ORNAMENTAL •SHRUBS • ^•SU^Sft Bra 1 LUCIUS D.DAVIS. MAIN LIE 'CULTURE DEJ»T. ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS ORNAMENTALJSWRUBS o • * • :...., .,»»e, FOR GARDEN, LAWN, AND PARK PLANTING WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN, CAPABILITIES, AND ADAPTATIONS OF THE NUMEROUS SPECIES AND VARIE- TIES, NATIVE AND FOREIGN, AND ESPECIALLY OF THE NEW AND RARE SORTS, SUITED TO CULTIVATION IN THE UNITED STATES BY LUCIUS D. DAVIS FULLY ILLUSTRATED G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON "Knickerbocker press 1899 SB4S5 COPYRIGHT, 1899 BY LUCIUS D. DAVIS Entered at Stationers' Hall, London MAIN LIBRARY ./•o«*— «» -»•«**»»: DEPT. Ube Tknicfcerbocfcer press, flew PREFACE AS this is not designed to be a scientific treatise, no attempt is made at strictly botanical classification or description. What is written is more especially for the large number of people who, though interested in plants and flowers, have little or no knowledge of botany, and neither time nor inclination to acquire it. It is not intended by this statement, however, to give support to a somewhat common opinion that the lessons of botany are useless or uninviting, for few studies can be, to a genuine lover of nature, more attractive or even fascinating. In nearly all cases the popular names of plants are given in connection with those by which they are scientifically known throughout the civilized world. Botanical terms and phrases are employed in description only when it is believed they will interest and assist the ordinary reader, rather than tend to his embarrassment. It is certainly worth something to those who admire trees, shrubs, and flowers to know their scientific as well as their common names, and, to some extent, their origin and history. It is as a help to such knowledge, the want of which is sorely felt by many, that these pages have been written and are now given to the public. Much that is contained herein is gathered from the writings of those who have iii 517225 iv Preface. gone before, including recognized authorities whose works are valuable chiefly to those who, like their authors, are learned in botanical studies. But dependence has not been made on these alone. The volume has been pre- pared in Newport, R. I., America's great summer resort, which in its magnificent villa and cottage grounds is almost literally a city of gardens and flowers. Here per- haps more than anywhere else in America are to be found in practical use the combined horticultural treasures of the world. These famous gardens derive their chief beauty and glory from what are known as hardy plants. In almost every instance the chief reliance for both flowers and foliage is upon shrubs and herbaceous perennials. The author has improved the opportunity of studying the pro- cesses of growth and cultivation on most of these estates from their inception to their present proportions, and is thus able to write largely from personal observation and study of the living specimens in all stages of their growth. Here are to be found the newer as well as the older hardy exotics from all parts of the world, where such have been grown alongside our native plants and their relative merits fully determined. All those which have withstood the tests of experience are here brought under review, and their especial characteristics noted so far as practicable in the space allotted ; it being the purpose to cover the whole field especially of the hardy shrubs, old or new, adapted to useful and ornamental planting. It is well understood that botany deals chiefly with fixed forms, as represented by orders, genera, and species, Preface. v and that it takes little or no note of such varieties as are constantly making their appearance throughout the world. For this there is good reason from a scientific standpoint, but when it comes to the practical use of plants in general cultivation it is found that many of the species thus treated have given forth varieties, through processes well understood, that are far more valuable for the work in hand than the originals, and such as are com- ing, in a large measure, to displace them. A very large proportion of the plants in the best gardens of Europe and America belong to the latter class, many of which are not even named by the scientists — much less described. To these especial attention is given, as for horticultural purposes they are of great value. It is true that much has been written in a fragmentary way concerning these varietal forms, but this is believed to be the first attempt to gather and publish in a single volume an account of the wonderful evolutions in connection with the several types so far as they are of practical use in our gardens and parks. There are also many excellent books in the hands of the people, or at their command, treating of the plants of certain sections of the world, each complete in itself, but regardless of their value in horticulture or of the uses to which they may be put. All this is in the direct line of scientific inquiry, and such books are of the highest possible value, but fail to meet the call for information which comes from the man with grounds to plant, and who is neither a botanist nor versed in horticulture. Though the attempt is here made to describe in brief the desirable forms indigenous to other countries as well