12 Cornell Muiversity Library BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF Henry W. Sage 1891 ANOS 4. 4 Ce 5474 RETURN TO ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY ITHACA, N. Y. Cornell University Library SB 435.C77 ish gardens. STAT 3 1924 003 680 240 sam Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003680240 TREES AND SHRUBS FOR ENGLISH GARDENS THE CLUSTER PINE (Pinus Pinaster) THE “COUNTRY LIFE” LIBRARY. ‘TREES @ SHRUBS FOR ENGLISH GARDENS. ae a2 ES TY COOK. PUBLISHED BY “COUNTRY LIFE” GEORGE NEWNES, Lr. 20, TAVISTOCK STREET, 7-12, SOUTHAMPTON STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. COVENT GARDEN, W.C, 1902. PREFACE IT cannot be urged against this work that it travels along a path already well worn, for the subject of trees and shrubs for English gardens, though almost inexhaustible, has never been so fully treated and illustrated as it deserves. The book may have many defects, but its pages will show that an honest effort has been made to offer helpful and instructive information to the many who wish to know more of the beauty of trees and shrubs. In writing this book, the labour of my spare hours. for many months, I have been greatly helped by Mr. Bean, the assistant-curator of the Royal Gardens, Kew, whose deep knowledge of the subject has been willingly imparted ; and by Miss Jekyll, to whom I am indebted for many valuable suggestions and notes. Among others to whom grateful thanks are tendered are Mrs. Davidson, Mr. J. Clark, Mr. Dallimore, and Mr. S. W. Fitzherbert. Some of the chapters have already appeared in the Garden, with the object of making known as widely as possible the importance of the most beauti- ful trees and shrubs for English woodland and pleasure-grounds. The illustrations will show how a shrub, so often : b vi PREFACE stunted and mutilated by unwise pruning, becomes beautiful when allowed to develop naturally. The illustrations have their own teaching value, and in this matter also I desire to thank many willing helpers, especially Miss Jekyll, Miss Willmott, and Mr. Crump, of the Madresfield Court Gardens. It is the wish and hope of the author, whose notes, taken during many years, are embodied, that the book may do something to make English gardens more beautiful and interesting, and that it may win many to see the better ways of planting; also that it may be the means of bringing forward the many trees and shrubs of rare charm that are generally unknown or unheeded. The word ‘ English,” of course, stands for the British Isles. BES, November 1902. CONTENTS WANT OF VARIETY A BLEMISH ORNAMENTAL PLANTING IN WOODLAND GROUPING OF TREES AND SHRUBS HEATHY PATHS IN OUTER GARDEN SPACES TREES AND SHRUBS IN POOR SOILS PRUNING FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS PROPAGATION OF HARDY TREES AND SHRUBS A WINTER GARDEN OF TREES AND SHRUBS AUTUMN COLOURS TREES AND SHRUBS WITH FINE FRUITS WEEPING TREES AND THEIR USES THE USE OF VARIEGATED TREES AND SHRUBS TREES AND SHRUBS FOR SEA-COAST TREES AND SHRUBS FOR WIND-SWEPT GARDENS CONIFERS (INCLUDING PINES) IN ORNAMENTAL PLANTING CARE OF OLD TREES . TREES AND SHRUBS FOR WATERSIDE TREES AND SHRUBS FOR ROCK GARDEN REMOVAL OF LARGE TREES AND SHRUBS vii PAGE Vill CONTENTS YOUNG TREES AND SUNSTROKE . eee SHADE TREES FOR STREETS .. Lee TSE TREES AND SHRUBS IN SCOTLAND... - +154 TENDER SHRUBS AND TREES IN THE SOUTH-WEST 175 TENDER WALL PLANTS IN THE SOUTH-WEST . .__ 196 HARDY BAMBOOS. . Ce 203 THE HEATHS f cs as oF 8 . 2Ir NATIVE AND OTHER HARDY EVERGREENS . 2265 SHRUBS FOR SMALL AND TOWN GARDENS 4 236 SHRUB AND FLOWER BORDERS . . .. .. «242 SHRUBS UNDER TREES . . . . «248 HARDY SHRUBS IN THE GREENHOUSE... 248 SHRUB GROUPS FOR WINTER AND SUMMER EFFECT 268 THE USE OF HARDY CLIMBING SHRUBS _. . 2897 FLOWERING AND OTHER HEDGES : ‘ - 308 PLEACHED OR GREEN ALLEYS ‘ : : . 318 THE GARDEN ORCHARD . ‘ : 322 THE WORTHY USE OF ROSES . : ‘ 326 PLANTING AND STAKING TREES é : - 337 HARDY TREES AND SHRUBS, TABLES OF . 341 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS CLUSTER PINE (Pinus Pinaster) . F b Frontispiece GUELDER ROSE. @ ; ‘ . To face page 2 MAGNOLIA STELLATA : : : ; i oa 3 “ESCULUS PARVIFLORA (late July): ‘ By 4 SLOE, DOUBLE-FLOWERED (Prunus spinosa, fl. pl.) : oy 5 IN THE WOODLAND AT KEW 5 ‘ : ae 6 WAYFARING TREE (Viburnum Lantana) ‘ : as, ete 7 GROUPING OF SHRUB AND DAFFODIL. : ¥ 3% a Jo NATURAL GROUPING OF SHRUB IN ROUGH GROUND ee eee SHRUB AND IRIS GROUPS BY WOODLAND . é " ahi ca WEA AZALEA GARDEN AT KEW . F z . ‘ : ie cay ES CEANOTHUS AzUREUS aT Kew. ‘ ‘: i sy aa. 20 CEANOTHUS AZUREUS, MARIE SIMON . i i sh. ay SE PEARL BusH (Exochorda grandiflora) . 4 . sa pe. 2H HYDRANGEA PANICULATA GRANDIFLORA (Unpruned) “ae 28: HYDRANGEA PANICULATA GRANDIFLORA . ‘i é sg: “sup (26 TuLip TREE AT RANELAGH (Winter) . : F ee ae Lime (Winter Beauty) é F é ‘ ee ee WitTcH HAZEL (Hamamelis japonica, var. siccariniana) aga 309 ULMUS ALATA 7 ‘ é : ; F is, agen OL WILLow, erate BY ele c ‘i ys. 38 ASH, WEEPING 2 ‘ ‘ ‘ : ig age. BT WEEPING ASPEN (Populus pay var. aaa - : Te ee WEEPING ELM z é : : ‘i < ‘ ‘ se 6p 85 ELAAGNUS PUNGENS . : j , : , ee ag 10S Cornus Mas (var. vartegata) : . 3 ; » > ~—89 TAURIAN TAMARISK (Tamarix tetrandra) IN : anans ic a 04 ASHES BY WATER EDGE ‘ ‘ ‘ ; ‘ ‘ see abe OS LOMBARDY POPLAR ‘ : so : : . » 9 99 1x x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS CorsIcaN PINE WALK . 3 : : . To face page 100 ARAUCARIA IMBRICATA (Chili Pine) eee . : si Gg? AOL MAIDENHAIR TREE AT FROGMORE : : : ‘ sy 99, «LOR MAIDENHAIR TREE AT KEW e : . j i! +, 103 Corsican PINE (var. tenuifolia) . a ‘ ; 3 yy 93, «106 AVENUE OF ABIES (xobzlis glauca) ff ° : : + 93-«T08 CEDRUS ATLANTICA GLAUCA AVENUE . , ; 3,9 «LOO LIBOCEDRUS DECURRENS (Frogmore) . 7 ‘ i, seg teed AVENUE OF YEW (Murthly) . , f i ‘ oe oe Ia ALDERS NEAR WATER . ‘i i ‘ . P ‘i a3 22 WHITE WILLOW (Salix alba) BY WATERSIDE . ‘ so. og. 823 NATURAL TREE GROWTH BY WATER (Burnham Beeches) . - : p : ‘ ; 4 oy 4g 024. WILLOWS BY WATERSIDE . i é i : i a ae 125 CisrusEs AND Rosgs IN RocK GARDEN. ‘ ep. 4g 232 DwarF SHRUBS IN RocK GARDEN. 5 : oe a CESS ONONIS FRUTICOSA (Shrubby Rest-Harrow) ar Eeeren ae ay 138 TREE IN COURSE OF REMOVAL . i : ‘ A +, 139 PLANE TREE (Platanus orientalis) . : - : 4 % ~@ 52 CyTISUS PRACOX . : ‘ ‘ : ; os osy «56 A VARIETY OF MAHALEB CHERRY (Prunus Mahaleb, var. chrysocarpa) . ‘ ; . * : : yy )-~«57 GUELDER ROSE OR SNOWBALL TREE . ; : gos. deg G2: Wycu ELMs By HEDGEROW : é we Jap E73 EDWARDSIA GRANDIFLORA . . . ‘ » ~—ay_-~—«T86 FABIANA IMBRICATA , . . Gy 187 Pinus MONTEZUM& ‘ ‘ ‘ “4 » 192 PUERARIA THUNBERGIANA . . F +> ss 200 Yuccas, PAMPAS GRASS, AND Haninoge (Kew) , 1 ty 204 BAMBOO GARDEN AT Kew .. : : aio ge 2208 ERICA CARNEA z : e ‘ i ‘ sie
> 99 219
WHITE SCOTCH HEATHER (Erica cinerea alba) 1-93, 220
WHITE MEDITERRANEAN HEATH (Zrica mediterranea alba) is pe DDT
WEEPING HOLLy . . ; 3 2 F Fa, (aie 33
ARBUTUS MENZIESII : i . ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ - »» 234
Hiiscus syriacus (Althea frutex, var. ceruleus) 9 238
Mock ORANGE (Phzladelphus coronarius) .
”? » 239
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi
TALL EVERGREEN SHRUBS IN FLOWER BORDER . To face page 242
SPIR4ZA CANESCENS
F ‘ . é : ‘: ‘ +.) 280
CLEMATIS MONTANA OVER RouGH WALL . . sg 2280
CLEMATIS MONTANA OVER ARCHWAY . ‘ ‘ ss ay, 287
CAMELLIA LEAF AND FRUuIT (Outdoors) . . : 199-300
DutcH HONEYSUCKLE ON WALL. 2 ‘i : ; Se sgn SRO
POLYGONUM BALDSCHUANICUM OVER FIR . ‘ : ‘5 aie. 3302
PRUNUS TRILOBA ON SUNNY WALL . : i. 308
OLD WISTARIA AT HaMPTON Court . 5 33 a6
WISTARIA RACEMES). “ . : ‘ 4 307
Great BEECH HEDGE . é
‘ . we «qe SEA
HEDGE OF MAIDENS’ BLUSH ROSE . > 315
Nut WALK . . 7 : js s ‘ ‘ : 3 oo 318
OLp APPLE WALK ‘ ‘ ‘ r ae oa BIO
OLD MULBERRY TREE, SYON ‘ ; ‘ ‘ s ay 922
OLD MEDLAR TREE ; ; 4 wen gy 328
ROSA MULTIFLORA ‘ : i ; je “ap 6332
HyBrip RosE UNA : - : » a9 333
STAKING TREES . ‘ & * a“ : shy. hgs S330
HorsE CHESTNUT . ‘ : , , : 3 93 342
CATALPA OR INDIAN BEAN TREE (C. bignonioides) . yy 350
CIsTUS VILLOSUS . : : : 2 ‘i é é on 354
CYTISUS CAPITATUS % " . x ‘ ae 3h B57
MOONLIGHT BROOM (Cpidsus erate! var. pallidus) . on 358
A Hyprip Broom (Cytésus kewensis) . ‘ ‘ we dar 359
GARLAND FLOWER (Daphne Cneorum). , . > 99 366
ERINACEA PUNGENS ‘ a : : ‘ < ws 19 307.
May-FLowER (Zfigea pen : : : : : 4 wp 968
ESCALLONIA PHILLIPPIANA . ; j ‘ , soy 309
SPANISH FURZE (Genista (Ulex) Hpawtcds , ; gs, Ogg 72
SPANISH FURZE ON ROUGH SLOPE . Fi 2 ‘ a ee 373
GENISTA MONOSPERMA . : . 4 P z so dpe STA
SHOOT OF SNOWDROP TREE (Halesia tetraptera) di si. ae 370
HYDRANGEAS . ‘ ‘ . 5, 2 : : F i. a BIT
HYDRANGEA PETIOLARIS 2 ‘ ; : : : se 30 378
KALMIA LATIFOLIA ri f . : - é . sa ayn 2379)
Yuan (Magnolia conspiuca) . : : F ; a yor: 386
Yuan aS A WALL SHRUB . , é ‘ 2 5 ss ae 387
Xil LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
MAGNOLIA CONSPICUA, var. soudangeana (lateSpring) To face page 388
OLEARIA MACRODONTA . : ‘ : . . : » 9 389
PRuNuS PERSICA ; ‘i 7 » 99 394
PRUNUS JAPONICA . : é : ‘ 3 . we 9 B98
PRUNUS SERRULATA F ‘ . ‘ a é 2 9, 400
PRUNUS PADUS. : . A - . : : 4 GOR
PYRUS SINAICA. : : z 3 4 ; : on 404
PYRUS SPECTABILIS ‘ F a A ‘ 3 9p ~-400
SIBERIAN CRaB (Pyrus Malus baccata) . . r x ma oe BCT
PYRUS LOBATA ‘ * é 5 é , 0 op «ET
RHODODENDRON ARBOREUM (Hybrid) . P ‘“ . ge age 42
RHODODENDRON HybriD (Donegal) . i é ‘ in ae ATS
RHODODENDRON PRA&COX. : 3 ‘ oon: «46
RHODODENDRON SAPHO IN IRISH GARDEN (Donegal oy ag ALT
CALIFORNIAN Poppy (Rommneya Coulter?) . z ise gp 433}
SPIR4ZA CANESCENS : ; ‘ ; sa 952-430
SPIR@A LINDLEYANA . ‘ : : , ey eid
Litacs . . : . ; . ; 0 438
STANDARD LILac . . : . 2 i> 93 439
VIBURNUM MACROCEPHALUM : $5) Ay
YUCCA GLORIOSA IN A SURREY GARDEN . ‘ F 93 «446
YUCCA FILAMENTOSA . ‘ ‘ ga 9: “AAT.
PTEROCARYA CAUCASICA : ‘ é oon 458
Cork Oak (Quercus Suber) . ‘ or 459
EVERGREEN OAKS z >> 93 460
DovasTon YEW ON STEEP BAe : { 99> 404
Res
TREES AND SHRUBS
WANT OF VARIETY A BLEMISH
THERE is a sad want of variety amongst evergreen
and deciduous shrubs in the average English garden.
Faith is placed in a few shrubs whose only desire is to
rob the soil of its goodness and make a monotonous
ugly green bank, neither pleasant to look at nor
of any protective value. As one who knows shrubs
well and the way to group them says, “Even the
landscape gardeners, the men who have the making
of gardens—with, of course, notable exceptions—do
not seem to know the rich storehouse to draw from.”
Very true is this. We see evidence of it every day,
and the mixed shrubbery fondly clung to as a
necessary feature of the garden, with distressing
results. There are other shrubs than Privet in this
fair world of ours, and as for providing shelter, the
wind whistles through its bare stems and creates a
draught good for neither man, beast, nor plant. Mr.
Bean denounces the Cherry Laurel in no measured
terms. “Few other plants can stand against its
greedy, searching roots, and its vigorous branches
and big leaves kill other leaf-growth near them.
A
2 TREES AND SHRUBS
Grown in the proper way, that is, as an isolated
shrub, with abundance of space to develop its
graceful branches and brilliant green leaves, the
Cherry Laurel is a beautiful evergreen ; it is quite
happy in shady, half-wooded places. But grown,
as it is so often, jammed up and smothering other
things, or held in bounds by a merciless and beauty-
destroying knife, its presence has not been to the
advantage of English gardening.”
