96 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



March, 1914 



think so. When the rainfall is de- 

 ficient and the weather scorching hot, 

 the snowberry always looks green and 

 cool and graceful, and remains so 

 until the end of the growing season. 

 It does well in the shade and also in 

 the sunshine. Its white fruit is borne 

 in abundance all summer, and after 

 such a good year's work it can be 

 pardoned for not keeping up the dis- 

 play all winter. 



Some prefer the red fruited coral 

 berry or Indian currant (S. vulgaris) , 

 which is a good little native shrub, 

 and may be used as a low hedge 

 plant if desired. 



It is a pity that the Japanese bar- 

 berry (B. Thunbergii) is not entirely 

 hardy in the coldest climates. In northern 

 Iowa, where the temperature frequently 

 falls 25 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit, and 

 sometimes even lower, it is giving the best 

 satisfaction of any hedge plant introduced 

 in recent years. The Minnesota Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station, however, reports 

 that it is badly damaged there in severe 

 winters, unless given some protection. 



After the failures of California privet, 

 Althea, Japanese quince, etc., in severe 

 climates, the Japanese barberry has re- 

 ceived an especially warm welcome. 



There is no month of the year when the 

 Japanese barberry is not attractive. It is 

 one of the earliest shrubs to start into leaf, 

 remaining green until fall, when its foliage 

 turns to red and rivals the sumac. Its 

 flowers are inconspicuous, but in winter 

 quantities of red berries hang to the 

 branches. Little pruning is required, ex- 

 cept to cut back the long straggling canes 

 that occasionally appear. It does not 

 stand drought as well as some of the larger 

 shrubs. This barberry does not ordi- 



The spireas are real gems and flower in all sorts of places. S. Van 

 Houltei is the most popular and blooms equally well in sun or shade 



narily grow more than about four feet high. 

 Plants not less than four years old should 

 be purchased. 



The common barberry (B. vulgaris) and 

 the purple leaf barberry (B. vulgaris, var. 

 purpurea) also make good hedges if well 

 grown. They are much larger than the 

 Japanese species. 



OTHER GOOD SHRUBS 



The red osier dogwood (Cornus stoloni- 

 fera) is an excellent native shrub that grows 

 from 3 to 6 feet high. It bears white 

 flowers in June, but is valued chiefly for 

 its bright red bark in winter, which adds a 

 most pleasing touch to the landscape. 

 Cornus Siberica is also an excellent variety 

 of red dogwood, and is the only one I grow. 



Two other splendid native shrubs are 

 the common elder and the sumacs. They 

 are best suited to large estates. There is 

 nothing more beautiful than the fall display 

 of sumac in the parks and along the country 

 road. There are still other good native 

 shrubs, and a list of the best varieties for 



any particular state may usually be 

 obtained by writing to the Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station. 



Tamarisk (T. Amurensis) is an ex- 

 cellent and graceful shrub that is a 

 mass of delicate foliage and pink flow- 

 ers in the spring. It also bears some 

 flowers throughout the summer. It 

 seldom or never root kills, but the 

 ends of some branches kill back 

 during severe winters, so that consid- 

 erable pruning is required when the 

 shrub starts to grow in the spring. 

 Tamarisk requires a location on the 

 lawn all by itself, as it does not mix 

 well with other trees or shrubs. It 

 grows rapidly and becomes one of 

 the largest of all the shrubs. It will 

 prosper in almost any location, but is 

 especially at home on a terrace or side 

 hill. When first planted, it is well to cut 

 it back to within a foot of the ground. 



Deutzia (D. gracilis) is a very beautiful 

 little shrub, with racemes of white flowers. 

 In severe winters it often kills back to the 

 ground, but it quickly outgrows the injury 

 and is worth trying. 



Weigela (Diervilla rosea) bears large 

 clusters of rose-colored flowers in June. 

 It is a satisfactory shrub if well grown. 

 Though not one of the "iron-clads" that 

 defy the cold, it needs only slight protec- 

 tion to escape injury in very severe winters. 

 Other weigelas are too tender. One great 

 merit of the weigelas is that they grow 

 well and flower freely in shaded places, 

 even under the shadows of big trees. 



The rugosa rose has become a great 

 favorite in the cold northwest. This 

 splendid shrub, unlike roses in general, 

 requires little attention. Blanc Double de 

 Coubert, a Rosa rugosa hybrid, has done 

 exceptionally well in my own garden; 





Deutzia gracilis needs protection above ground where there is no snow. 



covers if hurt however 



It quickly re- 



The old mock orange or syringa (Philadelphus coronarius) has fragrance, 

 full sunshine and plenty of water yet grows in shade, too 



Likes 



