuimy little orange fruit inside of a hard red husk. 



Shrubs with Edible Berries. Shrubs which, though ornamen- 

 tal, have berries which are good to eat, are interesting not only to you, 

 but to the birds they attract. Many persons do not know that Bar- 

 berries make very good jam. This is especially good served with the 

 Thanksgiving turkey or wild game, being appropriate as well as tasty. 

 Goumi or Elseagnus longipes produces an elongated red berry in June 

 or July which is excellent picked from the plant and eaten. The 

 Vacciniums, Blueberry or Huckleberry, besides being ornamental, are. 

 as we all know, of an excellent flavor. Elderberries to some tastes 

 make a pie superior even to Huckleberries. The red-fruited variety 

 should not be eaten. The Nannyberry (Viburnum' Lentago) bears a 

 black fruit very freely. It has somewhat the flaivor of Bananas. Be- 

 sides, there are the Blackberries, the Raspberries and the Currants, 

 species which are often ornamental. You may remark that you could 

 hardly get a dish of some of these berries on the few shrubs you could 

 plant, but nevertheless they taste good and it is very interesting to the 

 gardener to know that some of the good-looking things may also be 

 good to eat. 



Evergreen Shrubs. There are a number of interesting ever- 

 green shrubs. None is so popular as the Rhododendrons. But these 

 like a soil free from lime, and if you live in a limestone region, before 

 you attempt to grow them dig out the beds to a depth of three feet, 

 filling in with good wood-soil or leafmold. Give good drainage by 

 putting a layer of ashes at bottom of the trench. The secret of success 

 with Rhododendrons is to keep the roots cool and moist. In Winter 

 they should be deeply mulched with leaves. In Summer they must 

 have an abundance of water. In some Rhododendron plantations a 

 "syringe" of water plays upon the beds continuaUy. They like shade 

 usually, but often by a proper choice of plants which have been growing 

 in the sun, they succeed just as well in the sun. In Winter a frame- 

 work of burlap gives the protection from the wind. They should al- 

 ways be massed, for Rhododendrons, unless in beds by themselves, are 

 either apt to receive too much fussy care 'or none at all. The best early 

 varieties are R. roseum elegans, an old rose colored variety, and R. 

 everestianum, a lavender, both flowering in late May. Then in early 