When the planting season comes round, think of
some of the good shrubs not yet in the garden, and
forget pontic Rhododendron, Laurel, Aucuba, and
Privet. By this is not meant rare shrubs, such as
may only be had from the few nurseries of the very
highest rank or from those that make rare shrubs a
speciality, but good things that may be grown in any
garden and that appear in all good shrub catalogues.
Perhaps no beautiful and now well-known shrub is
more neglected than beautiful Exochorda grandiflora
(the Pearl Bush). Its near relatives, the Spirzas, are
in every shrubbery, but one may go through twenty
and not see Exochorda. Even of the Spirzas one
does not half often see enough of S. Thunbergi, a
perfect milky way of little starry bloom in April and
a most shapely little bush, or the double-flowered S.
prunifolia, with its long wreaths of flower-like double
thorn or minute white roses and its autumn bravery
of scarlet foliage. The hardy Magnolias are not
given the opportunity they deserve of making our
gardens lovely in earliest summer. Who that has
seen Magnolia stellata in its April dress of profuse
‘ASOY YUACTAND ASANIAD
‘PIVITHLIS FITONOFIM AO ONICNOUD PV
WANT OF VARIETY A BLEMISH 3
white bloom and its summer and autumn dignity of
handsome though not large foliage, would endure to
be without it ? or who would not desire to have the
fragrant chalices of M. soulangeana, with their outside
staining of purple, and M. conspicua, of purest white
in the early months of March and April? And why
does not every garden hold one, at least, of the sweet
Chimonanthus, offering, aS it does in February, an
abundance of its little blooms of a fragrance so rich
and powerful that it can be scarcely matched through-
out the year.
Cassinea fulvida, still known in nurseries by its
older name of Diplopappus, in winter wears its
fullest dress of tiny gold-backed leafage in long
graceful sprays, that are borne in such profusion
that they only beg to be cut to accompany the rare
flowers of winter that we bring indoors to sweeten
and enliven our rooms.
Of small -flowering trees none is lovelier than
the snowy Mespilus (Amelanchier), and for a tree of
somewhat larger size the good garden form of the
native Bird Cherry is beautiful in the early year.
The North American Halesia (the Snowdrop Tree)
should be in every garden, either as a bush or tree,
every branch hung in May with its full array of
pendent bloom of the size and general shape of
Snowdrops, only of a warm and almost creamy
instead of a cold snow-white colour.
Few spring-flowering shrubs are more free and
graceful than Forsythia suspensa, and if it can be
planted on a slight eminence and encouraged to
4 TREES AND SHRUBS
throw down its many-feet-long graceful sprays it
then exhibits its best garden use. The Japanese
Viburnum plicatum is another shrub well known but
unfairly neglected, flowering with the earliest Irises.
Grouped with the grand Iris pallida dalmatica it is a
thing never to be forgotten.
Zesculus or Pavia macrostachya, blooming in July
when flowering shrubs are rare, is easily grown and
strikingly handsome, and yet how rarely seen! Caly-
canthus floridus, with its spice-scented blooms of low-
toned crimson, also a late summer flower, is a fine
thing in a cool, well-sheltered corner, where the sun
cannot burn the flowers. The Rose Acacia (Robinia
hispida), trained on a wall or house, is as beautiful as
any Wistaria, and the quality of the low-toned rosy
bloom of a much rarer colour. It is quite hardy,
but so brittle that it needs close and careful wall
training or other support. To name a few others in
the same kind of category, but rather less hardy, the
Sweet Bay is the noblest of evergreen bushes or
small trees; the Tamarisk, with its grey plumes of
foliage and autumn flower-plumes of tenderest pink,
is a delightful plant in our southern counties, doing
especially well near the sea. Clethra alnifolia, against
a wall or in the open, is a mass of flower in late
summer, and the best of the Albiscus syriacus, or
Althea frutex, the shrubbery representatives of
Mallows and Hollyhocks, are autumn flowers of the
best class. A bushy plant of half-woody character
that may well be classed among shrubs, and that was
beloved of our grandmothers, is Leycesteria formosa, a
(Qu M)) FYOTTIAUFd SATAOSE
DOUBLE-FLOWERED SLOE OR BLACKTHORN.
WANT OF VARIETY A BLEMISH 5
delightful thing in the later autumn. The large-
fruited Euonymus (Spindle Tree) is another good
thing too little grown.
For a peaty garden there are many delightful
plants in the neglected though easy-to-be-had list.
One of these is the beautiful and highly fragrant
Azalea occidentalis, all the better that the flowers and
leaves come together and that it is later than the
Ghent Azaleas. Then there are the two sweet-
scented North American Bog Myrtles, Myrica cerifera
and Comptonia asplenifolia, the charming little Ledum
buxifolium, of neatest bushy form, and the larger
L. palustre, whose bruised leaves are of delightful
aromatic fragrance ; Vaccinium pennsylvanicum, pretty
in leaf and flower and blazing scarlet in autumn, and
Gaultheria Shallon, a most important sub-shrub, revel-
ling in moist peat or any cool sandy soil.
These examples by no means exhaust the list of
desirable shrubs that may be found for the slightest
seeking. This brief recital of their names and
qualities is only meant as a reminder that all these
good things are close at hand, while many more are
only waiting to be asked for.
ORNAMENTAL PLANTING IN
WOODLAND
WHERE woodland adjoins garden ground, and the
one passes into the other by an almost imperceptible
gradation, a desire is often felt to let the garden
influence penetrate some way into the wood by the
planting within the wood of some shrubs or trees
of distinctly ornamental character.
Such a desire very naturally arises—it is wild
gardening with the things of larger growth; but,
like all forms of wild gardening (which of all branches
of gardening is the most difficult to do rightly, and
needs the greatest amount of knowledge), the wishes
of the planter must be tempered with extreme pre-
caution and restraint. It does not do to plant in
the wild garden things of well-known garden charac-
ter. This is merely to spoil the wood, which, in
many cases, is already so good that any addition
would be a tasteless intrusion of something irrelevant
and unsuitable.
Still, there are certain wooded places where a
judicious planting would be a gain, and there are
a certain number of trees and shrubs which those
who have a fair knowledge of their ways, and a
true sympathy with the nature of woodland, recognise
as suitable for this kind of planting. They will be
6
AYN LF GNF TGOOM YZHL NI
‘AFM ASSFYO AT CAXHS UNF JAUL ONIAMOHS
); d NATIVE SHRUB ON CHALK.
WAYFARING TREE (Viburnum Lai
ORNAMENTAL PLANTING 7
found in these classes: Native growths that are absent
or unusual in the district, such as the Spindle Tree
“(Euonymus), White Beam, Service Tree, White and
Black Thorn, Wild Cherry, Bird Cherry, Wild Guelder
Rose (Viburnum Opulus), and V. Lantana, Honeysuckle,
Wild Roses, Juniper, and Daphne Laureola.
Then, among cultivated trees and shrubs, those that
are nearly related to our wild kinds, including some
that are found in foreign woodlands that have about
the same latitude and climate as our own. Among
these will be Quinces and Medlars, many kinds of
ornamental Cratzgus, Scarlet Oaks, various Elders
and Crabs, and the grand Sorbus americana, so like our
native Mountain Ash, but on a much larger scale.
A very careful planting with trees and shrubs of
some of these and, perhaps, other allied kinds, may
give additional beauty and interest to woodland.
Differences of soil will, of course, be carefully
considered, for ‘if a piece of woodland were on
chalky soil, a totally different selection should be
made from one that would be right for a soil that
was poor and sandy.
In moist, sandy, or, still better, peaty ground,
especially where there is a growth of Birches and
Scotch Firs, and not many other kinds of trees, a
plantation of Rhododendrons may have a fine effect.
But in this case it is better to use the common
R. ponticum only, as a mixture of differently coloured
kinds is sure to give a misplaced-garden look, or
an impression as if a bit of garden ground had
missed its way and got lost in the wood.
GROUPING OF TREES AND SHRUBS
IF this subject were considered with only a reason-
able amount of thought, and the practice of it con-
trolled by good taste, there is nothing that would
do more for the beauty of our gardens or grounds.
Nothing can so effectually destroy good effect as the
usual senseless mixture of deciduous and evergreen
shrubs that, alas! is so commonly seen in gardens—
a mixture of one each of a quantity of perhaps
excellent things planted about three feet apart. There
would be nothing to be said against this if it were the
deliberate intention of any individual, for, as a garden
is for the owner’s happiness, it is indisputably his
right to take his pleasure in it as he will, and if he
says, ‘I have only space for a hundred plants, and I
wish them to be all different,” that is for him to
decide. But when the mixture is made from pure
ignorance or helplessness it is then that advice may
be of use, and that the assurance may be given that
there are better ways that are just as easy at the
beginning, and that with every year will be growing
on towards some definite scheme of beauty, instead
of merely growing up into a foolish tangle of horti-
cultural imbecility.
If the intending planter has no knowledge it is
well worth his while to take advice at the beginning,
8
GROUPING OF TREES AND SHRUBS 9
not to plant at random and to feel, a few years later,
first doubt, and then regret, and then, as knowledge
grows, to have to face the fact that it is all wrong
and that much precious time has been lost.
How to group is a large question, depending on
all the conditions of the place under consideration.
Whether a group is to be of tall or short growing
shrubs or trees, whether it is to be of three or three
hundred, and so on. The knowledge that can answer
is the knowledge of gardening of the better kind.
The whole thing should be done carefully on paper
beforehand, or there will again be repented the error
of huddled single plants. The groups will have to
be well shaped and well sized and well related to
each other and all that is near, or they may be
merely a series of senseless blocks, not intelligently
formed groups at all.
Then, in proper relation to the groups, single
plants can be used with the best possible effect, as,
for instance, a snowy Mespilus or a Cherry or a
Pyrus Malus floribunda against a dark mass of Yew
or Ilex; or a Forsythia suspensa casting out its long
flowering branches from among bushes of Berberis.
Then the fewer individuals will have their full value,
while the larger masses will have dignity even when
in leaf only, and their own special beauty at the time
when they are in flower or fruit. For some flower-
ing and fruiting bushes are best grouped, while a few
are best seen standing alone, and it is only knowledge
of good gardening that can guide the designer in his
decisions on these points. Still it does not follow
10 TREES AND SHRUBS
that a shrub or flowering tree cannot be used both
for groups and single use, for such an one as the
Forsythia just mentioned is also of charming effect
in its own groups, with the red-tinted Berberis or the
quiet-coloured Savins, or whatever be the lower grow-
ing bushy mass that is chosen to accompany it.
Every one can see the great gain of such arrange-
ments when they are made, but to learn to make
them, and even to perceive what are the plants to
group together, and why, that is the outcome of the
education of the garden artist.
Much has been done at Kew in the judicious
grouping of plants, and here is a living place of in-
struction open to all, where the best of plants may be
seen and, to a considerable degree, the best ways of
using them in gardens.
The one-thing-at-a-time planting is always a safe
guide, but as the planter gains a firmer grasp of his
subject, so he may exercise more freedom in its
application. Nearly every garden, shrubbery, and
ornamental tree plantation is spoilt or greatly marred
by too great a mixture of incongruous growths.
Nothing wants more careful consideration. On the
ground in the open air, and sitting at home quietly
thinking, the question should be carefully thought out.
The very worst thing to do is to take a nursery
catalogue and make out from it a list of supposed
wants. The right thing is to make a plan of the
ground, to scale, if possible, though a rougher one
may serve, and mark it all down in good time before-
hand, not to wait until the last moment and then
GROUPING OF SHRUB AND DAFFODIL.
NATURAL GROUPING OF SHRUB IN ROUGH GROUND
GROUPING OF TREES AND SHRUBS 11
mark it ; and not to send the list to the nursery till
the ground is well forward for planting, so that the
moment the plants come they may go to their
places,
All this planning and thinking should be done in
the summer, so that the list may go to the nursery
in September, which will enable the nurseryman to
supply the trees in the earliest and best of the plant-
ing season.
How good it would be to plant a whole hillside on
chalky soil with grand groupings of Yew or Box, or
with these intergrouped, and how easy afterwards to
run among these groupings of lesser shrubs; or to
plant light land with Scotch Fir and Holly, Thorn
and Juniper (just these few things grouped and
intergrouped) ; or wastes of sandhills near the sea
within our milder shores with Sea Buckthorn and
Tamarisk, and Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macro-
carpa), and long drifts of the handsome Blue Lyme
Grass.
A mile of sandy littoral might be transformed with
these few things, and no others than its own wild
growths, into a region of delight, where noble tree
form of rapid growth, tender colour of plume-like
branch and bloom and brilliant berry, and waving
blue grassy ribbons, equalling in value any of the lesser
Bamboos, would show a lesson of simple planting
such as is most to be desired but is rarely to be
seen.
The other and commoner way is nothing but a
muddle from beginning to end. A van-load of
12 TREES AND SHRUBS
shrubs arrives from the nursery—one of each or
perhaps not more than six of any kind. No plan is
prepared, and the trees and shrubs are planted in the
usual weary mixture, without thought or design.
Generally there are three times too many for the
space. It is a cruel waste and misuse of good
things.
HEATHY PATHS IN OUTER
GARDEN SPACES
THE subject of heathy paths comes within the scope
of this book. We are not thinking of grass or gravel
paths, but those in pleasure-grounds that are beyond
the province of the trimly-kept garden, and yet have
to be somewhat tamed from the mere narrow track
such as serves for the gamekeeper on his rounds.
Paths of this kind admit of varied treatment. The
nature of the place and the requirements of those
who use the paths will determine their general nature,
and settle whether they are to be of turf or of some-
thing that must be dry in all weathers. But grass
and gravel are not the only alternatives. One kind
of path not often seen, but always pleasant, and at
one time of year distinctly beautiful, can be made of
the Common Heather (Calluna vulgaris). We know
of such a path, 12 feet wide and some hundreds of
feet long, carpeted with this native Heath, mown
once a year, and feeling like a thick pile carpet to
the feet ; grey-green in summer, bronze-coloured in
late autumn, and in the second and third weeks of
August thickly set with short sprays of the low-toned
pink of the Heather bloom. It is not so dry as a
gravel path, but a good deal drier than grass, and
13
14 TREES AND SHRUBS
has a pleasant feeling of elasticity that is absent in
common turf.
Many are the pleasure-grounds in the south of
England and Scotland where the soil is sandy and,
perhaps, peaty. Any such can have these pleasant
heathy paths. We have even seen them on a poor
sandy clay, scarcely good enough to call loam, in
Sussex ; for Calluna, unlike the other Heaths, will
grow willingly in clay. In the case quoted the plant
was wild in the place.
In a Fir wood, the bare earth carpeted with needles
always makes a suitable path, and one that is always
dry ; the only thing to correct is to fill up any places
where the bare roots rise above the path level. For
in these informal paths, where we want to look about
and at the trees, there should be no danger of being
tripped up. The path, of whatever nature, should be
wide enough for two persons—5 feet to 6 feet is
ample ; but it should have quite a different character
to the garden path, in that its edges are not defined
or straightened.
One may often see in the outskirts of an old
garden a dense wood that once was only a growth of
shrubbery size. The walk was originally bordered
by a Box edging, and there may have been a strip of
flowers between it and the shrubs. Here and there
one may still see a yard or two of straggling Box
nearly 2 feet high. Of course, this edging should
have been removed as soon as the place became a
wood, for after a certain time its original use as a
formal edging to a trim plantation ceased to exist.
SHRUB AND IRIS GROUPS BY WOODLAND
‘(samung &4v2) ALAM LY NAGUPD VATVZE
HEATHY PATHS 15
Nothing is pleasanter in woodland than broad,
grassy ways, well enough levelled to insure safety to
an unheeding walker. In early spring, before the
grass has grown any height, here is the place where
Daffodils can best be seen and enjoyed, some in the
clear grass and some running back in wide drifts into
any side opening of the wood. If the grass is cut in
June, when the Daffodil foliage is ripe, and again
early in September, these two mowings will suffice
for the year.