vi Preface. as our own, so far as they are in use among us and appli- cable to the wants of American horticulture, there will still be left large possibilities for the future. New varie- ties are springing up and new forms appearing every year, both by natural processes and through the skilful work of the hybridizers and gardeners, who are ever on the look- out for new things in this line. These processes will go on in the future as they have in the past, and it may well be believed that the possibilities are limitless in this direction. Acknowledgments are due to Messrs. Elwanger & Barry of Rochester, N. Y. ; The Gardening Company, and the publishers of Park and Cemetery of Chicago ; E. L. Beard of Boston, and W. C. Egan of Highland Park, for several valuable plates and photographs used in illustrating this volume. L. D. D. NEWPORT, R. I., February, 1899. ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS. KALMIA — Mountain Laurel. THE kalmias, or laurels, are among the most beauti- ful plants in cultivation. They constitute a small genus of the order Ericacecz, which was named by Linnaeus in honor of Peter Kalm, who was at one time his favorite pupil, and, later, a traveller and distinguished botanist. They are all of American origin, and may be found over a large extent of territory ranging from Canada to Florida. But five or six species are known, and not many established varieties, though there are some forms so near the border between the two as to make it difficult to draw the line with certainty. K. latifolia — Calico Bush. — This is the well-known mountain laurel, which is indigenous to New England and even much farther north, and may therefore be put down as perfectly hardy and easily grown throughout the north and northwestern States and Territories. It is found high up among the New Hampshire mountains and often in most inhospitable situations, as well as upon the Alle- ghany ranges and Georgia hillsides. In protected situa- tions, it sometimes grows to a height of fifteen to twenty Ornamental Shrubs. feet, but as usually seen, its proportions are very much less. It has a slender stem, with branches in twos or threes in imperfect whorls. The leaves are scattered, though often in tufts, from two to four inches long, rather narrow, acute at each extremity, glossy green, coriaceous, and continuing during the winter even in the coldest cli- mates. Few or no plants produce more lovely blossoms, which appear in June and July, and in thus follow- ing the rhododendrons and most of the azaleas, are of the most effective service in keeping up a succession. They are in terminal heads on flower stalks an inch or more long. The color of the corolla varies from a pure white to a rich rose, with numerous shadings be- tween the two. The border of the tube is painted with a waving, rosy line, and the pen- cilling is as delicate as can well be conceived. The wonder is that a shrub of so great hardiness and such charming flower is not planted much more largely than it is. It is more easily grown than the rhododendron and is in no- wise less desirable. It is suggested that the difficulty ex- perienced in removing plants from the woods to private grounds, and the many failures in that direction, have created the impression that it is unusually fickle and cannot be depended upon. But, as a matter of fact, it is no more so BROAD-LEAVED LAUREL. (KALMIA LATI FOLIA.) Kalmia — Mountain Laurel. 3 than numerous others of the best and most common plants in our gardens. If one will go to the nurseryman instead of the woods, he will find very little difficulty in this direc- tion. Kalmias properly grown and trained yield as kindly to removal as do most other plants, and can be handled as safely. Nicholson pronounces this " one of the most useful, elegant, and attractive of dwarf flowering shrubs." K. angustifolia, or narrow-leaved laurel, is a low ever- green plant, usually from one to three feet high, and is often found growing in bunches or paths in moist or low grounds, where it is deemed especially undesirable by the farmer or herdsman who considers it poisonous to calves or lambs. So common is this impression that in many sections it is known as the lamb-kill or sheep-kill plant. It is claimed by some good authorities that the foliage is not poisonous at all, and that the ill effects ascribed to it come from the fact that the foliage is quite indigestible, and thus fatal at times to young and tender animals. This is all the more probable from the fact that we seldom or never hear complaints of fatalities in the case of cattle or sheep of mature years, which, it is to be presumed, feed on the leaves as freely as do their young. In this little shrub the flowers are in lateral corymbs, and in from three to twelve whorls to each spike. They are purple and crimson, and appear in early summer. The London Garden says that K. angustifolia should always be planted in rhododendron beds so as to keep up a suc- cession of flowers, and mentions three sorts which may well be used for such a purpose. There are several pretty varieties, one of which, the nana, makes an excellent pot 4 Ornamental Shrubs. plant. It grows but six to eight inches high. K. glauca is another dwarf of from one to two feet, having lilac-pur- ple flowers, and leaves with revolute edges, long and narrow, green on the upper side