Our Flowering Shrubs, and How to Know Them

Step into a compact yet richly illustrated guide that invites anyone with a curiosity for garden shrubs to learn their names and distinguishing features. The author organizes the material by family, offering clear, concise descriptions of each plant’s foliage, blossom color, and preferred habitats. Sixty black‑and‑white photographs by a skilled naturalist accompany the text, giving readers reliable visual cues for field identification. Written in an early‑20th‑century style, the tone remains straightforward and approachable.

Beyond the familiar barberries and laurel‑leaved cistus, the book surveys more exotic shrubs such as the Mexican orange‑flower, blue mountain sweet, and various species of indigo and spiræa, each noted with blooming season and color. Practical advice on growing conditions helps gardeners decide which shrubs suit a sunny border, a shady terrace, or a rock garden. Though intended for amateurs, the systematic layout also serves students of botany who need a dependable reference for field work. The compact volume makes a handy companion for walks in parks, countryside lanes, or any green space where flowering shrubs thrive.