SORREL. The prettier of the two groups of plants that are called sorrel is the little wood sorrel, or sour grass. It grows in shady woods, in lawns, and gardens throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It has dainty white or yellow flowers. Sometimes it is cultivated for its pleasantly acid, clover like leaves. These are used in flavoring soups, sauces, and salads. Usually, however, the sorrels used for flavoring are the larger plants with arrow shaped leaves. These latter sorrels belong to the buckwheat family. The best known are the common sorrel, which grows wild in meadows, the French sorrel, which is the species most usually cultivated, and the sheep, or red sorrel, which bears hundreds of tiny red fruits. Because its underground stems are wide spreading, it is a troublesome weed. It may be controlled, however, by cultivating the land and applying lime.

Snowball, also called European cranberry bush or Guelder rose, is a handsome shrub of the honeysuckle family. It produces large, ball-shaped white flowers that grow in clusters. The plant is believed to be native to the Dutch province of Gelderland. Today, it is often grown in parks and lawns in the United States. It is a cultivated form of high bush cranberry and grows from 7 to 12 feet (2.1 to 3.7 meters) tall. The flowers of the cultivated species are sterile and do not produce fruit, but a wild variety bears juicy, red berries.

Scientific classification. The snowball is in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. It is Viburnum opulus. Snowdrop is the name of a group of flowering plants native Europe, the Middle East, and western Asia. Some species, including the common snowdrop of Europe, are commonly grown in gardens. Snowdrops bear nodding, white, bell-shaped flowers. Snowdrops are one of the earliest spring flowers, and they sometimes during warm spells in midwinter. Some snow-drops bloom in the fall. The common snowdrop is sometimes called the Fair Maid of February. Snowdrops grow from a small bulb that produces two or three narrow leaves and a flower stalk. The stalk of the common snowdrop usually grows from 4 to 9 inches (10 to 23 centimeters) tall. Snowdrops are easy to cultivate, and they grow best in partial shade and moist soil. The bulbs are planted 3 to 4 Inches (7.5 to 10 centimeters) deep in the fall. The plants multiply each year, and a few bulbs may eventually produce large clumps of snowdrops.

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