and glaucous white be- neath. It is a handsome little shrub, and can be used to advantage in many situations. K. hirsuta is an extreme southern species, ranging from South Virginia to Florida, and is said to be found also on the island of Cuba. The flowers are rose-colored, and appear later than the others. It is not of much worth, however, for garden purposes. DEUTZIA. THE deutzias constitute a genus of the order Saxi- fragece, and are mostly natives of Japan and the Himalaya Mountains, though it is believed that they are also indigenous to northern China and perhaps other portions of Asia. None of the species is found in Europe or America as native of the soil. They received their name in honor of Johann Deutz, a Dutch naturalist, whose memory as a botanist is thereby carried to succeed- ing generations. Nearly all are hardy shrubs, with rough bark, axillary flowers, and leaves mostly ovate, acuminate, serrate, and more or less scabrous. Though hardy, some of the smaller members of the group are suited to forcing under glass, by which process they are made to produce beautiful flowers at arty season of the year desired, and in great abundance. When introduced to Europe they were received with much favor and were soon widely dis- tributed, as was also the case in our own country, where they still occupy an important place in garden and park Deutzia. planting. The genus is not large, but the number of varieties is constantly increasing, some of which are in marked distinction from the type. D. crenata is now described as the type from which several others, heretofore classed as distinct species, are recognized simply as varieties. It is a fine shrub six to eight feet high, and often throwing up several stems from the same root, the whole forming a well-proportioned head quite as broad as its height. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate, serrulate, somewhat rigid or stiff, and rough to the touch. The flowers are white, in racemes or panicles, and very pretty. It was at one time largely planted, but in later years has given way to some of its varieties which have been found to possess all its good qualities with some others in addition. D. c. candidissima plena is one of these, of which scarcely too much can be said in praise. The white blossoms are double and so numerous that the bush in its flowering season has the appearance of a mass of small rosettes. D. scabra has long been spoken of as a species, but is now counted as another variety of the crenata. It, too, is a good plant, having single flowers, white within, and marked with pink or purple on the out- side of the calix. D. waterii has also been claimed as DEUTZIA CRENATA. Ornamental Shrubs. a species, but is now generally held to be a varietal form. The flowers are double, pinkish-white, opening nearly flat like a rose, and of larger size than in most of the other forms. As it is still rare the full value of the shrub in its adaptations to various localities is not yet determined, but the promise is good. All these forms are hardy as well as desirable. D. gracilis is one of the smallest members of the fam- ily, and is widely known in cultivation. It usually grows from two to four feet, with numerous slender branches, which combine in the formation of a symmetrical and well-rounded head. The flowers are small, pure white, and produced in the most luxurious abundance, ranging along the whole length of the stems, and giving the low bush much the appearance of a large bou- quet. They appear in May or early June, leading in this respect most members of the family. There are few plants better adapted to forcing in pots, under glass, or even in a well-warmed and light cellar. For growing in small grounds or fitting into vacancies among larger specimens these low shrubs serve a most valuable purpose. They require but little space, and need only to be cut back to pre- serve a well-balanced head. The plant is a native of Japan. D. parviflora. — This is as yet so little known as to be still classed among the novelties. It is a native of north- ern China, and was carried from the valley of the Amoor DEUTZIA GRA- CILIS. Deutzia. 7 to the Imperial Botanic Garden of St. Petersburg, from which point it has, within a few years, been distributed throughout Europe and America. It grows in clumps, consisting of numerous erect stems or branches from four to six feet in length, which are clothed with dark green leaves, lanceolate, toothed, somewhat wrinkled, and of good substance. The flowers are creamy-white, com- posed of five petals, and without any splashes of color, the bunches somewhat resembling in size and arrangement those of the lilac. They appear a week or two before those of D. gracilis, which has heretofore been supposed to be the earliest as well as most floriferous of all the deutzias, and about a month in advance of most other varieties. D. lemoinei is a hybrid between the gracilis and the parviflora, and was brought out by Monsieur Lemoine, the noted hybridist, who has done so much to add to the pleasures of horticulture and the brilliancy of our gardens. The plant is described as having stouter and more up- right branches than the gracilis, and shorter and more numerous than those of the parviflora. The blossoms are about three quarters of an inch in diameter, and are borne in loose, many-flowered terminal panicles on axillary leafy shoots, with pure white, broadly ovate-rounded, spreading petals and reddish-yellow stamens. This is believed to be an improvement on the almost universally popular D. gracilis, and destined to largely supersede it as it becomes better known. D. discolor, van purpurascens, is, perhaps, the latest hopeful introduction among the deutzias to our country. 