In many woody places where shade is fairly thick,
if there is any grass it will probably be full of moss.
No path-carpet is more beautiful than a mossy one ;
indeed, where grass walks from the garden pass into
woodland, the mossy character so sympathetic to the
wood should be treasured, and the moss should not
be scratched out with iron rakes. Often in the
lawn proper a mixture of moss and grass is desirable,
though one has been taught that all moss is hateful.
In such places, though it may be well to check
it by raking out every four or five years, it should
by no means be destroyed, for in the lawn spaces
adjoining trees or woodland the moss is right and
harmonious.
There are paths for the garden and paths for the
wood. A mistaken zeal that would insist on the
trimness of the straight-edged garden walk in wood-
land or wild is just as much misplaced as if by
slothful oversight an accumulation of dead leaves
or other débris of natural decay were permitted to
remain in the region of formal terrace or parterre.
TREES AND SHRUBS IN POOR SOILS
As there is vegetation to suit nearly all natural con-
ditions, so those who find they have to undertake
planting in poor, dry, hungry sands and gravels will
find that there are plenty of trees and shrubs that
can be used, though the choice is necessarily a more
restricted one than they might make on better land.
The very fact of the fewer number of available trees
and shrubs may even be a benefit in disguise, as by
obliging the planter to be more restricted in his
choice the planting scheme will be all the more
harmonious.
As to trees, Holly, Thorn, Juniper, Birch, Scotch
Fir, and Mountain Ash are found wild on the poorest
soils, and will even grow in almost pure sand. Oaks,
though they never grow to the dimensions of the
Oak of loamy woodlands, are abundant on poor soils,
where they have a character of their own that is full
of pictorial value. The lovely Amelanchier, daintiest
of small trees, revels in sandy woods, as does also
the Bird Cherry, another good native tree, while the
Wild Cherry becomes a forest tree of large size and
of loveliest bloom. Jlex and Arbutus are excellent
in the south of England, enjoying the warmth and
winter dryness of light soils.
Garden shrubs in general can be grown, though
16
TREES IN POOR SOILS 17
not so luxuriantly as on better soils, but some classes
are especially successful on poor land. There are
the Cistuses and Heaths, with Lavender and Rose-
mary, in the drier parts, and in the wetter places
Kalmias, Andromedas, Rhododendrons, Ledums, Per-
mettyas, and Vacciniums, with the Candleberry Gale
and the native Bog Myrtle. These, which are
usually classed as peat shrubs, will succeed in any
sandy soil with the addition of leaf-mould, and are
among the most interesting and beautiful of our
garden shrubs.
Those who garden on poor and dry soils should
remember that though their ground has drawbacks
it has also some compensations. Such soils do not
dry in cracks and open fissures in hot weather, and
do not present a surface of soapy slides in wet;
they can be worked at all times of the year, except
in hard frost ; they are easy to hoe and keep clean
of weeds and are pleasant and easy to work. They
correct the tendency of stony soils to the making
of a quantity of coarse rank growth, and they
encourage the production of a quantity of flowers
of good colour.
PRUNING FLOWERING TREES AND
SHRUBS
THE art of pruning properly is one that is acquired
by considerable practice and observation. The first
is necessary that the actual work may be well and
cleanly done, and it is only by observing the manner
and times of flowering of the different trees and
shrubs which go to constitute a well-kept pleasure-
ground that the proper time to prune can be
thoroughly understood. The manner of pruning
varies considerably, some pinning their faith to a
slanting cut towards a bud; some preferring a
straight cut; while others again are content with
simply slashing off the useless wood in the quickest
possible manner. The former is the best method,
as it does not present a surface for the lodgment
of water, an important point with those shrubs that
are of a pithy nature in the centre of the wood, as
the presence of water will quickly cause the stems to
rot and render the plant unsightly, even if it escapes
serious injury. All stems that are an inch or more
in diameter should be tarred over to keep out the
wet, which either rots them directly or injures them
indirectly by making a moist, congenial home for the
various fungoid diseases to which so many of our
exotic trees and shrubs are liable.
18
PRUNING FLOWERING TREES 19
Many shrubs which have been in one place for
some years, and which have become stunted or
poorly flowered, are often given a new lease of life
by a hard pruning in the winter, cutting away all
the old wood entirely, and shortening the remainder.
With a good feeding at the same time, they will
throw up strong young shoots, full of vigour, which
will bear fine and well-coloured flowers. Of course,
a season of blooming will be lost by doing this, but
it will be amply compensated for in after years by a
healthy plant in place of a decrepit and unsightly
one. The list appended includes practically every
flowering tree and shrub hardy in this country, with
the proper time of pruning it. Those not specified
flower on the old wood.
ABELIA.—This genus is barely hardy, and, in most
localities, is usually pruned sufficiently or too much
by frost. A moderate thinning of the shoots in
spring is sufficient.
ACANTHOPANAX.—There are three species of this
genus hardy in this country, and of these 4. ricini-
folium requires no pruning beyond the cutting away
of side-shoots to a single stem, as it attains the
dimensions of a tree in Japan, its native country.
A. sessiliflorum and A. spinosum are low-growing
shrubs, and require an occasional thinning out, which
is best done in late summer to allow the remainder
to thoroughly ripen before winter.
ACTINIDA.—A climbing genus, easily grown in
warm, sheltered localities. They require very little
pruning, but should be watched in spring when
20 TREES AND SHRUBS
growth has commenced, or the twining shoots will
get into a tangled and unsightly mass. Any growth
not required should be cut away in winter.
AKEBIA.—“ Akebia quinata has flowered here, on an
east wall, profusely for the last seventeen years, under
the following pruning treatment: Cover the space
allotted with the strongest shoots, and when new
growth pushes from the eyes or spurs in the spring,
do not regulate it, but summer-prune away all super-
fluous growth before it gets entangled. It is from
‘spurs’ that the flowers are produced, and the more
these are kept clear, the more matured they become,
and flower correspondingly.”—E. M. in The Garden.
4EscuLus (Horse-Chestnut)—The common re-
presentative of this requires little or no pruning, but
the other species are benefited by a thinning out of
misplaced and useless branches in late summer to
allow light and air to the centre of the tree. This
is especially important to all the A¢sculus in a young
state. £sculus parviflora should have a good thin-
ning if the branches or suckers become at all thick,
cutting all growths not required clean away from the
base.
AMELANCHIER.—These should be pruned after the
flowers are past, the removal of badly-placed and
weakly shoots being all that is required. If the
plants are becoming too large, they can be shortened
back at the same time.
AMORPHA.—If flowers are desired of A. fruticosa
it should be kept thinned out, and not be cut back ;
but the flowers are not showy, and it is usually kept
“ALAM LF SNAXNZY SNHLONFAD
CEANOTHUS AZUREUS, VAR. MARIE SIMON.
PRUNING FLOWERING TREES 21
cut down every winter for the sake of its foliage.
A. canescens should be cut down each spring to within
two or three eyes of the old wood, as it flowers best
on the young growth.
ANDROMEDA.—The only recognised species of this
genus is A. poltfolia, which requires no pruning.
ARALIA.—These should be kept to a single stem
until they have attained a height of 6 to 8 feet, after
which they may be allowed to branch, or be still kept
to a single stem, as may be desired.
ARBUTUS.—An evergreen genus which requires no
pruning.
ARISTOLOCHIA.—A genus of climbers which suc-
ceed best if the shoots are not allowed to become
too thick. The weakest should be cut away in
winter.
ARTEMISIA.—This genus is best known by its
common representative, the Southernwood, but this
and the other Artemisias should be cut down annually
in a young state. When older, an occasional thinning
out of the shoots in winter is sufficient.
BaccuHaris.—Of this, B. halimtfolia flowers on the
young wood and should be cut back annually, while
B. patagonica should not be pruned at all.
BERBERIS.—Properly the Berberis requires no
pruning, but the stronger-growing species, such as
B. aristata, B. Lycium, B. virescens, B. vulgaris, &c.,
require an occasional thinning to keep them within
bounds.
BERCHEMIA.—A climbing genus which requires no
pruning.
22 TREES AND SHRUBS
BRUCKENTHALIA.—A dwarf-growing Ericaceous
genus, the seed-pods of which should be removed as
soon as the flowers are past, or the plants will be
seriously weakened.
BRYANTHUS.—This should be treated the same as
the last, which it somewhat resembles.
BUDDLEIA.—Of these, B. japonica, B. intermedia, and
B. lindleyana flower on the young wood and require
cutting back every winter to within two or three eyes
of the old wood ; B. globosa need not be pruned at
all, except in a young state to keep it bushy; and
B. paniculata only requires thinning out if it becomes
too thick, which is not a very common occurrence.
CALLUNA (the Ling).—This and its numerous
varieties should have the old flowers cut off as soon
as they are past, and any long or straggling growth
cut back at the same time.
CALOPHACA.—The solitary representative of this
genus is rather inclined to become straggly if grow-
ing at all freely. When this is the case, the plant is
benefited by the cutting back of the longer shoots
in winter.
CALYCANTHUS.—These require an occasional thin-
ning of the branches, and any long shoots may be
shortened with advantage.
CAMELLIA.—These, which should be grown out-
doors much more than they are, should be cut down
if they get unhealthy or unshapely, which should be
done in April. Otherwise no pruning is required.
CARAGANA.—Cut away all the straggling or mis-
placed branches.
PRUNING FLOWERING TREES 23
CARMICHAELIA.—Requires no pruning.
CASSANDRA.—See CALLUNA.
CassINIA.—These are grown more for their foliage
than for their flowers, and should be cut down in the
winter or early ‘spring. This can be done annually
or biennially according to whether the plants are
growing strongly or not.
CASSIOPE.—See CALLUNA.
CATALPA.—This genus contains some of our hand-
somest flowering trees, all of which require careful
pruning after the flowers are past, thinning out the
weakly wood, and shortening any long branches.
CEANOTHUS.—Of these, C. americanus, C. azureus,
C. integerrimus, and the garden hybrids, such as
“Gloire de Versailles,” ‘Marie Simon,” “Ceres,”
&c., flower on the young wood, and should be cut
back in spring, allowing only sufficient shoots to
remain to form a well-balanced plant, and shortening
them back to within two or three eyes of the old
wood. The remaining species flower on the old
wood, and merely require a shortening back of the
stronger shoots and a thinning out of the weakly
ones after the flowers are past.
CELASTRUS.—A climbing genus of strong and
vigorous habit with showy fruits. They only require
sufficient pruning in winter to keep them within
bounds.
Cercis.—Requires no pruning, except such as
may be necessary to make well-shaped plants, which
should be done after flowering.
CHIMONANTHUS.—The shoots of this should be
24 TREES AND SHRUBS
shortened back after flowering, and if on a wall they
should be spurred in.
CHIONANTHUS.—See CERCIS.
Cistus.—Those which are hardy of this genus
should be cut back each spring while in a young
state, but when they have attained a flowering size no
pruning is required. The cutting back of young
plants induces a bushy habit, and also keeps them
from weakening themselves by blooming and seeding.
CLEMATIS.—The garden forms of this genus are
divided into two sections, of which C. Jackmani,
C. lanuginosa, C. Viticella, and C. aromatica (C. cerulea
odorata) are the types of those which flower on the
young wood, and which require cutting back close
to the old wood in the winter; while C. florida,
C. patens, and C. montana are the types of those
which flower on the ripened wood of the previous
year, and merely require a thinning out of weakly or
unnecessary growth. Of species other than those
mentioned above, C. Flammula, C. paniculata, and
C. Vitalba flower on the young wood; and the re-
maining species are either herbaceous or flower on
the old wood.
CLETHRA.—These practically require no pruning,
but long shoots may be shortened and weakly ones
cut away with advantage.
COLUTEA.—These make better plants and flower
later if they are cut back every winter. C. istria (a
rare species) should not be cut down if flowers are
desired.
CorNnus.—The strong-growing shrubby Cornus,
PEARL BUSH (Evxochorda grandiflora) SHOWING ITS
NATURAL BEAUTY.
PRUNING FLOWERING TREES a6
such as C. alba, C. Amomum, C. Baileyi, C. pubescens,
and C. stolontfera require an annual thinning out, and
those with brightly-coloured stems should be cut
down every spring for their effect during the follow-
ing winter. The remaining Cornus require little or
no pruning.
COTONEASTER.—The large-growing species should
be pruned in late summer, but only sufficiently to
keep them within bounds ; C. Simonsii requires cut-
ting down annually while young to make it bushy,
and the dwarf-growing kinds are best left alone.
CrAT&GuUS.—Keep the heads well thinned out to
allow light and air to the centre of the tree. This
should be done in late summer.
CyTisus.—These require very little pruning, with
the exception of C. nigricans and C. capitatus, which
flower on the young wood, and should be cut back
annually. The other species and varieties make
better plants if they are cut down each year while in
a small state, but they should be left alone when
they have attained flowering size.
DaBeciA (the Irish Heath)—Cut away all old
flower stems in early winter.
DaAPHNE.—Requires no pruning.
DEsMODIUM.—These flower on the young wood,
and should be cut nearly to the ground-line every
spring.
DeEutz1a.—The old wood should be kept cut out of
these, but no shortening of young shoots should be
attempted.
ELZAGNUS.—These require an annual overhaul-
26 TREES AND SHRUBS
ing to keep them in good condition. This should be
done in late summer, when the plants should be well
thinned out, and all useless growth cut clean away.
ERICA.—See CALLUNA.
ESCALLONIA.—These are usually cut back by frost ;
but if they escape, E. rubra and E. punctata should
have their long growths shortened back in spring,
while the other hardy species need not be touched.
EXOCHORDA.—These usually require no pruning,
but if the plants are getting too large or unshapely,
they should be cut back immediately after flowering.
Fatsia (Aralia Sieboldi).—This is usually cut by
frost, but it stands a cutting back in spring, when
new growth is soon made which will flower late in
the following autumn.
FOTHERGILLA.—Requires no pruning.
GENISTA.—G. iznctoria flowers on the young wood,
and should be cut back every spring. The other
species of Genista should not be pruned, except to
keep them in shape.
HALEsIA.—These are small trees or large shrubs,
and should not be shortened back, but are improved
if the growths are kept thinned out, which should be
done after the flowers are past.
HALIMODENDRON.—Requires no pruning.
HAMAMELIS.—Thin out regularly, as they are very
apt to get thick and make weakly growths.
HEDYSARUM.—This flowers on the young wood,
and should be cut back each spring, but not too
hard. The growths can also be pegged down to
improve the plant, which is apt to get straggling.
PRUNING FLOWERING TREES 27
HELIANTHEMUM.—Cut away all dead flowers and
seed-pods after blooming.
Hipiscus.—Thin out in winter, but only shorten
the longest shoots.
HYDRANGEA.—These flower best on young wood,
and should be cut down in winter.
HYPERICUM.—These should be cut back fairly
hard in early spring, as they all flower on the
young growth.
INDIGOFERA.—Cut down every spring, as they
flower on the young wood.
ITEA.—Keep the growths thinned and cut away
all old wood.
JAMESIA.—This should be treated as the preceding.
JASMINUM.—/. fruticans and J, humile are shrubs
which should be thinned regularly ; and J. nudsflorum
and /. officinale are climbers, which should be spurred
in after flowering.
KALMIA.— Remove seed-pods as soon as the
flowers are past.
KERRIA.—Cut away the old wood to encourage
the young growths, which yield the best flowers.
LABURNUM.— These should be thinned after
flowering, cutting away the old or weakly wood,
and shortening any long or straggling shoots.
LAVANDULA.— Cut away all flower-spikes after
they are past.
LeEDUM.—Remove seed-pods after flowering.
LESPEDEZA.—See DESMODIUM, which it much
resembles.
LEUCOTHOE.—L. axillaris and L, Catesbai flower
‘PFUOTTIGNKFYUD “UPA GNF PLYTQOINKd FAONVUGCAH
PRUNING FLOWERING TREES 29
NEILLIA.—Thin out every year after flowering is
past, cutting back the old wood to strong young
shoots.
