Buck Brush, Ceanothus.—North American species of the buckthorn family. Yellow or blue flowers in terminal clusters, small shrub.
Butterfly Bush, Buddleia Variabilis Magnifica.—This is advertised highly as an ever bloomer, beginning in early spring and continuing until frost. Hardy except in extreme Northern states.
Cinque Foil, Potentilla fruticosa.—Three to 4 feet. Hardy native shrub. Bright yellow flowers.
Cherries, Prunus.—The native plums and cherries are nearly all so small as to be called shrubs. They are worthy of planting for ornamental purpose. The sand cherries are natives of the western sandhill regions; P. besseyi, and P. pumila are excellent. For massing the common chokecherry is one of the best small trees known, the flowers are beautiful and the fruit is excellent food for the birds.
Coral Berry, Indian Currant, Symphoricarpus vulgaris.—Common native shrub, graceful, and holds through the winter bright little red berries. Two to 3 feet high.
Currant.—See [Ribes].
Dogwood, Cornus, several species.—About thirty species distributed over the Northern Hemisphere. Chiefly shrubs, all hardy and ornamental, handsome foliage, stems, flowers, and fruits. The unfortunate name “dogwood” seems to have been fastened upon these beautiful plants because a decoction of the astringent bark was used to wash mangy dogs.[220] The dogwoods are mostly shrubs, except three or four species in the Southern states. Some of the smaller ones were called Kinnikinick[221] by the Indians, applied to at least the red osier (C. stolonifera) and the silky cornel (C. amomum). The highly colored red and purple stems give them a striking appearance in the winter. In the summer the foliage bright green in some, grayish green in others, the white flowers and white berries changing to blue, always prominent even after the foliage has taken on gorgeous coloring in autumn, makes them stand out prominently from other bushes in their neighborhood. By all means let the dog-woods be preserved by planting along not too dry places in our roadways. The species especially desirable are, in addition to the two mentioned, C. baileyi, C. sericea, C. mas, C. sanguinea, and C. horida.
Daphne.—D. mezereum, a low shrub, 1 to 3 feet, with rose-colored flowers. D. cneorum, a hardy evergreen shrub from Europe.
Deutzia.—Not quite hardy in the North. There are several species.
Elder.—The common elder, Sambucus canadensis, is a rapid-growing plant with ornamental qualities of high rank. Its pinnately compound leaves, its beautiful little lacy flowers which combine into broad compound cymes giving them a very showy appearance, and its fruit—small berries in the same showy cyme bunches—make it worthy the notice of road gardeners. The golden elders give bright color but are probably freaky. In the South the Mexican elder (S. mexicana) grows into a tree 30 feet high. Likewise the pale elder (S. glanca) on the Pacific coast; it is said to grow 50 feet tall in Oregon. The fruit of the elder is edible; is used for wine and pies.