8 Ornamental Shrubs. According to Garden and Forest the seeds of this plant were sent to the museum in Paris in 1888, by a French missionary who had discovered it in the Chinese province of Yun-nan. A specimen was secured by the Arnold DEUTZIA-PRIDE OF ROCHESTER. Arboretum at Cambridge, where it has flowered two or three years. It is described as " a shrub of neat, compact habit, two or three feet tall, with slender stems, thin, ovate leaves scabrous on the upper surface, and compact panicles of pale pink flowers." It is not yet known that it will endure our northern winters. The place of its nativity Clethra — Sweet Pepper-Bush. 9 has a semi-tropical climate, and whether suited to New England and the Northwest or not, there appears to be little doubt that it will thrive in the southern and southwestern States, and prove a valuable acquisition. One of the best of the older varieties, known as the Pride of Rochester, was originated and sent out by the well-known firm of nurserymen, Messrs. Ellwanger and Barry, as an offshoot of D. crenata flore pleno. Though but a comparatively recent introduction, its merits are such that it has already become widely and highly appre- ciated. It carries large, double, white flowers, some parts of the petals being slightly tinted with scarlet or rose, and is said to excel all the older sorts in size of flower, length of panicle, profuseness of bloom, and vigorous habit. It comes into flower soon after \hegracilis and a week or two in advance of most of the other forms of deutzia. CLETHRA— Sweet Pepper-Bush. THE clethras are highly ornamental shrubs, though until quite recently they have not received the attention which their merits demand. So far as known, they are all American plants, and most of them suitable for use in our best gardens, where they are now becoming better known and more largely planted than heretofore. The species capable of the best service in the northern States and Canada is C. alnifolia, a small shrub two to four feet high, but in cultivation sometimes reach- ing double those proportions. It is often found in masses, growing in low or wet places, or along the banks of streams, and sometimes in swamps, where the roots are 10 Ornamental Shrubs. submerged in early spring or after heavy rains. But it is known that the plant does equally well, even if not better, in garden soils such as are suitable to the rhododendrons and other peat-loving plants. It grows with a slender, CLETHRA ALNIFOLIA. straight stem, not much branched, the bark being at first light green and downy, but afterward becoming a dark purple and often striped with gray. The leaves are in- versely egg-shaped and slightly pubescent, while the blos- soms are borne in terminal racemes and from the axils of the upper leaves and side shoots. They are large, white, and very showy, and when present in masses never fail to Clethra — Sweet Pepper-Bush. n attract attention. The racemes, which stand erect above the bright, glossy leaves, begin to open in July and con- tinue until October, thus supplying the dullest period of the summer, so far as hardy shrubs are concerned, with abundant blossoms of the highest value. They are withal exceedingly sweet-scented, giving forth an odor not at all disagreeable, but such as makes the plant popularly known as the sweet pepper-bush. It does well in half-shady situations, and cannot be too highly praised for use in landscape work, whether grown in masses or as single specimens. C. acuminata is also a native of the United States, and is often seen growing on the mountains of North Carolina and other similar locations, where it usually appears as a small shrub of from four to six feet. It is not much known to cultivation in this country, though planted in English gardens and on the continent, where it is quite a favorite. It is there spoken of as a plant growing in tree form, and from ten to fifteen feet high. The leaves are more oval than those of the preceding, and more sharply pointed, having a bluish cast above and be- ing slightly glaucous beneath. The flower spikes are large and conspicuous, though not superior to those of alnifolia. C. paniculata is also a good plant, but in nowise superior to those already described, the chief distinction being in the form of the flowers, which are gathered in panicles not quite so compact, and slight differences in the shape of the leaves. C. arborea is a more tender species, and has been long grown in English greenhouses, though it usually thrives when planted outside, if afforded ample 12 Ornamental Shrubs. protection. As it, too, is indigenous to the Carolinas, it is altogether probable that it would be a popular open- garden plant farther south, and it is possibly already more or less in use in that section. It is said it has the disad- vantage of requiring considerable age before coming to perfection as a flowering plant. But, like all the others, it blooms nearly all summer. There are other tender sorts, some of