NEviusia.—This requires the same pruning as
Neillia.
NOTOSPARTIUM.—Requires no pruning.
NUTTALLIA.—The single species of this flowers in
February, and is improved by a good thinning out of
the old wood when blooming is past.
OLEARIA.—Requires no pruning.
ONONIS.—O. rotundifolius should be cut down every
winter, as it flowers on the young wood. The re-
maining species flower on the older wood, and need
not be touched.
OSMANTHUS.—These should not be pruned unless
a particular shape is desired, when the plants may be
clipped with a pair of shears in spring.
Oxycoccus.—This is a small creeping genus allied
to Vaccinium, and requires no pruning.
OXYDENDRON.—Remove seed-pods.
PaLiurus.—This attains the dimensions of a small
tree, and should be kept trimmed up for that purpose.
PARROTIA.—Thin out in spring after the flowers
are past.
PauLOWNIA.—Keep to a single stem to a height of
about 8 feet, and then allow it to branch. If used
for sub-tropical bedding, it should be cut down to the
ground every winter.
PERAPHYLLUM.—The solitary hardy species of this
should not be pruned or disturbed in any way if it
can be avoided.
30 TREES AND SHRUBS
PeripLoca.—A climbing genus which should be
thinned out in winter, and only shortened back if
necessary.
PERNETTYA.—These should not be pruned at any
time.
PHILADELPHUS.—These should be thinned after
flowering, and the old wood cut back to strong
young shoots. This is especially important with
P. microphyllus, P. coronarius, and P. Lemoinet and its
varieties.
PHOTINIA.—Requires no pruning.
PIERIS.—Remove seed-pods.
POTENTILLA.—Thin out after flowering, and shorten
any old wood back to strong young breaks.
Prunus.—When young, all the members of this
genus that are grafted or budded are improved by
being cut back each spring until they have attained
a fair size and shape. More especially is this the
case with the Almonds, double-flowered Peaches, and
the various flowering Cherries. When older, they
need only be thinned and the flowering Plums and
Cherries kept spurred in, but not too hard. Prunus
japonica, P. nana, and P. triloba should be cut down
to strong young breaks after flowering, the resulting
wood bearing better flowers than the old wood. If
any of these three latter are grown on a wall they
should be spurred back hard after blooming.
PTELEA.—When young, trim these to form small
trees, and do not allow them to develop into ungainly
bushes. When older, they require an occasional
thinning. P. ¢rifoliata var. aurea, a golden form
PRUNING FLOWERING TREES 31
which is not grown so much as it deserves to be,
should be cut back annually or biennially, the young
wood being better coloured and bearing larger leaves
than the old.
Pyrus.—tThe wild Pears should be spurred in the
same manner as adopted for fruiting Pears, though
not quite so hard. The wild Crab-apples, such as
P. baccata, P. floribunda, P. spectabilis, &c., should be
cut back every spring until they have formed well-
balanced heads. Afterwards an annual thinning and
a shortening of the longest shoots after flowering is
sufficient. The remaining sections of Pyrus merely
require an occasional thinning. P. japonica should
be kept spurred in, whether growing on a wall or in
the open, and in the latter case should not be allowed
to become a mass of weakly shoots.
RHAMNUS.—These should be thinned out if be-
coming too thick, but, as a rule, they require very
little pruning.
RHODODENDRON (including AZALEA).—Remove all
seed-pods immediately the flowers are over, and any
plants that are in a sickly condition should be cut
down at the same time. By doing this a season or
two of flower is lost, but it is practically the only
means of bringing a weakly plant back to health
again.
RHODOTYPUS.—Cut away old wood, and encourage
the strongest of the young growths.
Ruvus.—Keep these well thinned out, and destroy
all suckers that appear, unless wanted for stocks.
Gloves should always be worn when handling any
32 TREES AND SHRUBS
of the Rhus, as the sap of a// is poisonous to a certain
extent.
Ripes.—All the Ribes are improved by being cut
down annually while in a young state, but when
older, a yearly thinning out of the old wood is
sufficient. :
RoBINIA.—This is a genus that requires very little
pruning when the members of it have attained a
fair size, an occasional thinning being all that is
necessary. In a young state they require well
staking, and the longest shoots should be shortened
back, as many of them are top-heavy when young.
Rosa.—Although the various garden Roses come
under this heading, yet they are a class apart, and
are better dealt with by specialists. The species
of Rosa do not require any shortening of their
shoots, which should always be left at full length,
but all of them should have an annual thinning out
of the old wood, either cutting it right away or
back to a young shoot. Some of the species are
very prone to throw up suckers from underground
sometimes to a considerable distance from the plant,
and these should always be dug out and got rid of ;
merely cutting them off only producing two evils in
the place of one.
Rusus.—This genus includes the Blackberry and
Raspberry, and in a modified form the treatment
accorded to them for fruiting is the best to employ
with the ornamental Rubi, that is, all old wood that
has flowered should be cut away and strong young
canes encouraged. But while in the cultivation of
PRUNING FLOWERING TREES 33
the Raspberry only a few young canes are allowed
to grow, in the ornamental species practically every
young growth should be utilised. The double-
flowered Rubi should have some of the old wood
left, as they do not make so much young growth
as the single ones do.
SANTOLINA.—This is a dwarf-growing genus, the
old flower-heads of which should be cut away as
soon as they are past, and any long or straggling
growths cut back at the same time.
SAMBuCUS.—The elders require very little pruning
as a rule, but the various cut-leaved, golden, or
variegated forms are improved by being cut back
annually. This will prevent them flowering, but
as good foliage is required the loss of the bloom
is a matter of little consequence.
SKIMMIA.—Requires no pruning.
SMILAX.—The hardy species of this genus do not
require any pruning if they have room to ramble.
If space is restricted, thin out and shorten in autumn.
SOPHORA.—These should be kept thinned when
they have attained flowering size; in a young state
they should be kept to a single stem and induced
to form well-shaped trees.
SPARTIUM.—This should be cut back in a small
state, but when older it requires no pruning
whatever.
SPIRZA.—Though all the Spirzeas will flower on
the old wood, the following are better for being cut
back in winter to form young flowering shoots,
viz., S. betulifoha, S. Douglasi, S. Foxit, S. japonica,
Cc
34 TREES AND SHRUBS
S. Margarita, S. salicifolia, S. semperflorens, S. tomentosa,
and many of their varieties and hybrids. The
remaining Spirceas should be kept thinned out, and
if any are making strong young breaks from the
lower part of the plant they can be cut back to
them after flowering.
STACHYURUS.—This should be thinned out after
flowering.
STAPHYLEA.—S, pinnata should be kept thinned
in late summer; S. colchica and S. Colombierd require
very little pruning, but if too tall or unshapely
should be cut back immediately after flowering.
STUARTIA
STYRAX
Su&pDA—Cut back occasionally to keep it from
getting ragged.
SYMPHORICARPUS.—Keep these well thinned out,
which should be done in late summer.
SYRINGA (Lilac)—These should be kept free of
suckers, especially the finer-named kinds, which are
usually worked on stocks of the Common Lilac.
In addition, disbudding may be practised with ad-
vantage in the spring, removing the majority of
the blind shoots and any flowering or leading shoots
that are misplaced or not required. This should
be done twice or thrice at intervals of ten days or
a fortnight.
TAMARIX.—Cut back in a young state, but when
older they should not be pruned at all.
VaccINiuM.—The removal of any old or rough
wood is sufficient for these.
t Require no pruning.
PRUNING FLOWERING TREES 35
VIBURNUM.—AIll the Viburnums grow thickly, and
require an annual thinning.
Vitis.—The methods practised in growing Vines
for fruit suits the ornamental species as well. If
space is restricted they should be grown on the
spur system, and if there is plenty of room then
the extension system may be employed.
WISTARIA.—These should be kept spurred in,
with the exception of the leading shoots, which
merely require a shortening in early spring accord-
ing to the strength of the plant.
XANTHOCERAS.— Requires no pruning.
ZENOBIA.— These require no pruning as a rule,
but occasionally a hard cutting back will induce
healthy growth in place of a weakly one.
PROPAGATION OF HARDY TREES
AND SHRUBS
IF we were to take many books about trees and
shrubs or general gardening as a guide, one might
be led to think that only one way of increasing a
tree or shrub existed, and that by grafting ; but, as
we have pointed out elsewhere, it is a mischievous
practice when indiscriminately applied. It is not con-
tended by this that grafting and budding are utterly
needless, as in a few instances these methods may
be rightly adopted, but the four natural ways of
increase are by layers, seeds, suckers, and cuttings.
Of these, practise seed-raising whenever possible;
but if seeds cannot be procured, then adopt other
ways, and the man is wise who tries to keep a plant
on its own roots. Neither budding nor grafting
should be resorted to, unless other means fail ab-
solutely. When standard trees cannot be got true
from seed, budding or grafting must be practised,
and the evils of these methods of propagation are
not so pronounced in such cases as with dwarf
plants. With the former, suckers, or growths from
the stock, are easily seen as soon as they appear, but
with dwarf plants a perfect forest of suckers may
seriously weaken the plant before they are noticed.
SEEDS.—These can be sown at almost any time,
36
PROPAGATION OF HARDY TREES 37
but the spring is the best, as those which germinate
quickly have time to form strong young plants before
the following winter. Some take two years to come
up, and should be left in the ground. This refers
more to seeds sown outdoors, and few hardy trees
and shrubs require heat to assist germination. When
sown in the open the beds should be made on a
fairly rich, moist piece of ground, protected from
cold winds, but fully exposed to the sun. After the
seeds are sown, cover them with light tiffany shading,
fir branches, or heather, but the first is best, as it
is easily removed to attend to the bed. Conifers
especially should be sown in beds, whether indoors
or outdoors, as pot-culture results in the roots taking
the shape of the pot, and never afterwards recovering
from their cramped condition. It must be remem-
bered, however, that varieties cannot be depended
upon to come true from seed, though by careful
selection for a few years many varieties will almost
reproduce the characteristics of the parents. Hy-
brids, such as Berberis stenophylla, Hypericum mosert-
anum, and many others, also do not come true from
seed, so that cuttings, layers, or division of the old
plants, must be the practice chosen.
SUCKERS.—Plants which throw up suckers from
the base, or below the ground-line, are easily pro-
pagated by detaching these suckers in winter with
a portion of root. They will grow away readily, and
soon form good trees or shrubs as the case may be.
CUTTINGS.—Nearly all the hardy shrubs, and a
small proportion of hardy trees also, can be pro-
38 TREES AND SHRUBS
pagated by cuttings taken at certain times of the
year. Summer cuttings are taken during the last
two weeks of May and throughout June, the actual
time depending on the season, and consist of the
young shoots that have grown to a length of 3 to
6 inches. These should be pulled off with a “heel,”
and inserted in sandy soil in a close frame, with
brisk bottom heat. The cuttings should be taken on
a dull day, or early in the morning, and kept cool
and moist until they are in the frame. A cutting
that has flagged is useless, as it never revives. De-
ciduous flowering shrubs are usually propagated by
summer cuttings, which generally root well in a
fortnight or less. Autumn cuttings are taken during
August and September, and are made from the
partially ripened growths of the current year, in-
serted in sandy soil, in a close frame, without bottom
heat. Winter cuttings are made from thoroughly
ripened wood at any time between October and
March, and are laid in rather thickly in rows out-
doors, and only about an inch or less is left above
the soil. The majority of our best flowering shrubs
are easily increased in this way.
LAYERS.—Excellent trees and shrubs can be got
by layers, and they may be laid down at any time
of the year; they will be ready for removal in about
eighteen months or two years.
BupDDING.—This is done about August, and the
same rules apply to trees and shrubs as to Roses, &c.
GRAFTING.—This takes place outdoors from March
to May, at the earlier time for deciduous trees and
PROPAGATION OF HARDY TREES 39
shrubs, and later on for evergreens. The actual
time depends upon the season.
Where seed is not expressly mentioned below, it
must be understood that this is the natural, and in
many cases the best, way to propagate.
The following trees can only be raised from seed
to do any good afterwards, though a few of them
will throw up suckers, which can be taken off and
replanted: £sculus (Chestnut), Adlantus, Alnus
(Alder), Arbutus, Betula (Birch), Carpinus (Hornbeam),
Carya (Hickory), Castanea (Sweet Chestnut), Celtis
(Nettle tree), Fagus (Beech), Fraxinus (Ash), Gledits-
chia (Honey Locust), /Juglans (Walnut), Laburnum,
Liquidambar, Morus (Mulberry), Prunus, Pyrus, Quercus
(Oak), Sophora, Ulmus (Elm), and Zelkova. The varie-
ties of any species of the above, and, in fact, of nearly
all hardy trees, must be budded or grafted on the
species they are forms of, but an exotic species
should never be worked on the native representative
of the genus—e.g. £sculus flava should not be budded
on the Common Horse Chestnut, as the latter is far
too strong a stock for the smaller-growing A¢sculus.
Acer (Maple) and Tila (Lime or Linden) can be
raised from seeds or by layering, the Lime especially
being largely propagated from layers, which soon
form strong young trees. The varieties of Maple
are best worked on stocks of the species they
belong to.
Crategus (Thorn), Catalpa, and Robinia (Locust
tree), can be raised from suckers or root-cuttings,
if seeds cannot be got. Any of their varieties are
40 TREES AND SHRUBS
usually budded or grafted on stocks of the parent
species.
Ilex (Holly), Magnoha, Populus (Poplar), Platanus
(Plane), and Sax (Willow). The Holly is easily
raised from cuttings and layers, the second roots
readily when layered, and the latter three are pro-
pagated in large quantities by winter cuttings. The
White Poplar (Populus alba) is an exception, as this
can only be increased by root-cuttings.
INCREASING HARDY SHRUBS
The best of our hardy flowering shrubs are grouped
under seven natural orders, and a knowledge of the
order to which a plant belongs is in most cases a guide
to its propagation, as the majority of the species con-
tained in an order are, as a rule, increased by the
same methods.
BERBERIDE&.—This contains Afkebia and Berberis,
which are propagated by seeds, cuttings, or layers.
Berberis stenophylla and B. Neubertt do not come true
from seed, so that one or both of the other methods
mentioned above must be adopted.
LEGUMINOSZ.—In this order such genera as
Cytisus (Broom), Genista (Rock Broom), Spartium
(Spanish Broom), Ononts, Indigofera, Colutea (Bladder
Senna), Caragana (Siberian Pea tree), and Cercis (Judas
tree) should be raised from seed, which is the quickest
and best method of propagation. Cuttings of certain
forms of Cytisus and Genista will root readily, but
the plants will sometimes die off just as they have
PROPAGATION OF HARDY TREES 41
attained flowering size. Ulex (Furze, Whin, or Gorse)
is propagated by seeds or cuttings, and Wistarias by
seeds or by layering.
ROSACE2.—This includes Prunus, the shrubby
forms of which can, in the majority of cases, be
increased by cuttings or layers; Spirwa and Kerria
(Jews’ Mallow), cuttings of which root readily at
almost any time of the year; Exochorda (Pearl Bush),
must be raised from seed to do any good; Rubus
(Brambles), some of which can be propagated by
suckers, and the remainder by pegging the points
of the shoots down to form young plants; Rosa
(Rose), the species of which should be increased by
seeds, cuttings, or layers, though seeds will not
always come true, as Roses become hybridised very
readily ; and Cotoneaster, which are increased by
seeds, cuttings, or layers.
SAXIFRAGEZ.—In this order Hydrangea, Deutzia,
Philadelphus (Mock Orange), Escallonia, and Ribes
(Flowering Currant) are included. All are easily
propagated by cuttings taken in almost any season
of the year. With the exception of Hydrangea,
which should be struck under glass, all the mem-
bers of this order root readily outdoors in the
winter.
