Trees and Shrubs that Bloom before the Leaves— By Henry Maxwell 



A GROUP WHICH DEMANDS A DARK EVERGREEN BACKGROUND AND THE SAME KIND OF PRUNING— 

 THE MAGNOLIAS, DOGWOODS, FORSYTHIAS, AND OTHER SPLENDID FLOWERS OF JANUARY TO APRIL 



EVERYBODY knows the forsythia and 

 the magnolia, which glorify the month 

 of April, but no one seems to think of two 

 obvious facts about them. A moment's 

 reflection will show that these early-blooming 

 shrubs must bloom from buds that are formed 

 during the previous year, yet it is a common 

 practice to prune early-blooming shrubs in 

 March, thereby throwing away a good part 

 of this season's potential bloom. All these 

 shrubs should be pruned directly after bloom- 

 ing, if at all. Moreover, since these early- 

 flowering shrubs bloom before the deciduous 

 trees have put forth their leaves, they ought 

 to have a dark evergreen background, yet 

 nothing is commoner than to dot forsythias 

 around in a lawn, or place them near decid- 

 uous trees, in which event the effect is rela- 



tively weak, as the pictures on this page and 

 page 140 clearly prove. 



BLOOMING IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY 



The earliest outdoor shrub I know of is 

 the winter sweet (Calycanthus prcecox, but 

 known to the nurserymen as Chimonanthus 

 fragrans). Unfortunately, it is not gen- 

 erally considered hardy. Nevertheless, it has 

 bloomed regularly for many years in January 

 on Long Island at Mr. Dana's place, and I 

 had great pleasure in seeing it last January. 

 The flowers are an inch to an inch and a 

 half across, fragrant and very strange in form 

 and color. They are curiously marked 

 with green and brown. At Mr. Dana's 

 place it grows outdoors without any pro- 

 tection whatever. It is a Chinese and Jap- 



The right way to plant trees and shrubs that bloom before the leaves appear, viz., against a darK 

 evergreen background. Flowering dogwood (Cornus flortda). Contrast with Fig. 4 



138 



anese species belonging to the same genus 

 with the familiar sweet-scented shrub or 

 Carolina allspice, which has dark red, 

 leathery flowers in May. 



Possibly the earliest shrub of this class for 

 Southern gardens is the winter jasmine (Jas- 

 minum nudiflorum) which has solitary, frag- 

 rant yellow flowers. This Chinese species is 

 probably inferior to the common jasmine of 

 the South (Gelsemium sempervirens) , but it 

 blooms nearly all winter south of Washington, 

 D. C. It is said to be hardy as far north as 

 the Hudson Valley, where it blooms before 

 the forsythia, but I must confess that I have 

 never seen it. ( In England, it is commonly 

 grown at the base of walls having a southern 

 or southwestern exposure, and looks best 

 when seen against a background of ivy. It 

 is said that the shoots of this shrub should 

 be removed after they have bloomed. 



Probably the earliest hardy shrub is the 

 Japanese witch hazel (Hamamelis Japonica) , 

 which blooms any time from February to 

 April. Its twisted, narrow yellow petals are 

 about the same size and shape as the Amer- 

 ican species. There are two varieties — one 

 with golden, and the other with pale yellow 

 petals. This species is said to be showier 

 than the American witch hazel and to require 

 a more sunny position and less moisture. 

 It may be raised from seeds, which germinate 

 the second year. The bush grows about 

 eight feet high. 



BLOOMING IN MARCH 



The most fragrant and curious-flowered 

 shrubs of March are two bush honeysuckles 

 which attain a height of six feet and have 

 rather small, whitish, two-lipped flowers 

 about half an inch long. These are Lonicera 

 Standishi and L. fragrantissima. The flowers, 

 which are borne in pairs, are not at all showy, 

 but it is very pleasant while strolling about 

 the grounds on the first mild day of March 

 to be greeted suddenly with a delightful 

 fragrance and to see these weird, surprising 

 flowers. In England, they are grown against 

 walls and I presume we could get them in 

 February by doing so. Doubtless, twigs 

 could be had indoors in February by simply 

 putting them in a vase of water in January. 

 I have seen both these shrubs but cannot say 

 whether there is any choice between them. 

 L. fragrantissima has long, slender, recurving 

 branches, while those of L. Standishi are 

 spreading, and the latter species is the hardier. 



The best hardy, yellow-flowered shrub that 

 blooms before the forsythia is the cornelian 

 cherry (Cornus Mas), which differs from 

 all the other dogwoods in having its flowers 

 crowded into opposite umbels which have an 

 involucre, but not a showy one, as is the 

 case of the flowering dogwood. The flowers 

 are much smaller than those of the forsythia 

 and therefore less showy, but the whole bush 

 is covered with them, making a sort of 