which are prized for cultivation under glass, but none superior to those already named. CALYCANTHUS. THE members of the calycanthus family constitute a small genus of North American plants, mostly confined to the United States, where in their native haunts they are popularly known as Carolina all- spice from the fragrance of their flowers as well as of their foliage. Indeed the whole shrub emits a spicy perfume somewhat resembling camphor, including the stem and more especially the smaller branches when bruised or broken. They are more frequently found along the shady banks of streams where there is plenty of moisture, and in situations protected from severe winds, but prove suf- ficiently robust to maintain themselves in all parts of the temperate zones ; though varying in size and attractiveness according to the positions occupied. They are all interest- ing plants and worthy a place in every considerable collection of shrubs and trees. As under-shrubs they do good service whether planted singly or in masses. C.floridus. — This is the longest- and best-known species and was described by Loudon in his copious notes on the Calycanthus. 13 American sylva. It was introduced to English gardens as early as 1826, where it has since held its own and is still a favorite. The plant forms a small compact bush four to six feet in height, though it is oc- casionally much taller. The foliage is composed of oblong-shaped leaves, deep green, inclined to be coriaceous, and slightly downy. The blossoms are deep blue shad- ing to purple, one and a half inches across, with petals somewhat fleshy. They appear early in spring, remain well into summer, and are quite numerous. Their long continu- ance is very much in their favor. . SWEET-SCENTED SHRUB. Taken all in all, thlS Calycanthus (CALYCANTHUS FLORIDUS.) may be accepted as one of the best of our native shrubs. C. glaucus is, it may be, a less valuable plant, but is possessed of some interesting features that are worthy of notice. It is not so strongly impregnated with the peculiar odor referred to when its leaves or branches are bruised or crushed, but it is still fragrant to a remarkable degree. The flowers are much the same, lurid blue, and of equally long continuance. The leaves are longer, more sharply pointed, and with more marked pubescence. C. Iczvigatus is found growing freely on some of the Pennsylvania mountains, with taper-pointed leaves, bright green and glabrous. The flowers are intense purple and quite showy. Each of these has given off varieties more or less distinct, but scarcely of increased value. 14 Ornamental Shrubs. C. occidentalis is a native of the Pacific coast, and more especially of California, where it grows to a greater size than either of the preceding and is often found nearly or quite twelve feet high. It is there known as the sweet-scented shrub, as in fragrance it is much the same as C. floridus. The foliage is composed of larger leaves, and the flowers are also of greater proportions, being some three inches in diameter and of a deep crimson color. It proves the most showy of all the species and a most desirable plant for garden use. EXOCHORDA— Pearl Bush. r i ^HIS is a genus of but a few species belonging to I the Rosacece and closely related to the spiraeas. It Jl is a native of China and has long been known, though not brought into general cultivation until more re- cently. Its popular name comes from the fact that it is a free bloomer, the flowers being pearly-white, and covering the entire bush. It endures the New England climate, though in the North it usually grows but eight or ten feet, while in the South it often becomes a shrub or tree of twice these propor- tions. Most of the specimens to be found in parks and gardens do not ap- pear at their best, except in the flower- ing season, as they are permitted to EXOCHORDA GRANDIFLORA. * grow without proper pruning. The exochorda is not seen to advantage when out of bloom, un- less it is kept in the form of a compact bush. Left to itself Sambucus — The Elder. 15 it inclines to naked stems and branches and such as are by no means graceful. In fact, as ordinarily grown, its beauty consists only in the numerous large white flowers in April or May ; and these are not of long continuance. It has cer- tainly been overpraised in some of the catalogues, but is well worthy a place in the border or shrubbery. It has been suggested that lower and more bushy plants be grown in front and around it to hide its faults, while securing the full benefit of its blossoms, which alone make it worthy of planting. SAMBUCUS— The Elder. TH E elders are closely related to the viburnums and honeysuckles, which are among the most useful and attractive ornamental plants. There are not far from twenty species belonging to the family, and some of them have done and are still doing good service to mankind as useful plants, while a few, especially of the varieties, are exceedingly beautiful in leaf and blossom. 