Spring is the time of the year when nature truly amazes with a wealth of beauty in the form of flowering trees and shrubs. After a long, cold and, of course, unusual winter such as Long Beach has just experienced, know that spring has finally arrived when these trees suddenly burst into glorious bloom. There is room in-almost every yard for at least one or more of the ornamental flowering trees and every shrub border has a place for several of the early spring flowering shrubs.

Of the flowering trees easily grown and readily adaptable to every part of California, the most widely planted are the flowering peaches, which produce a great profusion of bloom. These trees are available in double red, rose pink or white flowers. They are not only a source of great admiration in the garden, but supply great armfuls of magnificent, colored flower sprays for indoor decoration.

The flowering cherries are spectacular when they burst into bloom. Two leading varieties are the Kwanzan, a deep pink, and Mount Fuji, with light pink flowers. Another outstanding flowering tree is the flowering crabapple, a small, symmetrical tree that fits readly into the home garden. Probably the best known variety is. the Bechtels, which has double rose flowers, but there are other very fine varieties with flowers of deeper color.

Among other flowering trees are the flowering thorns and flowering plums. Of the deciduous flowering shrubs, the flowering quince is a foremost garden beautifier. This shrub starts blooming with the first signs of warm weather. Each twig is full of deep pink buds which suddenly burst into big blooms of apple blossom pink, rosy red or white, depending on variety.

In direct contrast to this is the brilliant yellow Forsythia, a shrub of medium growth, that becomes a mass of golden yellow flowers at the first sign of warm weather.

Another very showy spring shrub is the flowering almond, the twigs and branches of which are literacy covered with dainty little pink double flowers continuing for two to three weeks. They are grand for cutting and indoor decoration.

For spectacular later spring bloom, the Weigela are unequaled for show. The huge clusters of gleaming red or waxy pink tubular flowers sparkle against a background of intense green foliage. Both the rose pink and the dark red varieties are exceptionally showy.

These are only a few of the early blooming shrubs and trees that are the true harbingers of spring that you will find carried by your local nurseryman.