CAPRIFOLIACE2.—This order contains such genera
as Sambucus (Elder), Viburnum, Lonicera (Honey-
suckle), Symphoricarpus (Snowberry tree), Adelia,
Leycesteria, and Diervilla. All are easily propagated
by cuttings or by layering. The cuttings can be
taken at almost any time of the year, and root
42 TREES AND SHRUBS
quickly, the young plants attaining a good size by
the end of the second year.
ERICACEZ.—This order includes all the so-called
American plants, such as Pernettya, Gaultheria, Leu-
cothoé, Andromeda, Pieris, Zenobia, Erica (Heath),
Calluna (Common Heather, Ling), Kalmia, Ledum,
Clethra, and Rhododendron (including Azalea). These
can all be increased by seeds, layering, and, in
addition, the first two by division of the old plants.
Erica and Calluna can also be increased by cuttings.
Seedlings, of course, make the best plants, but layer-
ing is a quicker method, and, in the case of some
of the smaller Ericacez, one of the easiest. All the
Rhododendrons will not root from cuttings, though
some of the small-flowered ones strike easily, but
practically all may be increased from layers. A few
of the showy garden forms cannot be raised from
layers, and have to be grafted on stocks of the
common R. ponticum or R. catawbiense.
OLEACE&.—This includes both deciduous flowering
shrubs and ornamental evergreens, such as Syringa
(Lilac), Chionanthus (Fringe tree), Jasminum (Jasmine),
Forsythia, Ligustrum (Privet), Phillyrea, and Osmanthus
being represented. The first two are best propagated
by seeds or layers, though the named garden Lilac
is usually grafted on stocks of the common S.
vulgaris, a silly practice. It is a pitiful business
keeping down suckers from grafted plants. Ask for
Lilacs on their own roots, and much vexation will
be saved. A garden should be a place of rest and
pleasure, not a hunting-ground for suckers. The
PROPAGATION OF HARDY TREES 43
other genera are readily raised by cuttings taken at
almost any time of the year, or by layering.
Although the above orders include a considerable
number of our best shrubs, several plants must be
specially mentioned. The Clematis is increased by
seeds, cuttings, or layers in the case of the species,
but unfortunately the garden forms are usually
grafted on C. Viticella or C. Flammula, whereas many
can be propagated by cuttings, and practically all
will root when layered. Daphne should be raised
from seeds, or by layering, though a common prac-
tice is to graft all the rarer Daphnes on D. Mezereum,
which is another mistake, especially with the ever-
green ones, which have a brief existence grafted on
a deciduous plant.
In the absence of seeds the following genera must
be propagated by layers, viz., Aucuba, Chimonanthus
(Winter Sweet), Halesia (Snowdrop tree), Hamamelis
(Witch Hazel), Appophaé (Sea Buckthorn), and
Myrica (Candleberry Myrtle). Cuttings of the first
will root readily enough, but never seem to succeed
afterwards. The female form of Azppophaé is best
raised from layers, as seedlings usually give a
large percentage of male plants. Arata and Rhus
(Sumach) are increased by seeds or root-cuttings ;
Buddleia japonica is best raised from seeds, and the
other Buddleias from cuttings; and practically all
other hardy shrubs that have not been specially
mentioned are easily propagated by seeds, cuttings,
or layers, and the majority of them by all three
methods.
44 TREES AND SHRUBS
Always keep a plant on its own roots whenever
possible. Budding and grafting are only makeshifts ;
but, of course, zf it 7s zmpossible to increase a tree or
shrub by any other means, then resort to budding
or grafting. It is strange that layering is yet only
in its infancy. We have gone on blundering for
generations, and propagating wholesale in the most
uncertain and unsatisfactory of all ways, that is, by
grafting or budding when neither was in the least
expedient. Such tricks have hindered the develop-
ment of English gardening.
TULIP TREE AT RANELAGH (Winter).
WINTER BEAUTY OF LIME.
A WINTER GARDEN OF TREES
AND SHRUBS
THE budding spring, the ripening summer, the out-
poured riches of harvest, appeal to all, physically
if not spiritually. But to hundreds of people a
winter landscape is dreary beyond expression. They
never dream of going into a garden during the dark
months ; to them its silent lessons are but a dead-
letter, nor would they ever wake to the beauty of
bare boughs nor pause to note the strange glow of
withered Fern fronds in the grey gloom of a foggy
day. We are not wholly free from blame in this
matter in so far as our gardens are concerned, for
spring and summer and autumn all have their share
in the garden plan, while winter, too often, stands
apart uncared for and unclothed. Yet how much
may be done by the right grouping of beautiful trees
and shrubs to make the winter garden harmonious
and inviting.
“You see, it takes a deal of insight to know
what’s a-going to be,” was a remark, half-apologetic,
half-regretful, often made by an old gardener of a
school now gone by, when matters horticultural
went somewhat athwart of his calculations. The
words recur to mind as containing a germ of truth
beyond the meaning of the speaker. It has been
45
46 TREES AND SHRUBS
well said with regard to deeper matters that fore-
sight must spring from insight, and it may be taken
also as a foundation principle of good gardening.
For just in proportion as we use our faculties of
insight and foresight will our gardens grow, more
or less, into a perfect expression of our sense of the
ever-changeful, never-ending beauty of Nature.
It must be no cursory glance given to get rid of
an unwelcome duty. We must look deep into the
meaning of things as they are—a meaning which
never lies wholly on the surface—before we can
forecast them as they are going to be, and such
insight rarely comes by intuition. The seeing eye
is given only to a few, though with some it is
but sleep-holden and needs no more than to be
awakened.
The things that are and the things that are to
be. Let us take the thought as company and try
to glean some of Nature’s own lessons of fitness.
How instinctively we seek, for a winter ramble,
the shelter of the woodland copse, which is not far
distant from any English country habitation, The
broad grass drive is hoar with frosty rime in the
shadow of the bushes and crisp under foot. Under
the trees the ground on either side is carpeted
with Ivy. The lithe, trailing stems, wreathed with
their shining, taper-fingered leaves, so exquisitely
pencilled, are cushioned on the soft, feathery moss,
or twine in and out amongst the Hazel stocks, or
creep at will up the nearest tree trunk. One can
scarcely look at Ivy on a winter’s day without a
A WINTER GARDEN OF TREES 47
thrill of admiration, especially this woodland sort,
for, mark it well, Nature never encourages the
coarse-lived Ivy of common cultivation within her
domains. How perfect in its grace is this fine-
leaved Ivy, how utterly content with its surroundings,
how resolutely cheerful, be the circumstances of
weather or situation what they may! Clinging lowly
to the ground or mounting to the topmost branch
of some tall Pine, it is equally at home, and why
should we not agree with that good naturalist, Charles
Waterton, in his assertion that forest tree was never
injured by its clasping stems? An English plant
for our English climate, it may be used to make
beautiful an unsightly building, to clothe a decay-
ing tree stump, as bush or border or mantle, in
a hundred different ways, yet it is never out of
character, and never touches a jarring note.
Then those tall Hollies, see how dauntlessly they
stand up above the under-growth of Hazel. How
living and warm, in their ruddy glow, are the cluster-
ing berries in the glint of the fearless leaves, For
expedience sake, their lower branches have been
trimmed away, and greatly we gain by it, for other-
wise that lovely contrast of their ashen-grey stems
would be hidden from our eyes; but over yonder
a fine old Holly tree stands alone, which axe and
knife have left untouched, and how graceful is the
curven sweep of its feathering boughs. No foreign
evergreen can excel it for symmetry of form or
winter garniture of leaf and fruit. Life is astir, too,
in the brown twigs of the Hazel bushes. The infant
48 TREES AND SHRUBS
year is not more than a week or two old, yet already
the tasselled catkins are swinging in the lightest
rustle of the sighing wind, and begin to lift up their
tiers of small woolly cowls to set free the yellow
pollen-dust. And so we may go on our way, and,
at every turn, some rugged Yew, or clump of
red-stemmed Scotch Fir, or tapering Spruce with
hanging russet cones, will stay our steps, and if we
look and listen, they will tell us in their own way
the story of their perfect fitness for our homely
English landscape. Or, if we chance to be in one
of the chalky districts of the South Downs, we may
come upon Box, the ever young, as it was called of
yore, or Juniper, in its bloom of silver grey, as
precious. as any, to add to the tale of our best native
evergreens.
Now it is to a wise choice of evergreens and to
their rightful placing that we must look for the
basis of our content in the winter garden. The
insight of our forefathers foresaw the solid comfort
of the rampart of Yew which was fostered of old
in many a manor-house garden. It caused them
to fence about their dwellings on north and east
with a belt of sturdy timber trees, to meet and ward
off in their pliant strength the roughest winter gales.
It planned the sheltered nut-walk and the pleached
alley and the cosy settle, carved out of the thick
Box bushes, on the grassy verge of the bowling-
green. They took of the materials at hand, and
many have since their day blessed the fore-
sight which planted, not only for themselves, but
A WINTER GARDEN OF TREES 49
for their children’s children. That they were not
blind to the rare beauty of foreign trees many a
magnificent Cedar of Lebanon and massive Ilex, or
deciduous tree—like the fine Tulip trees at Mackery
End, beloved of Charles Lamb—bear noble testimony
to this hour.
Nothing, perhaps, in the wide range of garden
beauty is more pictorial than an ancient Cedar,
dusky and glaucous, with cavernous shadows, holding
upright the smooth, pale-brown, rounded cones on
its flattened branches, or some grand Silver Fir
standing alone in its solemn symmetrical beauty, or
even, as may now and then be seen, though rarely,
some stately Araucaria, wind-sheltered, whose radiat-
ing branches sweep down upon the greensward.
Others there are, no less pictorial perhaps, nor even
less exacting, for none can do without the shelter
of a good position, such as the Stone Pines, with
corrugated trunk and green spreading head; or
again, the graceful fragrant Cypress (C. /awsoniana)
of more recent date, with its slender pyramidal
growth and drooping feathery branches, taking on
at the close of winter the ruby-red of the catkins
which tell of the coming of the small, bloom-
powdered cones.
The desperate hurry, the incessant crowding out
of the times in which we live, give little encourage-
ment to the sentiment of planting for posterity, yet
some such planting is continually being done. This
much must be said, that the last fifty years have
seen the introduction of numberless fine trees and
D
50 TREES AND SHRUBS
shrubs, the fitness of which for our climate time
alone could test. During that period in England,
the Mammoth tree of the Yosemite Valley (Sequoza
gigantea) has been planted in its thousands, and
by irony of fate, the giant not seldom finds itself
cramped within the limits of a half-acre plot. But
leaving out the question of space, it is a_ tree
utterly unsuited to our northern climate, unless
under exceptional circumstances, as its scorched
and fretted branches on the windward side suffi-
ciently prove; while in itself it is not nearly so
grand or suggestive as its near-of-kin, the beautiful
Californian Redwood (S. sempervirens).
Ah! that burning question of space, how it comes
between us and our highest garden aspirations!
Have we not all seen the Deodar or the Araucaria
trying to exist in a narrow, twelve-foot forecourt, and
smiled, if we have not rather been ready to weep,
over the crass absurdity of its position? But such
mistakes are made every day. Let us think, then,
before we plant, of the things that are going to be,
and take prudent counsel with ourselves.
Our garden resources, nowadays, are beyond all
calculation greater than those of our forefathers,
and we rejoice and are glad because of it; but we
should let nothing oust from our affections the
hardy trees and shrubs, native and naturalised, that
are at home in our climate, beautiful in themselves
and invaluable in their fitness to give shelter to the
more fastidious immigrants from other latitudes.
Shelter, in fact, is as the keynote to the winter
e
A WINTER GARDEN OF TREES 51
garden. Beauty is killed when leaves that should
be green and smiling are bruised and brown, when
boughs that should be perfect in grace and curve
are twisted and tortured. We may be very sure,
too, that such symptoms of discomfort in our
gardens will re-act in disquiet on ourselves, whereas
the mere sight of tree or bush standing firm in its
green bravery through storm and stress tends, it
may be unawares, to brace and uplift. Even the
familiar Laurel, good as it is when suitably placed,
and used not too freely, is constantly scathed and
disfigured in damp or low-lying localities, For the
same reason, it is doubtful whether Rhododendrons
should be planted within range of our windows,
Most of them, in severe weather, frightened before
they are hurt, put on a melancholy air and droop
of leaf which is apt to send a shiver through any
shrinking mortal whose vitality is already low
enough.
The bare boughs of winter, on the contrary, are
never depressing. They sleep, but it is not the
sleep of death ; they rest, but while they are resting,
we feel that the mystery of life silently works out the
fulfilment of the promise of re-awakening. Mean-
while, before the veil of leafage hides so much else
that is beautiful from our eyes, we see the things
that are, tree trunks in all their majesty of girth and
column and fencing bark, the net-work of budding
spray, each after its kind distinct, yet each in its
own form perfect. Even in mid-winter, the brown
gummy buds of the Horse Chestnuts begin to swell
52 TREES AND SHRUBS
at the ends of the swaying boughs, and the Ash-
buds, as they make ready to burst their bonds, put
on a deeper hue.
The Beeches keep their silken green tight shut
within their scale-bound points, and will not let it
unfold an hour too soon; but look at the lovely
colouring, now silvern, now golden green, of the
Lichen-stains on the smooth grey bark. Contrast
it with the deeply-chiselled ribs of the Sweet Chest-
nut, the rugged armour-plates of the Oak, the thin
white tissue of the dainty Silver Birch. It is this
diversity, these contrasts, which make up the charm
of winter, while the sombre green of Fir and
Yew intermingling with the leafless trees gives just
the touch of warmth and comfort which winter
lacks. If any of these bless our gardens with their
gracious presence, let us hesitate long before any
trivial inconvenience tempts us into doing away
with them. A single group of Silver Birches, one
spreading Beech, a clump of Scotch Fir, with a
stretch of grass beneath them, is more precious to
look out upon in the winter garden than all the
borders and rockeries that can be devised. Urge
as we may, however, for their own sake, the fitness
and constant delight of our native trees and ever-
green shrubs, we plead for them, no less, because
by their well-advised use our sheltered gardens may
become congenial abiding-places for the strangers
we may invite within our gates.
Do we profit as much as we might by the wealth
of garden beauty, in the way of trees and shrubs,
A WINTER GARDEN OF TREES 353
which for every intent and purpose lies within our
reach ?
Take Magnolias, for example. They are not sub-
tropical trees, as we are apt to think, but fairly
hardy, and the Laurel Magnolia, so well known as
a beautiful covering for a south wall, is seldom
enough seen in standard form. Yet it is one of the
most stately of evergreen trees, and it would be hard
to find one more worthy of a good position, sheltered
from north and easterly winds. The whole outline
of the tree is noble, with its broad, shining, russet-
backed leaves, a delight to look upon in winter—nor
is it shy, when full-grown, of bearing in late summer
its scented ivory-white lily-cups. It is too much,
however, to expect the lovely-sculptured, crimson-
flushed cones, which in warmer climates than ours
open about November to disclose their hanging
scarlet seeds. Some of the deciduous Magnolias,
too, such as the fine Chinese Yulan (M. conspicua)
and the bushy white-flowered Japanese species (M.
stellata), are full of interest, even while lifeless. All
through the winter we may watch the gradual filling
out of the hairy, conical flower-bracts, until at length,
in very early spring, the impatient buds can contain
themselves no longer, and all too soon, sometimes,
push them off altogether that they may creep out
of their prison bands.
Every one has his private calendar, and reckons
the seasons by a computation of his own, but we
may safely say that four long months, if no more,
separate the falling of the leaf from its coming again.
54 TREES AND SHRUBS
Perhaps we ought not to include Magnolias amongst
hibernal flowers, though the trees are often white
with blossom before the Larch is green; but the
list of shrubs which bloom, or are bright with
coloured fruit during those four months, would sur-
prise most people who think of winter only as the
dead season. The boughs of Sea Buckthorn are
loaded with orange berries. Clusters of scarlet peep
out of the fresh green of the Skimmia bushes and,
so long as the birds do not find them out, Pernettya
carries a crop of purple and crimson and pink fruit
more showy than the modest white flowers of summer.