6". nigra, or black elder, is a native of Britain, and is found growing freely all over the continent, where its fruit has long been much used in the manufacture of wines and the preparation of medicines, and sometimes as an article of food. The regard which was had for this shrub was well expressed by Evelyn when he wrote : " If the medicinal properties of the leaves, bark, berries, etc., were thoroughly known, I cannot tell what our country- men would ail for which he might not fetch a remedy from every hedge, either for sickness or wound." This high estimate of its virtues may not have continued to i6 Ornamental Shrubs. our own times, but the good qualities are still recognized in many directions. In extreme cases the European el- der grows to a height of from twenty to twenty-five feet, with a well-rounded, bushy head half as broad. The flowers are small, white, and in flat cymes five or six inches across, followed by small, black, berry-like fruit, in great abundance. There are several varieties of this species which are especially ornamental in European as well as in American gardens. One of these, 6". n. aurea, golden elder, is one of the very best yellow-foli- age plants in use for decora- tive purposes. The color is solid and far more perma- nent than with many others which start out well and then fade away. For best effects it must occupy a sunny position, and be well pinched back, so as to com- pel a dwarfish habit. Thus planted and maintained, when grown in masses it is un- excelled. Another sort, S. n. laciniata, or parsley-leaved elder, has its leaflets curiously and finely cut into segments, which retain their natural color, and produce a good effect. It, too, is a fine shrub for massing or edging. S. n. variegata has its foliage in the typical formj but marked with white, the contrasts being so sharp as to render the plant a decided curiosity as well as a thing of beauty. CUT-LEAVED ELDER. Sambucus — The Elder. 17 There are several other well-known varieties, but their merits as ornamental shrubs are inferior to those already named. 6*. canadensis is the well-known common elder of America, found everywhere from Canada to the Gulf States, growing preferably in moist locations, but making itself quite at home in the fence corners and by the road- side, wherever given a chance to grow. Its pithy stems, well bunched, are from five to ten feet high, having compound leaves with from five to eleven leaflets, mostly smooth and three-parted. The flowers are white, gathered in flat cymes, and succeeded by dark purple or black fruit, which is often used in the manufacture of domestic wine, for which it has especial adaptations, and occasionally for making tarts and pies where more desirable berries are not to be obtained. This species appears to have a wider range southward than most of the members of the tribe. S. racemosa, another American species, runs wild over a large extent of country, having red berries instead of purple, but not differing essentially otherwise from the preceding. The value of the elder as a seaside plant can scarcely be overestimated, both as a nurse tree and because of its own merits as very ornamental. Says an English writer : " Isolated specimens of it may be seen far out on the dreary stretches of ever-shifting sand, and looking as healthy and robust as we find them in their favored locality —a damp, shady wood. There is not much beauty, some will say, about the elder, though I hold a different opinion ; but beauty alone, it should be kept in mind, is not what i8 Ornamental Shrubs. we are at present in quest of ; rather a tree or shrub that can stand the first brunt of a sea storm, and by so doing afford shelter to less favored kinds. Whenever a seaside garden is to be formed, lift a few plants of an elder from some waste or common, and plant them — in pure sand, if you like — on the outer margin of the sea screen, and in a short time a capital shelter for other choice things will be formed." PAULOWNIA. THE Paulownia imperialis is a Japanese tree of striking appearance and with many peculiarities. It was named by Europeans, on becoming ac- quainted with it, in honor of Anna Paulowna, Princess of the Netherlands and daughter of Paul I., Emperor of Russia. It is said that in its native country it grows to a height of thirty feet, but it is not often seen in such pro- portions in either Europe or America. When first brought to France the tropical appearance of its foliage led to the conclusion that it must be an exceedingly tender sort, and so in the famous Garden of Plants in Paris it was treated as a greenhouse shrub. But it was not long before it proved itself sufficiently hardy to withstand the winters- of that locality. It was then regarded as a great acquisi- tion, and young plants were sold in the English markets at high prices, ranging from three to six guineas each. But these figures did not rule long, for it was soon as- certained that the newcomer was not only hardy, but of the easiest possible propagation. It can be grown not only from seed and from cuttings, but by a division of the Paulownia. 