B£gg£^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. 



THE PEANTING AND CARE OF SHRUBS. 



SHRUBS, deciduous and evergreen, 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 

 presents an attractive appearance throughout the 

 entire year. 



Shrubs have many uses; such as a dividing line be- 

 tween the flower and vegetable 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 de- 

 velopment, 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. 



Deciduous Shrubs should be planted in spring as 

 soon as frost is out and the ground in workable con- 

 dition. This gives them a chance to make some root- 

 growth before hot weather comes, and while it is quite 

 possible to plant up until the beginning of May, they 

 ■will not do as well as if planted earlier. 



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 gen- 

 eral way what should be done. 



All Shrubs that blossom before midsummer, such as 

 Deutzias, Forsythias, Lilacs, Philadelphus, Weigelias, 

 etc., produce their flowers on the growth of wood made the 

 previous year. To prune these in fall or spring would be to 

 destroy most of the flowers for that season. These, therefore, 

 should have any necessary pruning done immediately after 

 flowering. Varieties which blossom after midsummer produce 

 their blooms on wood made the same season. This class in- 



Althea William R. Smith 



eludes 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 symmetrical 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 abund- 

 ance as to completely cover the plant. (Illustrated on page 

 246.) 25 cts. each; $2.50 per doz. 



Althea [Hose of Sharon). The Altheas are among the most 

 valuable 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. 



— Ccerulea plena. Double blue. 



— Duchess de Brabant. Double dark red. 



— Foliis Variegatis. Leaves variegated green and white. 



— Jeanne d'Arc. Double pure white. 



— Lady Stanley. Double blush-white with crimson centre. 



— Rubis. Single, deep crimson. 



— Totus AlbllS. Fine single pure white, very desirable. 



25 cts. each. Set of 8 varieties, $1.75 



New Giant-flowered Althea 

 WIEEIAM R. SMITH. 



One of our own introductions which we are now offering for 

 the first time. It has been named in honor of the late William 

 R. Smith, who for over half a century was the head of the 

 Botanical Gardens at Washington, D. C. 



The habit of the plant is ideal, naturally forming attractive, 

 symmetrical, bushy specimens, while the glistening pure white 

 flowers are of giant size compared to all other sorts, being fully 

 4 inches in diameter under ordinary cultivation, and open out 

 flat or salver-shaped quite different from the older types which 

 only partially expand; these large, showy flowers are produced 

 in great profusion from early in July until late in September, 

 and are very conspicuous at a period when comparatively few 

 Shrubs are in bloom. Strong one-year-old plants, 50 cts. each; 

 $5.00 per doz. 



We will supply all Shrubs priced at 25 cts. each for $2.50 per doz.; $18.00 per 100 



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