Dreer’s Choice Hardy Shrubs 
NOTE.—Shrubs will be shipped on receipt of orders, or as soon as they 
can be dug, unless instructed to the contrary, and can only be sent. by 
Freight or Express, at purchaser’s expense. They are too heavy and large 
to be sent by mail. No charge for boxes, packing or delivery to express, 
freight or steamship lines in Philadelphia. 
SHRUBS are as much a part of the well-balanced garden as the lawn or 
flower borders. Many of them are as decorative as any ornamental foliage plant, 
while others are highly useful as cut flowers, and a well-arranged planting pre- 
sents an attractive appearance throughout the entire year. 
Shrubs have many uses, such as a dividing line between the flower and vege- 
table garden, or between the lawn and uncultivated land beyond; as a back- 
ground to a flower border; for hiding an unsightly building, fence or foundation; 
or they may be planted in a mixed shrubbery border, in which case those of short, 
dense growth should be planted along the front of the border, graduating to the 
tall-growing kinds at the back. 
Thorough preparation of the soil by spading, and the addition of a liberal 
quantity of sheep or stable manure or bone meal will be well repaid by strong, 
vigorous, healthy growth. All the attention necessary to such a border would 
be occasional cultivation to keep down weeds, and a little top-dressing of manure 
or bone meal in the late fall to keep up the fertility of the border. In planting, 
care should be taken not to overcrowd, allowing sufficient room for future 
development, and unless an immediate effect is wanted —in which case they may 
be planted closer and some of them moved when necessary—the majority of the 
~dwarf-growing kinds may be set about 3 feet apart, the tall, strong growers 
about 5 feet apart. 
Shrubs of all kinds should be planted in spring as soon as frost is out and the 
ground in workable condition. This gives them a chance to make some root 
growth before hot weather comes; and, while it is quite possible to plant shrubs 
up until the beginning of May, they will not do as well as if planted earlier. ABELIA CHINENSIS GRANDIFLORA. 
Deciduous Shrubs of all kinds may be planted directly after the first frost in 
fall, usually about October 15th in the latitude of Philadelphia, and as there are six weeks of good weather after that date, and less 
to do at that time than in the spring, it is well to take advantage of the conditions in the autumn. 
The question of when and how to prune Shrubs is one that is frequently asked, and as no hard and fast rule can be given, we 
can but indicate in a general way what should be done. All Shrubs that blossom before midsummer, such as Deutzias, Forsythias, 
Lilacs, Philadelphus, Weiglias, etc., produce their flowers on the growth of wood made the previous year. To prune these in spring 
would be to destroy most of the flowers for that season. These, therefore, should have any necessary pruning done immediately 
after fowering. Varieties which blossom after midsummer produce their blooms on wood made the same season. This class includes 
such kinds as Altheas, Desmodiums, Hydrangeas, etc., and these should be pruned in early spring. In our judgment, Shrubs are 
as a rule pruned too much, all the pruning, or rather trimming, that is necessary being just enough to keep the plant in nice sym: 
metrical shape, care of course being taken to cut out all dead wood, and removing sufficient surplus growth, if any, to admit a free 
circulation of air and sunshine to all parts of the plant. 
Abelia Chinensis Grandiflora. A choice, small Shrub of graceful 
habit, producing through the entire summer and fall months white 
tinted lilac heather-like flowers in such abundance as to completely 
cover the plant. 30 cts. each; $3.00 per doz. 
Althea (Rose of Sharon). The Altheas are among the most valu- 
able of our tall hardy Shrubs on account of their late season of 
blooming, which is from August to October, a period when but few 
Shrubs are in flower. They are also extensively used as hedge plants, 
for which they are admirably adapted. We offer the following choice 
sorts: 
Alba plena, Double white, crimson centre. 
Atropurpurea plena. Double purple. 
Ceerulea plena. Double blue. 
Duchess de Brabant. Double dark red. 
Folia Variegata. Leaves variegated green and white. 
Grandiflora superba. Double blush, carmine centre. 
Jeanne d’Arc. Double pure white. 
Rubis. Splendid single red. 
Totus Albus. Fine single pure white; very desirable. 
Violacea plena. Double rosy lilac. 
25 cts. each. Set of ten varieties, $2.00. 
Amorpha Fruticosa (Hulse Indigo). A strong-growing Shrub, 
from 6 to7 feet high, with finger-like spikes of indigo-colored flowers, 
three or more spikes in a cluster; blooms early in June. 25 cts. each. 
ALTHEA ALBA PLENA. 
SPECIAL PRICES. When wanted in quantity we will supply any of the sorts priced at 25 cts. each for $15.00 per 100, eae ey 
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