19 roots, small pieces of which will produce vigorous plants the first season. Even the buds will grow, like those of PAULOWNIA IMPERIALIS. the mulberry, if taken off in the spring and planted in a hotbed or under a hand-glass. Few plants are of more rapid growth, the young shoots 20 Ornamental Shrubs. often reaching eight feet the first season. These are covered with immense foliage, the individual leaves being somewhat heart-shaped and a foot and a half broad by two feet long. Though the paulownia does fairly well in New England and New York, it should be planted there only in protected situations, for its top is too large to withstand severe wind- storms. The tree is more especially adapted to a warmer climate, and should be entirely at home in the Southern States. Says an English writer in one of the magazines : " To see the paulownia to perfection in Europe one must go to the sunny South, and I have a pleasing recollection of the magnificent avenues I saw of it in full flower at the end of April in the gardens of the Villa Borghese and the Pincian Hill in Rome, where the climate exactly suits it." It should be borne in mind that it may be grown as a tree or a shrub, as when it is cut back from year to year it sends up numerous vigorous shoots, and as few or as many may be preserved as are desired, and they are never more beautiful than during the first season's growth. Except for their size, the leaves very much resemble those of the Catalpa speciosa, but are of a darker green and better substance. It is for the foliage more than the flower that the tree is prized by those who best know its worth. On older trees the leaves are usually smaller, and so less beautiful. For two reasons the tree to be at its best must be sharply cut back every season — one the preservation of good form, and the other of good foliage. An old and mis- shapen paulownia with distorted and bare limbs is like a plague spot in any garden, and those who are accustomed Myrica. 21 to see it in that shape will certainly come to the conclusion that the tree has been and is still much overpraised. There is scarcely room for carrying this pruning process too far ; for if the last year's wood is cut to the ground in early spring, new shoots will put forth and soon reach six to ten feet, and thus become a thing of beauty scarcely equalled on the lawn or in the border. When wished, the trunk may be pollarded, and thus the head carried as much higher as desired. The individual flowers are about one and a half to two inches long, violet-purple, with dark spots inside, and in terminal panicles of great size. While not especially beautiful, these never fail to attract attention. They appear in June, and are followed by abundant fruit. MYRICA. THOUGH this is not one of the most beautiful of American shrubs, it is for some purposes and in some situations one of the most useful. The family is a large one, though only a few species are known in America. They grow in all sorts of soil and far to the north, often taking possession of the hillsides and sandy plains, and so fully occupying the ground as to be regarded a nuisance, especially if the land is wanted for something else. There is a common saying that the roots extend as deeply into the ground as the stems and branches do into the air. However this may be, they evidently come to stay, and in their tenacity and indifference to situation is found one of their virtues when they come to be utilized as garden plants. The best of these, as well as the most 22 Ornamental Shrubs. common, is M. cerifera. It varies in height from one to four feet, but responds quickly when afforded the advan- tages of cultivation and the use of fertilizers. The plant may be recognized at the proper season by its bluish waxen fruit, found in the axils of the stems and along the branches, which to some extent affords an article of com- merce in the form of a valuable wax. This little shrub when planted along the shore withstands the ocean winds and storms perhaps better than any other plant known in cultivation, and can be made to do good service in estab- lishing plantations by the seaside. It is now coming largely into use for that purpose, as it affords protection to more attractive specimens which may be planted to the leeward. Beginning with a hedge of these myricas, planta- tions may often be established where without something of this nature the task would be hopeless. Almost any bleak and barren exposure can be covered in this way and become comparatively beautiful. With this line of de- fence other shrubs and flowers may be introduced and made to thrive where without such protection nothing desirable could be made to grow. Thus the wax-myrtle, in itself unattractive and undesirable, is made of especial service in the planting of exposed estates. In the Royal Palm nurseries located forty miles south of Tampa it is included among the native plants of that section, and described as an evergreen producing " slate-colored ber- ries," and pronounced hardy throughout the entire South. Such being the case, the myricas will doubtless be found of service as nurse trees, or shrubs, on sandy and bleak bar- rens, against tropical exposures as well as northern blasts. 24 Ornamental Shrubs. M. asplenifolia, commonly known as the sweet-fern, also thrives in poor soils and is a good seaside plant. It has fern-like foliage, more attractive than that of the ceri- fera, while its flowers, which are freely produced, are really beautiful. It grows about three feet high and is coming to be planted for its own sake in the ordinary garden. M. gale is another form with cut-leaved foliage which is fragrant. It rises about three or four feet and helps cover many a New England hillside with verdure. AZALEA. THE azaleas are among the most beautiful and in- teresting of all our flowering plants. They have been long known in the Old World, and have always been objects of admiration. The genus belongs to the natural order Ericace