The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Landscape Gardening

RUBUS ODORATTS.—The flowering raspberry is one of the most useful and neglected of native shrubs. It should generally be used in small masses for the emphasis which its large, striking foliage gives. Three to five feet. Other brambles are very useful in many places.

SALIX, Willow.—Most of the willows tend to be trees rather than shrubs, but many of them can be grown as shrubs if severely cut back. They are especially desirable for the delicate gray-greens which they give in spring, and some of them for the brightness of their twigs in winter. Salix vitellina of horticulturists has beautiful bright golden twigs. S. lucida is especially remarkable for its shining foliage. The so-called weeping willows grafted in the top of a straight trunk are to be avoided.

SPIREAS form, on the whole, the finest and most useful group of shrubs we have. Their hardiness, thrift, grace, iloriferousness, all recommend them. Probably the best one is the horticulturist's Spirca van houttei, sometimes called Bridal Wreath. No grounds anywhere ought to lack this. Then come S. prunifolia and S. hypcricifolia. The former has specially beautiful foliage. The latter is much like a small edition of Van Houtt. S. thunbergi is small (one to three feet) and very delicate and graceful in growth and in foliage, but not fully hardy northward.

SYMPHORICARPUS RACEMOSUS, Snowberry. — A good native shrub, with white berries in autumn. Two to five feet. S. vulgaris, Coral berry or Indian currant, is very common in the central and western states and is well worth planting. It is graceful of growth and bears quantities of persistent bright red berries. Two to five feet.

VIBURNUM OPULUS, Snowball or Guelder rose.— This is a fine, strong-growing shrub giving abundant white blossoms. Other viburnums arc also desirable, as V. plicatum, V. lantanoides, V. tomentosuum, V. dentatum, V. cassanoides, etc.