A CYCLE OF CONTINUOUS BLOOM 
177 
is not in bloom. Starting with shrubs and vines we can have 
blooms from January to October, and berries and autumn leaves 
from October to Christmas. It is true that shrubs such as Pyrus 
Japonica and Forsythia, if tempted by a warm January to burst 
into bloom, will be severely nipped and set back one month as 
punishment for their impatient spirit. But the sweet Bush Honey¬ 
suckle, undismayed by freezing temperature, comes out and stays 
out on naked branches without even the protection of leaves. 
On a sunshiny day in early February we see a glint of yellow in 
our still leafless borders—the Jasmine nudiflorum coming into 
bloom. Soon its long sprays with their star-like blossoms form a 
golden shower, the first gay harbinger of Spring. 
This is the time when the Pyrus Japonica in small, tight buds 
can be brought into the house where they will open in lovely shades 
of white, flesh and deep pink and can be used effectively alone or 
with Pussy Willow’s brown stems and gray velvety buds. Soon the 
buds of the early Lilac burst. The Almond and Pear trees, Peach 
and Wild Plum send out their fragrance, and the Japanese Plum 
(Prunus japonica—Pissardi) with its feathery white sprays and 
dark copper foliage and stems make one of the loveliest pictures 
of early Spring. 
March sees the Red Bud pass from lavender-pink in bud to 
ashes-of-roses in bloom. Then follows the procession of shrubs, the 
white clusters of the Blackhaw, pink and white flowering Peach, 
the flowering Almond, the dainty Kerria japonica, the Spiraea Van 
Houttei, the Weigelia, Deutzia, Tamarix africana, Flowering Wil¬ 
low, Parkinsonia and Poinciana. 
Genista hispanica ("Scotch Broom”), which grows radiantly in 
our climate, is nothing less than the wild Genista of Italy and the 
"Planta Genet” of France, once the emblem of the royal house of 
England. It blooms all through May, giving way to that other 
shrub of Spain, the Pomegranate, with its brilliant blossoms and 
fruit. 
The Crape Myrtle begins blooming in June in soft, pale colors 
that are soothing in our Summer heat. 
The most regal plant that grows in this latitude is the Magnolia 
For Inter¬ 
mediate 
Bloom 
Mid-Season 
Bloom 
Summer 
Blooming 
Shrubs 