When November days are growing dark, Coronilla,
in sheltered spots, puts forth its pale clustering yellow
flowers. Winter Jasmine, if the flowering branches
are not ruthlessly pruned away in autumn, covers
its long green shoots with golden stars. The ever-
green Clematis (C. calycina) is never happier than
when clinging to some terrace balustrade where it
may have a little kindly shelter, which it repays by
wreathing the stone-work with garlands of finely-cut
bronzed foliage, hung with creamy freckled bells.
More than one kind of hardy Heath, if grown in
spreading masses, will deck the garden with sheets
of colour the whole winter through.
The Chinese Honeysuckle (Z. Standishit) arrays
itself in its fragile white flowers as early as January.
Witch Hazels hang their bare branches with twisted
petals of gold or amber or, sometimes (as in Hama-
melis zuccariniana), borrow the pale-green tint of the
under wing of a brimstone butterfly. Soon after
A WINTER GARDEN OF TREES 55
Christmas, Mezereon flushes into rosy purple, and
bushes of Winter-sweet (Chimonanthus fragrans), inde-
pendent of a wall (as few people know), will breathe
out its perfume from leafless branches studded over
with waxen-yellow flowers. It is strange how many
of these winter-blooming plants keep their leaves
well out of harm’s way, brave as their flowers may
be. But so it is, and so we learn that if we would
gain their fullest winter beauty, we must group them
with evergreen shrubs as foil or background.
And what store there is of these to choose from,
not green only, but colour-tinged—Berberis of many
kinds, the shining ordered leaf-rows of Azara, the
purple tints of Mahonia and Gaultheria, the bronze of
Andromeda buds, the deep dull green of Osmanthus,
the wine red of Leucothoé, the pearl grey of Aériplex,
and a hundred more will respond to our beck and
call. Only we must choose with judgment, for
whether our lot is cast in north or south, in the
black east or soft caressing west, makes all the differ-
ence to our choosing. Only be sure that more
important still than climate are the wind-breaks we
can plan, and the shelter we may contrive. Yet
when we are in doubt we can always come back
with satisfaction to the quick-growing hardiest shrubs
and find in them some fit setting for our garden
picture. The slender angled branches of green
Broom, the rigid spiny Furze, scented Rosemary, or
hoary Lavender—all will lend their varied tints and
attributes as we need them. And if a pool or stream
only gives us opportunity, what can surpass the
56 TREES AND SHRUBS
winter colouring of osier twigs—golden and crimson
and olive, mirrored in still water or broken into a
thousand reflections by the ripple of a running brook.
Perhaps, amongst all the wealth of winter ever-
green shrubs the rank of those which show variega-
tion is too much exaggerated. Popular as they are,
the effect is not always good, unless more than
ordinary care is taken in their placing. Some few,
like the best golden and silver Hollies are very
beautiful, though not all of these are improvements
upon the finest green forms. No variegated shrub,
probably, is more universally grown than the Aucuba,
and it has excellent points ; it is hardy in constitu-
tion, handsome in outline, and bold of leaf. By ill-
luck, as it happened, more than a hundred years ago,
the spotted variety was sent home first from Japan,
and became domiciled in English gardens and rooted
in English affections before the far more worthy
green species made its entry.
It is but a private opinion and not given as dogma
that it might possibly be a distinct gain to gardens,
large and small, if the spotted Aucuba were practi-
cally banished and the true green-leaved forms—
some of which are generally beautiful when well set
with large coral berries—allowed to take its place.
The variegated Oleaster (E/e@agnus pungens), a remark-
ably fine shrub when taken by itself, sadly disturbs
the repose and dignity of the garden outlook in
winter, though doubtless positions might be found
in which it would harmonise with its surroundings.
We need only con over, mentally, all the more
A WINTER GARDEN OF TREES 57
familiar examples of shrub variegation to find, pro-
bably, that we should do as well without a goodly
proportion of them, though we may frankly admit
some to be very handsome. The secret of our
discontent, possibly, lies in the fact that variegation
in plants that are normally green is not, in its
essence, a sign of health but of wasting sickness.
In any case, whatever our feelings may be on this
particular point, it is well worth while to weigh the
merits of each shrub, variegated or green, before
we plant it, not only individually, but in relation to
its neighbourhood to other garden associates, and
more especially with regard to its winter aspect.
Mr. Bean writes as follows about the winter
beauty of trees and shrubs: ‘Even in November
and December there are trees and shrubs that
brighten the garden with their coloured bark and
fruits. Although not abundant, the members of
this class are not used so extensively as they
might be.
“Among Willows, for instance, there are the
golden and red-barked varieties of Salix vitellina.
These, though scarcely ever seen, are capable, when
properly treated, of producing bright warm effects
that are especially charming from November to
February. When allowed to grow naturally this
Willow—known popularly as the Golden Osier—
forms a graceful tree of large size. Its twigs have a
golden or red tinge, according to the variety, but on
fully-grown trees these twigs are not large, and as it
is, of course, the bark of the preceding summer’s
58 TREES AND SHRUBS
growth only that is coloured no very marked colour
effect is produced. To obtain a really bright patch
of colour it is necessary to plant these Willows in
goodly-sized groups and to prune them hard back
every spring. By treating them in this way a great
cluster of long, wand-like growths is made every
year, the bark over the whole of which becomes a
bright yellow or red as winter approaches. An
effective group is produced by mixing the red and
yellow-barked varieties.
“ Another striking Willow is Salix daphnoides. The
young bark of this species is covered with a thick
glaucous or vivid blue-white ‘bloom.’ SS. acutifolia
is similarly distinguished, though not quite so
markedly. Different from any of these Willows,
too, is the variety of S. ¢viandra, with purplish-brown
bark. To bring out fully the ornamental qualities of
these Willows they should be treated as advised for
Salix vitellina. All these Willows are especially
charming near the edge of water. Not only are
their moisture-loving propensities satisfied, but their
beauty is doubled by reflection in the water.
“ Somewhat similar to the Willows in the character
of their bark, but useful in being adapted for drier
situations, are the Cornels (Cornus). The best of the
genus in this connexion are Cornus alba and its variety
sibirica. They produce bark which for one or two
seasons remains a bright red during the time the
branches are leafless. A group of Cornus alba, with
Chionodoxa Lucile or Winter Aconite planted thickly
beneath, gives a very pleasing bit of colour early in
A WINTER GARDEN OF TREES 59
the year. A yellow-barked form of Cornus stolonifera,
known as flaviramea, deserves mention.
‘Several shrubs are notable for the particularly
bright green of their bark. The forms of Kerria
Japonica and Neila are very bright during the
winter on this account, but still more effective is
a near ally, Stephanandra kanake, a comparatively
new shrub, also from Japan, but of little value in
any other respect. Finally, 1 may mention the
Rubuses with white stems. As in Salix daphnoides,
the bark is covered with the waxy secretion known
as ‘bloom,’ and of a blue-tinted white. Some six
Or seven species of Rubus have this character.
Of those obtainable from nurseries, R. biflorus, a
Himalayan species often to be had from dealers
under the erroneous name of Rubus leucodermis, is
the best. Dr. A. Henry has introduced a Chinese
species, Rubus lasiostylus, which is even better than
biflorus; the bloom is more distinctly blue, and
the stems sturdier and more self-supporting. The
species is, however, an extremely rare one in cul-
tivation. It is scarcely necessary to repeat how
essential it is that these Brambles and Cornels
should be planted in bold groups.
“ Among trees the most noteworthy as regards the
colour of their bark are the Birches. The beauty
of the Common White Birch has not been overlooked
by planters. A single specimen or a few grouped
together make a bright winter picture when asso-
ciated with evergreens. The Canoe Birch of North
America (Betula papyrifera) has a bark of an even
60 TREES AND SHRUBS
purer white than our native species. The Yellow
Birch (B. lutea) shows warm orange-brown tints on
the more recently exposed surfaces of its bark. The
bark of the River Birch (B. nigra) is not brightly
coloured, being of a dull dark brown, but it gives the
tree a notably curious aspect owing to the way it
stands out from the trunk and branches in great
ragged-looking flakes.
A FLOWER GARDEN IN WINTER
“It is possible to make a new feature in gardens by
setting apart a piece of ground exclusively for the
cultivation of trees, shrubs, and bulbs—in short, any
plants that flower or are bright with fruit or bark
between, say, the beginning of November and the
end of February. One might term it ‘an out-door
winter garden.’ For the purpose there would be
required a well-drained piece of ground, the soil of
which was fertile and open. The situation should
be fully exposed to the south and west, but guarded
well on the north and east sides by a thick belt of
evergreen trees and shrubs. The shelter would be
still more complete if the site sloped rather steeply to
the south-west. Such shelter would be welcome,
not only to the plants that grew there, but to those
who might visit and tend them. Some of the more
noteworthy trees and shrubs with ornamental barks
I have already mentioned. Plants that carry their
fruit into winter might be included, such as the
Hollies, especially the yellow-berried Holly; Cvra-
“PNFININPIONZ UFA FOINOdFL SITANFNVH ‘YFMOTA NI TAZVH HOLIM F
Suey Usealy
‘PFLFTF SANTA
A WINTER GARDEN OF TREES 61
tegus Crus-Galli and C. spathulata; Cotoneaster rotun-
adifolia, which is the best of all the Cotoneasters,
and frequently carries its bright-scarlet berries till
March ; and Aippophe rhamnoides, the Sea Buck-
thorn, whose orange-coloured fruits are borne in
such profusion and retain their colour till past
Christmas if the frosts are not too severe. The
scarlet-fruited Skimmia japonica and its varieties are
very ornamental during the winter months, but of
these (as well as the Hippophz) it is necessary to
grow male and female plants together. Groups of
variegated evergreens would not only help to give
shelter and warmth, but would also add to the
brightness of the garden. The best of them are the
golden and silver variegated Elzeagnuses, the Hollies
of a similar character, and the best of the Aucubas,
of which there are now some very fine forms ; the
female plants are also very ornamental as fruit-
bearers. Pinus sylvestris aurea, a variety of the
Scotch Pine that turns golden in winter but is
green at other seasons, and Cupressus macrocarpa lutea
are the two best Conifers of their class. Many of the
variegated Conifers lose most or all of their colour as
autumn and winter approach.
“With regard to the trees and shrubs that bear
flowers between November and February, the num-
ber is not, of course, great ; still, they constitute a
group that is larger, perhaps, than is generally sup-
posed. The following list, which comprises all that
I can call to mind, may be useful even to those who
would not intend to bring them together in one spot.
62 TREES AND SHRUBS
Some country houses are only occupied during the
shooting and hunting seasons, and these winter-
flowering plants are of especial value in such
places.
November
Arbutus hybrida. Hamamelis virginica.
55 Unedo and vars. Jasminum nudiflorum.
Daphne Mezereum grandiflora. | Lonicera fragrantissima.
Elzagnus glabra, macrophylla, » Standishii.
and pungens (all delightfully
fragrant).
December and January
Chimonanthus fragrans. Erica carnea.
Clematis calycina. = » alba.
Crateegus monogyna preecox Garrya elliptica.
(Glastonbury Thorn). Viburnum Tinus.
Erica mediterranea hybrida.
February and early March
Berberis japonica. Hamamelis zuccariniana.
» nepalensis. Prunus davidiana (pink and
Cornus Mas. white forms).
Corylopsis spicata. » amygdalus persi-
Daphne blagayana. coides.
» Laureola. Populus tremuloides pendula.
‘5 Mezereum. Parrotia persica.
rr 3 var. alba. Pyrus japonica.
» oleoides. Rhododendron altaclarense.
Erica mediterranea. 5 dauricum.
Hamamelis arborea. . nobleanum.
53 japonica. iy preecox.
Pa mollis.
AUTUMN COLOURS
THERE is a certain amount of mystery about the
autumn colouring of the foliage of hardy trees and
shrubs in this country, and we have never yet ascer-
tained with any degree of exactness the conditions
that produce the richest and brightest colours,
Probably the conditions most favourable generally
are provided by a good growing season—that is, a
warm, moist summer—followed by a dry, sunny
autumn. But it frequently happens after what one
would regard as favourable seasons, that species
which are usually quite trustworthy in this matter
fail to colour well. Probably one set of condi-
tions does not suit all trees and shrubs in this
respect. To produce the colouration of the leaf
just before it falls certain subtle chemical changes
in its composition take place. And to bring about
these changes certain conditions in regard to sun-
light, temperature, and moisture are necessary. But
in a climate such as that of Britain, where the
seasons are never alike two years together, we can
never hope to obtain the same regularity of autumnal
colouring that characterises the vegetation, for in-
stance, of the Eastern United States. Still, when
all is said, we possess in our gardens a large number
of trees and shrubs and climbers that are delightful
63
64 TREES AND SHRUBS
in their autumnal livery of crimson, purple, scarlet,
or gold. It is curious that every season we may
notice species not usually conspicuous for their
autumn tints beautifully coloured.
An over-vigorous, sappy growth, often the result
of a wet, warm autumn or too rich a soil, is certainly
detrimental to autumn colouring. Rhus cotinotdes, an
American Sumach, worth growing for the beauty of
its colours in autumn, is one of the most unfailing
in this matter. But young plants, put out in well-
trenched, heavily-manured soil, will often fail to
colour at all till they get older and less vigorous.
The most beautifully-coloured examples of this
Sumach that we have seen grow in rather light
sandy soil. We have frequently noticed, too, that
various species of Vine (Vitis) when starved in pots
will colour exquisitely, whilst others, planted out in
the ordinary way, completely fail. We believe,
therefore, when planting with a view to the produc-
tion of autumnal colour, any great enrichment of
the soil is neither necessary nor advisable, provided
it is of moderate quality to start with.
In the following notes, brief mention is made of
some of the best trees, shrubs, and climbers that
colour in autumn :—
TREES
First among these are the American Red Oaks.
Undoubtedly the best of these is a variety of Quercus
coccinea known as splendens and grayana. This not
only turns to a fine scarlet crimson, but it retains its
AUTUMN COLOURS 65
foliage for some weeks after the colour has been
acquired—sometimes almost up to Christmas. Other
good Oaks, not so certain, however, as the preceding,
are Quercus marylandica (or nigra), Q. heterophylla,
Q. imbricaria, and Q. palustris, all of which turn red.
The Tupelo tree (Nyssa sylvatica) turns a fine bur-
nished bronzy red. A tree remarkable for the size
of its leaves, and especially for the rich golden yellow
they put on in autumn, is Carya tomentosa, but, like
most of the Hickories, it is scarcely known in gardens.
Carya sulcata is somewhat similar. The Common
Elm is usually very beautiful in the soft yellow tints
of its leaves in autumn, but another Elm of more
distinct aspect is Ulmus pumila, a low tree whose
small leaves are retained till late in the year, and
turn golden yellow before they fall. Liguidambar
styraciflua has long been valued for its fading foliage
of purple red, but not so well known is the lovely
yellow of the Fern-like foliage of the Honey Locust
(Gleditschia triacanthos). The Tulip tree (Liriodendron),
the Nettle trees (Celtis), the Zelkowas, and several of
the Birches turn yellow, one of the best of the
Birches being Betula corylifola, which turns a rich
orange yellow.
