The Crepe Myrtle is an ideal flowering shrub for Southern gardens. It has many color variations from white to rosy lilac, but the clear pink is perferable 
Flowering Shrubs for the Middle South-j m patterson.s. 
[Editors’ Note: — The planting season for deciduous shrubs in the South extends from October all through the winter until the “sap begins to 
rise” in March. Probably the very best time is November and the latter part of October — any time, indeed, before the ground freezes and the weather 
is still open is the planting season for the Southern gardener.] 
M any of the most popular flowering 
shrubs of theNorth easily grow to per- 
fection in the Middle South. Those 
commonly found in old-fashioned 
gardens, such as the various Spireas, Lilacs, 
Syringas, Cydonia, Snowballs, Weigela, For- 
sythia, Magnolia stellata and Soulangeana, all 
bloom in early spring pre- 
ceded by the yellow Jasmine 
(Jasminum nudiflorum) and 
the Fragrant Bush-honey- 
suckle, blooming in January 
and February. 
Of the native plants for 
April and May the Haw- 
thorns, the Fringe Tree 
(Chionanthus virginiana), 
the Dogwood (C o r n u s 
florida) and the Judas or 
Red bud (Cercis canadensis) 
respond readily to cultiva- 
tion and make effective 
plantings on lawns either in 
groups or as individual 
specimens, and thus allowed 
to develop wdl grow into 
trees. 
There is thus a succession 
of bloom during the first 
months of the year until 
June, but there are few 
shrubs which bloom 
throughout the summer 
months. 
June, however, has the Elder (Sambucus), 
a graceful bush in form and valuable for its 
beautiful leaves as well as its white flowers of 
lace-like design. 
The old-fashioned garden was not complete 
without a Smoke Bush (Rhus Cotinus) which 
blooms in such masses in June that at a dis- 
tance the pinkish-gray flowers appear quite 
like a cloud of smoke. 
These old time favorites grow so luxuriantly 
that they sometimes attain a height of twelve 
or fifteen feet, in as much as eight or ten 
years; so in planting the shrubbery border 
this fact should be taken into consideration. 
The Magnolias, Lilacs, 
Smoke Bush, Snowballs, 
Laburnum vulgare. Haw- 
thorn, Elder, Dogwood, 
Fringe Tree and the Frag- 
rant Lonicera grow to a re- 
spectable height in a few 
years. So much for theVell 
known shrubs. There are 
otherswhich arequite hardy 
which have not the con- 
sideration that is their due. 
The Rose Acacia, com- 
monly called Pink Locust, 
apparently long since for- 
gotten, with little labor 
grows into graceful shrubs 
and gives a pleasing note of 
color to the lawn with its 
wistaria shaped flowers of a 
lovely rose shade. The in- 
crease of plants is rapid, the 
shoots putting up all around 
the parent shrub and bloom- 
ing the first year. It is 
effective trimmed into a 
standard bush, with its 
Many old gardens of the south have elaborate design, which has been carefully preserved. More flowering 
shrubs are needed 
1.‘57 
I 
