54 THE BOOK OF THE WILD GARDEN 



feet. In July it perfects its great spreading bloom- 

 panicles, often over a foot in length and of an ivory- 

 white hue. Its foliage is very ornamental, being large 

 and deeply-cut, and when in full flower it presents a 

 beautiful picture. S. media, better known as S. confusa, 

 forms a dense bush, eight feet or more in height, which 

 in the month of May is white with clusters of snowy 

 flowers. It thrives best if planted in a partially-shaded 

 site. 



Staphylea colchica. — An attractive shrub bearing droop- 

 ing clusters of white flowers in the summer. A native 

 of the Caucasus. It grows to a height of ten feet. 

 S. trifolia is much inferior to the foregoing. 



Syringa. — Lilac. One of the most delightful of our 

 spring-blooming shrubs, scenting the May air with its 

 delicate perfume. The common Lilac is the kind most 

 generally met with, and is as sweet as any, although its 

 flower-clusters are smaller than those of some of the 

 later introductions, amongst the best of which are Marie 

 Legrange, single white, Madame Lemoine, double white, 

 and Souvenir de Louis Spath, deep purple-rose. The 

 Persian Lilac has smaller leaves and flower-clusters than 

 the common Lilac, but is a pretty bush and a very free 

 bloomer. It is a hybrid between S. vulgaris and the 

 cut-leaved Lilac, S. laciniata. 



Viburnum plicatum. — Japanese Guelder Rose. A grace- 

 ful shrub having its shoots thickly set throughout their 

 length with large, snow-white flower-trusses. V. macro- 

 cephalum, with larger but fewer trusses, is less hardy. 

 The common Guelder Rose of gardens is V. opulus 

 steri/is. 



Weigela. — Syn. Diervilla. Pretty, summer-flowering 

 shrubs. Those most commonly met with have rose- 

 coloured flowers, but many good varieties have been 

 raised of late years, of which some of the best are nivea, 

 white, Eva Rathke, maroon, and Abel Carriere, carmine. 