Among commoner trees the yellow of the Horse
Chestnut, the lovely crimson of the Wild Cherry, the
golden shades of the Black and Lombardy Poplars,
add much to the beauty of every autumn. Several
of the Maples are noteworthy in this respect, more
especially the numerous varieties of Japanese Maples
(Acer palmatum and A. japonicum), these, as well as
E
66 TREES AND SHRUBS
the Mandshurian Acer Ginnala, turning to various
shades of red. The Common Sycamore and Norway
Maple change to yellow, but Schwedler’s variety of
the latter becomes red. Other trees that deserve
mention are Amelanchier canadensis, whose foliage
changes to lovely crimson shades in autumn; Ka/-
reuteria japonica, soft yellow ; Pyrus torminalis, bronzy
red; Gingko biloba, pale gold; Cladrastis tinctoria,
yellow ; Parrotia persica and Hamamelis, bronzy red
and yellow. The Common Beech is nearly always
beautiful, changing first to yellow, then to warm
brown tints. Among Conifers the yellow-leaved
variety (aurea) of the Scotch Pine is remarkable in
retaining its colour during the winter months only,
becoming green in spring and summer. Retinospora
squarrosa and Cryptomeria elegans turn bronzy red in
winter. The warm red-brown tints of the deciduous
Cypress are charming.
SHRUBS
The Sumachs (Rhus) furnish some of the most
striking of autumn-colouring shrubs; the best of
them, R. cotinotdes, has been already described ; other
fine species are R. typhina, R. glabra (with the cut-
leaved variety Jaciniata), and R. Toxtcodendron, all of
which turn red. The Venetian Sumach, R. Cotinus,
becomes yellow. Berberis Thunbergi, which dies off
a rich scarlet, is so beautiful in autumn that on some
estates it has been planted in great quantity, not
only for cover, but so that sportsmen may enjoy its
colour during the shooting season. Its evergreen
AUTUMN COLOURS 67
ally, B. Aquifolium, turns a glowing red or purple
after the first frosts. The Ghent Azaleas almost
always colour richly, either deep glowing crimson,
bronzy red, or gold ; and of other ericaceous plants
the warm tints of Pzeris mariana and the rich crimson
of the Enkianthus should be mentioned. The taller
American Vacciniums (corymbosum and its various
forms) are always lovely. Our native Guelder Rose
(Viburnum Opulus) becomes crimson in autumn,
whilst the Common Hazel and Rhamnus Frangula
often produce fine effects in yellow. The feathery
foliage of Spirea Thunbergi is singularly beautiful
when it changes from its natural pale green to
crimson; and two other Japanese shrubs (both,
unfortunately, very rare) are remarkable for their
autumnal beauty. These are Disanthus cercidifolia,
an ally of the Witch Hazels, lovely claret colour,
and Viburnum alnifolium, crimson.
Other noteworthy shrubs are Fothergilla alnifolia,
rich red; Euonymus alatus, crimson; Deutzia crenata,
yellow; and Pyrus arbutifolia, red. The common
Brambles of our woods should not be passed over
without mention ; they turn a rich glowing red, and
for their autumnal beauty alone may be used as
undergrowth in wilder parts of the garden and
woodland.
CLIMBERS
First among these, of course, is Veitch’s Ampe-
lopsis, the finest of all deciduous climbers for walls,
being self-supporting and changing to crimson in
68 TREES AND SHRUBS
autumn. Vitis Coignetie is one of the noblest of all
Vines, and turns crimson also. Other Vines useful
in this respect are the Teinturier Vine, purple ;
V. Romaneti, red; and the Virginian Creeper, espe-
cially that variety known as muralis or Engelmannii,
which clings to walls or tree trunks without any
artificial support, and acquires beautiful red shades
in autumn. Among Honeysuckles, Lonicera japonica
var. flexuosa is noteworthy for the fine red purple of
its decaying leaves.
TREES AND SHRUBS WITH FINE
FRUITS
THE most important of all the groups of trees and
shrubs, for their fruit, is the one comprising the
hardy species of the Rose order. This includes, of
course, besides the Roses, such trees and shrubs as
the Thorns, Crabs, and Cotoneasters. Among the
the Thorns (Crategus) are many very handsome
sorts giving variety in size and colour of the fruits.
It is unfortunate that many of them fall early and
get spoilt by birds. At the same time birds add so
greatly to the delight of the garden that we may well
overlook their depredations. By many, indeed, these
fruiting trees will be considered worth growing for
the encouragement they give to bird-life. It may be
well to remind planters that a considerable number
of these fruiting trees and shrubs bear male flowers
on one plant, female on another. People are often
at a loss to understand why their Sea Buckthorns or
Aucubas or Skimmias do not fruit, when the simple
reason is that the plants are all male (or pollen-
bearing), or that the female ones have no males to
fertilise them. As a general rule, if these shrubs
are grouped, one male to eight or ten females
is a proper proportion. As plants raised from
seeds come in about equal proportions of both
69
70 TREES AND SHRUBS
sexes, it is necessary to select the females and
keep just sufficient males to pollenise them, in order
that the full beauty of the species as a fruit-bearer
may be obtained. With Skimmias and Aucubas the
proper proportions can be obtained by means of
cuttings.
The following hardy trees and shrubs are the
most conspicuous for the beauty of their fruits :—
ARBUTUS UNEDO.—A native of Western Ireland,
has strawberry-like fruits of a bright-scarlet colour.
AILANTUS GLANDULOSA, a fine tree over 50 feet
high, is very beautiful when covered with its red and
yellow-winged fruits; there are male and female
plants.
AUCUBAS, grown at first for their ornamental
foliage merely, have latterly come into prominence
as fruit-bearers; the female plants bear clusters
of bright-red berries which remain long on the
branches and are very attractive in winter.
BERBERIS.— The fruits of the Berberries are
mostly covered with a plum-coloured bloom as in
B. Aquifolium and B. Darwin, but none of them
is handsomer than our native B. vulgaris and its
varieties. These have pendent racemes of fruits,
varying in colour from the typical orange scarlet to
white, purple, and black. 2B. Thunbergi coral-red,
very beautiful.
CRAT&GuUS.—The finest of all the Thorns is C.
Pyracantha, well named by the French “ Buisson
ardent.” This shrub or small tree is valuable as
a graceful evergreen, and when clothed (as it nearly
TREES WITH FINE FRUITS 71
always is in autumn) with its brilliant clusters of
orange-red haws, it is one of the most beautiful
objects in the garden. It is quite hardy in the
open, but bears fruits more abundantly when
planted against a wall. In that position also it
is more easily protected from birds, which soon
destroy the beauty of plants in the open. The
Cockspur Thorn (C. Crus Gall) has several varieties,
all producing pendent clusters of scarlet haws. The
varieties like pyracanthifolia, with narrow leaves and
flat-topped habit, are the best in this respect ; they
retain the fruits well into the winter, and are not
eaten by birds so freely as many are. The haws of
C. cordata, the Washington Thorn, are small, but a
brilliant orange. C. punctata, C. Azarolus, and C,
pinnatifida have the largest haws of any, and they
are of a deep red, but fall early; the two first,
however, are variable, and forms with yellow and
other coloured haws belong to them. Those
of C. macracantha are bright red, and in favour-
able years are so plentiful as to make the tree
wondrously beautiful. C. coccinea and C. mollis have
also red haws, larger than those of C. macracantha, but
they fall soon after they are ripe. The Common
Hawthorn is pretty, but more noteworthy is its
variety aurea, with bright-yellow haws. In C.
oliveriana they are black. The Tansy-leaved Thorn
(C. tanacetifoha) has large yellow fruits, not badly
flavoured, and with the fragrance of Apples. C.
orientalis has haws of a bright sealing-wax red, but
in its variety sanguinea they are of a deeper shade.
72 TREES AND SHRUBS
COTONEASTERS. — Not enough use is made of
Cotoneasters in gardens. They grow well in almost
any soil, and are all marked by elegant or neat habit.
They are very pretty when in flower, but it is in
autumn, when laden with fruits, that they attain
their greatest beauty. One of the tallest of them is
C. frigida, and this bears a great abundance of rich
scarlet-red berries in flat clusters. In the nearly
allied C. bacillaris they are almost black. C. votun-
difolia is a dwarfer shrub, but the finest of all the
Cotoneasters for its fruit; it grows about 4 feet
high, and has small, very dark green, persistent
leaves ; the fruits are about the size and shape of
the haws of the Common Hawthorn, and are bril-
liant scarlet red; they are ripe in October, and
from then till March make one of the most beautiful
of winter pictures. In C. duxifolia the fruit is very
abundant, but the red colour is not so bright as in
the preceding. C. horizontalis, now getting to be a
well-known shrub, has very pretty, globose, bright-
red fruits, small but freely borne. C. Simonsz, of
medium height, has brilliant red berries, as has
C. acuminata, a near ally, but taller. The dwarfest
section of Cotoneaster, viz., thymifolia, microphylla and
its variety glacialis (or congesta), which are so useful
for rockeries, have all scarlet berries.
CELASTRUS ARTICULATUS is a vigorous climber
from Eastern Asia, remarkable for the great beauty
of its fruits, which are golden yellow within, and
when ripe split open and reveal the shining scarlet-
coated seeds. C. scandens has orange-coloured seeds.
TREES WITH FINE FRUITS 73
CORIARIA JAPONICA is very beautiful in autumn,
when it succeeds as well as it does with Canon Ella-
combe at Bitton, the fruits being covered then
with the persistent petals which are of a lovely coral
red.
CORNUS CAPITATA (Benthamia fragifera) only suc-
ceeds to perfection in the south-western counties ;
its strawberry-like red fruits are very handsome.
COPROSMA ACEROSA is a dwarf New Zealand shrub
suitable for the rockery; it has variously-shaded,
transparent, blue-green berries.
ELZAGNUS MULTIFLORA (or E. Jongipes) is the most
ornamental in the genus with regard to its fruits.
They are remarkably abundant, orange-coloured, and
specked with reddish scales.
EUONYMUS EUROPAUS, our native “Spindle tree,”
is most beautiful in autumn, when, after a favourable
season, it is covered with its open red fruits revealing
the orange-coloured seeds within.
FRAXINUS MARIESII is one of Messrs. Veitch’s in-
troductions from Japan, and is a dwarf tree, one of
the “Manna” Ashes ; the thin keys are of a bronzy-
red colour and pretty.
GLEDITSCHIA TRIACANTHOS is the “ Honey Locust.”
The pods are not brightly coloured, being at first
green, then brown, but they are long, thin, and
wavy, like crooked scimitars, and hanging in numbers
on the tree ; have a very curious and (in this country)
uncommon aspect.
HEDERA (Ivy).—Some of the “tree” forms of Ivy
produce berries freely ; the most ornamental of them
74 TREES AND SHRUBS
are the red, yellow, and orange-coloured varieties of
Hi. Helix arborescens.
HYMENANTHERA CRASSIFOLIA, from New Zealand,
is a dense-growing, stiff-branched, dwarf shrub,
chiefly noteworthy for the white berries it bears.
HYPERICUMS.—H. Androsemum and H. elatum pro-
duce rather handsome clusters of black fruits.
HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES, the Sea Buckthorn, is one
of the most brilliantly coloured of all berry-bearing
shrubs. It produces them in marvellous profusion,
and they are bright-orange coloured. Birds do not
molest the berries, and unless caught by severe frosts
(which turn them grey) they lighten the garden
wonderfully up to, and sometimes after, the New
Year. The necessity of growing both sexes of plants
has already been noted, but isolated females may be
artificially impregnated by shaking pollen over them
when in flower.
ILEX (Holly)—The berries of the Holly are so
well known that we need only mention the yellow-
berried one (/fructu-luteo), which is not common, but
very effective in winter.
LicgustruM.—The Privets are of little consequence
as fruit-bearing shrubs, and only L. senense need be
mentioned; it is frequently very striking in early
winter, being covered then with great clusters of
purple-black, shot-like berries.
LyYcIUM CHINENSE.—Nearly all the Box Thorns in
this country belong to this species. As for L. europeum
and L. barbarum, the names are very common, but
the plants themselves very rare. L. chinense is very
TREES WITH FINE FRUITS 75
ornamental in the fall of the year, its long graceful
branches being well furnished with rich red berries.
L. rhombifolium is one of its forms.
MAGNOLIA TRIPETALA is often very striking in the
fall of the year because of its large upright fruits of
a reddish-purple colour.
MACLURA AURANTIACA, the “ Osage Orange,” bears
a remarkable orange-coloured fruit 2 to 3 inches
in diameter. The tree is quite hardy, but we have
not heard of its bearing fruit in this country. This
is perhaps because male and female flowers occur
on different plants.
PERNETTYA MUCRONATA.—First among ericaceous
plants for beauty in fruit is this Magellanic plant
and its varieties. It is dwarf and bushy, with small
white flowers followed by enormous quantities of
berries about the size of peas. These vary in colour
from white to deep crimson, and are undoubtedly
some of the most valuable of all hardy berry-bearing
shrubs.
PALIURUS AUSTRALIS (Christ’s Thorn) has flat,
disk-like fruits, freely borne in suitable years; they
are green, and if not particularly ornamental, are
very quaint and interesting.
PTELEA TRIFOLIATA.—The same may be said of
the abundant clusters of hop-like fruits seen in this
tree.
Pyrus.—In this genus, which includes the
Mountain Ash, the Crabs, and the White Beam trees,
there is a great wealth of beautiful fruiting trees.
The Mountain Ash or Rowan tree (P- Aucuparia),
76 TREES AND SHRUBS
when laden with its hanging corymbs of rich scarlet
berries is a delightful picture, and it reaches its full
beauty in August. Not so well known is the variety
Sructu-luteo, with yellow fruits. A near relative of the
Rowan tree is P. americana, its New World re-
presentative, but it is not so beautiful. The fruit
is almost identical, but the tree is of a stiff and less
graceful aspect. The new P. ¢hianschanica, which
also belongs to the Rowan tree group, has bright-
red, globose berries. Perhaps of all the genus
Pyrus, none on the whole are so beautiful in autumn
as the Crabs, P. daccata, the Siberian Crab, with its
bright-red, cherry-like fruits, and P. Ringo from
Japan, with bright-yellow ones, are the best of the
true species. The hybrid “John Downie” Crab is
also very beautiful in autumn.
The flowering QUINCES are not particularly at-
tractive in regard to the colour of their fruits, but
some of them—notably those of the dwarf Pyrus
Maulei—are very sweetly scented.
Some very handsome fruits are borne by the
various White Beam trees (Pyrus Aria and its allies).
Perhaps the best of them is P-. Janata (or Sorbus
majestica), which has flat clusters of bright-red
berries. But many of the varieties of P. Avia itself
are very attractive. One of the latest additions to
this group is P. alnifoha, a neat-habited small tree
from Japan and China. It has oblong coral-red
fruits.
Rosa.— Beauty at fruiting time is an almost
proverbial attribute of the Roses. None is more
TREES WITH FINE FRUITS 77
beautiful than our native Dog Rose (R. canina).
Though in many an English hedgerow, an out-
of-the-way corner in many a garden might be given
up to the Dog Rose and its varieties for the sake
of their wealth of scarlet hips in autumn. R.
tomentosa and R. mollis are other red-fruited natives
of Britain. All the members of the Scotch Rose
group (pimpinellifoha) have black fruits. Of exotic
species, one of the most valuable is R. rugosa, its
flat, orange-shaped hips are so abundant and brightly
coloured that they make a brilliant picture. R. micro-
phylla has yellow prickly fruits, whilst those of R.
macrophylla are pear-shaped and scarlet. The deep-
crimson hips of R. pomifera, covered with bristly
hairs like large gooseberries, are as remarkable as
any. Some of the American species, although the
fruits are usually small, are handsome, such as R.
nutkana and R. carolina. The elongated, pear-shaped
fruits of R. alpina and its variety pyrenaica are bright
red, and have a pleasant, resinous odour when
rubbed.
RHAPHITHAMNUS CYANOCARPUS can only be grown
outside against a wall, or in Cornwall or similar
localities, but where it will succeed it is well worth
growing, not only for its pale-blue flowers, but for
the bright-blue fruits that follow them.
Some of the RHAMNUS, such as the native R.
catharticus and R. Frangula, bear abundant crops
of purple-black berries.
The dense pyramidal fruit-clusters of the Stag-
horn Sumach (Rhus typhina) are often attractive,
78 TREES AND SHRUBS
being covered with crimson hairs. Those of R.
glabra are similarly coloured.
RUBUS PHCNICOLASIUS has spread in cultivation
recently, and has beautiful scarlet berries. It is
hardy enough, but birds are so attracted by the
bright colour, that it requires protection from them
when in fruit.
SamMBuCUS.—The scarlet-berried Elder, S. race-
mosus, is by far the handsomest of the genus,
but although it flowers freely enough, it is very
uncertain in producing its fruits. S. glauca,
from the West United States, produces large, flat
clusters of blue-white berries, and there is a
striking white-fruited variety of S. nigra called
leucocarpa.
THE SNOWBERRY (Symphoricarpus racemosus) should
always have a place in the garden for the sake of its
clusters of large pure white berries, which remain
long on the plants.
VIBURNUM.—There are several very handsome
fruiting species in this genus, no finer, however, than
the native V. Opulus, or Guelder Rose, with red
fruits, and its variety /ructu-luteo with yellow ones.
In the other native species, V. Lantana, they are at
first red, ultimately black. Several of the Viburnums
are noteworthy for the blue or blue-black fruits ; of
these are dentatum, molle, cassinoides, and nudum.
Those of the evergreen VY. Tinus are also dark blue,
but, as with the other blue-fruited species, they are
not frequently borne in profusion in the average
climate of Britain.
TREES WITH FINE FRUITS 79
VITIS HETEROPHYLLA and its variety humulifolia,
bear singularly beautiful clusters of pale china-blue
berries. To induce them to fruit freely, however,
the plants require a warm, sunny wall, and rather
restricted root-room.
WEEPING TREES AND THEIR USES
IT is not at all easy to define special uses for trees
of weeping habit, but it is safe to use them nearly
singly and not in immediate connexion with trees
of quite upright form. The point in the weeping
tree is a certain grace of drooping line, such as one
enjoys in the drooping racemes of many of the
papilionaceous flowers such as Wistaria, Laburnum,
and Robinia. Nothing is gained by accentuating
the peculiarity by a direct association with trees of
an opposite way of growth. It is better rather to
place the weeping trees near rounded masses of
shrub and small tree—for example, a Weeping Birch
would group well with a clump of Rhododendrons.
Near water weeping trees seem to be specially
effective. An instance of this is shown in the
familiar Weeping Willow, but one at a time seems
as much as is wanted.
As a general rule, we strongly advocate planting
in groups, whether in the case of trees, shrubs, or
flowering plants, but the weeping trees are less
suited for grouping than any others. One Weeping
Willow is all very well, but a whole grove of them
would be monotonous and tiresome.
The habit of some of the weeping trees can be
directly turned to account in the making of arbours
80
‘(may) ACISUTLFM AGT MOTTIIAL NFINOTAGIF a
WEEPING ASH; PALACE GARDENS, DALKEITH.
WEEPING TREES AND THEIR USES 81
and pergolas; for by planting the large-leaved
Weeping Elm or the Weeping Ash at the back and
on each side in the case of an arbour, or alternately
on each side of the walk for a pergola, a living
shelter may be made in a very few years. The
trees in this case are standards pollarded at about
8 feet from the ground, the form in which they
are generally sent out from the nursery.
(i.) NaturaLLy PENDULOUS SPECIES AND VARIETIES,
ze. Cominc TRUE FROM SEED
Asterisk denotes those to choose first.
Tilia (Lime or Linden) petiolaris.
Genista zthnensis (shrubby).
* Prunus pendula (Weeping Japanese Cherry).
Forsythia suspensa (shrubby).
* Salix (Willow) alba czrulea pendula.
A PA vitellina pendula.
te Ue 5 babylonica.
a 4 i annularis.
‘5 a is Salamoni.
i re elegantissima.
(ii.) PENDULOUS VARIETIES THAT HAVE ORIGINATED AS
‘‘SPORTS,” PROPAGATED BY GRAFTS, CUTTINGS, OR
LavERS
* Tlex (Holly) Aquifolium (green and variegated).
Acer (Maple) Negundo pendula.
Rhus Cotinus pendula.
Laburnum vulgare pendulum (Weeping Laburnum).
Cytisus scoparius pendulus.
Caragana (Pea tree) arborescens pendula.
Sophora japonica pendula.
82 TREES AND SHRUBS
* Prunus Amygdalus pendula (Weeping Almond).
* 4, Avium pendula (Weeping Wild Cherry).
», acida semperflorens.
* ,,.. Mahaleb pendula (Weeping Mahaleb Cherry).
» Padus pendula (Weeping Bird Cherry).
* Crateegus Oxycantha (Hawthorn), red and white flowered.
Sambucus nigra pendula (Weeping Elder).
* Fraxinus excelsior pendula (Weeping Ash).
aurea (golden-leaved) pendula.
Fr ‘s pendula wentworthii.
3 parviflora pendula,
Ulmus (Elm) americana pendula.
a »» campestris pendula.
antarctica pendula.
Pr 5 5 suberosa pendula.
fulva pendula.
re », montana pendula.
- 3 49 Pitteursii pendula.
Zelkowa crenata pendula.
Morus (Mulberry) alba pendula.
* Betula (Birch) alba pendula.
- » Youngi.
ne 95 »» purpurea pendula.
Alnus (Alder) incana pendula.
Carpinus (Hornbeam) Betulus pendula.
Coryllus Avellana (Common Hazel) pendula.
Quercus (Oak) pedunculata pendula.
3 » rubra pendula.
* Fagus (Beech) sylvatica pendula.
” 99
” ” ”
” ”
” ” ” miltonensis.
” ” ” remillyensis.
* Salix (Willow) Caprea pendula.
Pi ” purpurea pendula.
r i » Scharfenbergensis.
” ” repens argentea.
* Populus tremula (Aspen) pendula.
i » tremuloides pendula.
‘UAMOTA NI N9dS¥ ONIGTIM
‘NALPT NO WITY DNIdaqAAL
WEEPING TREES AND THEIR USES
(iii.) ConiFERS
Cupressus lawsoniana glauca pendula.
3 5 gracilis pendula.
a ij pendula vera.
ee 95 gracillima.
i nootkatensis pendula.
Cedrus atlantica pendula.
Gingko biloba pendula.
Juniperus (Juniper) virginiana pendula.
Larix. europzea (Common Larch) pendula.
Thuya orientalis pendula.
» flagelliformis.
Taxodium distichum (Deciduous Cypress) pendulum.
Tsuga canadensis pendula.
Taxus (Yew) baccata pendula.
o ss » gracilis pendula.
83
»” ” » Dovastoni. There is a fine specimen
of this in Barron’s nursery at Bor-
rowash.
THE USE OF VARIEGATED TREES
AND SHRUBS
THE best use of trees and shrubs with coloured or
variegated foliage is not very easy to determine,
though it may be possible to give a few useful
suggestions. The usual way of planting them here)
and there among mixed masses of evergreen and
deciduous growths is perhaps the worst way of all.
All good planting must be done with much thought
and care, and these plants of coloured foliage, that
are necessarily more conspicuous than others, want
the most careful placing of any.
One excellent use of evergreen trees and shrubs
with golden colouring, such as the Gold Hollies,
Cypresses, Yews, and Privets is to make them into
a cheerful bit of outdoor winter garden. The Gold-
leaved Privet is a delightful thing in early winter,
and though Wild Privet, untouched by the knife, is
a deciduous shrub, the clipped Privets of our gardens
usually hold their leaves throughout the winter.
With these the variegated Japan Honeysuckle might
be freely used, much of its yellow veining turning
to a bright red in winter. Cassinia fulvida is another
good winter shrub with its tiny gold-backed leaves.
The pretty bushes of this neat New Zealander are
84
THE USE OF VARIEGATED TREES 85
apt to grow somewhat straggling, but the crowded
little branches are the very thing that is wanted
through the winter as cut greenery to go with winter
flowers, whether hardy or from under glass. If
these are cut a foot long the bush is kept in shape,
and a valuable supply of stuff for house decoration
is provided.
A half or even quarter acre of well-arranged
planting of these gold-variegated shrubs has a sur-
prisingly cheery effect in winter, making a kind of
sunlight of its own when skies are grey, and a com-
fortable shelter when winds are keen.
In summer, too, it will be beautiful if the spaces
between the shrubs are cleverly planted, for pre-
ference, with plants of white or pale-yellow flowers,
such as White Foxglove, Gxothera lamarckiana, white
and pale-yellow Hibiscus ficifolius, Liliums auratum,
giganteum, speciosum, and longifolium ; White Everlast-
ing Pea trained loosely through any near branches ;
Nicotiana affnis and N. sylvestris; and close to the
path hardy Ferns of pale-green frondage, such as
the Lady Fern; with clumps of plants of golden
foliage like the Gold Valerian and Gold Nettle. A
shrub of variegated foliage, planted without special
attention, and coming suddenly in a grouping of
others of an average green colour is made unduly
conspicuous. It should be led up to by neighbours
whose colouring gradually assimilates with its own.
The sudden effect of colouring is all very well in
the nurseryman’s show borders, where the object
is to attract attention to showy individuals, but in
86 TREES AND SHRUBS
our gardens we want the effect of well-arranged
pictures rather than that of shop windows.
A variegated plant to be of real value in the
garden must have clear, bright, and abundant red
and yellow or white markings, not dotted or merely
margined with colour. So many worthless shrubs
with poor variegation have been named and offered
for sale that it is unwise to buy them from a catalogue.
We may repeat the advice already given, which is
to see them first.
Trees and shrubs with coloured foliage are of
several kinds. Most common of all are those which
have leaves blotched or edged with golden or creamy
yellow and white, such as the variegated Hollies and
Elzagnuses. Then there are those which are only
coloured at a certain season, like Neha opulifola aurea.
This has leaves of a beautiful self yellow colour
when they unfold in spring, but become green as
the summer advances; or the variegated Plane
(Platanus acerifolia Sittneri), which is only variegated
in late summer and autumn.
Finally, there are those, like the Purple Hazel or
Purple Beech, which have leaves of one colour and
remain almost of the same shade whilst they are on
the tree.
On the whole the plants that retain their colour
till late summer and autumn, or acquire it then, are
most valuable, because very few trees and shrubs
are then in flower.
Variegated trees and shrubs must not be planted
too plentifully, and studiously avoid all spotty effects.
THE USE OF VARIEGATED TREES 87
Many a garden would be improved by bringing the
variegated shrubs it contains together so as to pro-
duce a few broad masses of colour. Some of these
shrubs, like Spath’s Cornel, or the Golden Elder, may,
in large gardens especially, be planted alone in large
beds or groups. The large trees, like the Purple
Beech, can stand by themselves.
The following list contains one hundred of the
finest of variegated trees and shrubs :—
TREES
Acer Negundo variegatum, creamy white.
»» Negundo aureum, golden entirely.
», Platanoides Schwedleri, soft red in spring.
Pseudo-platanus flavo-marginatum, the “ Corstorphine”
Sycamore, one of the largest of variegated trees.
Alnus glutinosa aurea, wholly yellow.
Betula alba purpurea, wholly purple.
Castanea sativa aureo-marginata, the variegated Sweet Chest-
nut, perhaps the best of all large trees, with parti-coloured
leaves.
Catalpa bignonioides aurea, wholly golden, and most effective
in summer and autumn.
Fagus sylvatica purpurea. Of the Purple Beeches there are
now numerous forms, such as atropurpurea, cuprea,
purpurea, pendula (weeping), and “Swat Magret”
(the darkest of all).
sylvatica variegata, white.
sylvatica tricolor, various shades of red and purple ;
beautifully coloured, but not vigorous.
sylvatica var. Zlatia, entirely pale golden green in
spring, but for a short time only.
Fraxinus americana aucubzefolia, richly mottled with yellow.
Ilex Aquifolium. The variegated Hollies, both silver and
”»
”
”
bs
88 TREES AND SHRUBS
golden, are now very numerous; among the best are
argentea marginata, argentea pendula, Golden Queen,
Silver Queen, Golden King, flavescens, latifolia aureo-
marginata, maderensis variegata, Watereriana, aureo-
medio picta, aureo-pendula, handsworthensis.
Laburnum vulgare foliis aureis, all yellow.
Platanus acerifolia Stittneri, very pure white with scarcely any
green on late growth.
Populus deltoidea aurea, all yellow.
Prunus cerasifera atropurpurea (P. Pissardi), lovely claret red
when young, becoming dull purple in summer.
Pyrus Malus neidwetzkyanus. In this Apple not only the
leaves, but the wood and fruit are purplish red.
», Aria chrysophylla, yellow.
Quercus Cerris variegata, the white variegated Turkey Oak.
1» pedunculata Concordia, a lovely clear yellow, but
apt to burn.
i pedunculata purpurea, wholly red purple.
$5 rubra, crimson.
Robinia Pseudacacia aurea, yellow.
Ulmus campestris, ‘ Louis Van Houtte,” the best Golden Elm.
»» campestris viminalis variegata, a charming white-varie-
gated, small-leaved Elm.
CONIFERS
Abies concolor violacea, glaucous blue.
Cedrus atlantica glauca, glaucous blue.
Cupressus lawsoniana; numerous varieties, of which gracilis
pendula aurea, lutea (very hardy), Silver Queen,
and albo-variegata may be mentioned.
mr nootkatensis lutea, yellow-tipped twigs.
‘5 obtusa aurea, yellow.
5 obtusa nana aurea, dwarf yellow.
% pisifera plumosa aurea, yellow.
+ macrocarpa lutea, the best yellow Conifer in mild
districts.
EL:EAGNUS PUNGENS (Kew).
‘(pU409 pov5aw A) VPLPOTIMFA UFA SFI SANYOO
THE USE OF VARIEGATED TREES 89
Juniperus chinensis aurea, gold-tipped.
Picea orientalis argenteo-spica, young shoots pale yellow.
»» pungens glauca, the best “blue” Conifer.
Pinus sylvestris aurea, golden in winter, green in spring and
summer.
Taxus baccata aurea, “Golden Yew”; a Barronii.
», baccata fastigiata aurea, ‘Golden Irish Yew.”
1», baccata semper-aurea, golden more or less throughout
the winter.
Thuya (Biota) orientalis aurea, yellow in summer.
SHRUBS OR SMALL TREES
Acer palmatum atropurpureum, purple. There are many forms
of this Japanese Maple—cut-leaved, purple, and golden—
but this is the hardiest.
Aralia chinensis albo-variegata. This is one of the most promis-
ing new variegated shrubs. It is sold as Dimorphanthus
mandschuricus var. variegatus.
Atriplex Halimus, silvery grey entirely.
Aucuba japonica, many forms, yellow or creamy white.
Berberis vulgaris foliis purpureis, one of the best purple shrubs.
Buxus sempervirens aurea, ‘‘Golden Box.”
Corylus maxima atropurpurea, a dark-purple, very effective
variety of the Cob-nut.
Cornus Mas aurea elegantissima, yellow.
» Mas variegata, white.
Elzagnus pungens aurea, one of the most beautiful variegated
evergreens.
- pungens variegata, white.
Euonymus japonicus albo-marginatus, very good for the south
coast.
"3 japonicus ovatus aureus, same as preceding, but
yellow.
Ligustrum (Privet) ovalifolium foliis aureis, the best variegated
shrub for hedges and for rough usage.
Neillia opulifolia lutea, yellow in spring only.
go TREES AND SHRUBS
Philadelphus coronarius foliis aureis, yellow in the spring and
early summer and very bright then, gradually gets green
afterwards.
Ptelea trifoliata aurea, yellow.
Rhamnus Alaternus variegatus, white.
Rhus Cotinus atropurpureus, purple.
Symphoricarpus orbiculatus variegatus, yellow.
Sambucus nigra foliis aureis, yellow, retaining its colour well
till autumn.
racemosa plumosa aurea, a beautiful cut-leaved
Golden Elder.
”
Dwarr SHRUBS AND CLIMBERS
Acanthopanax spinosum variegatum, pretty, white-variegated,
dwarf, and slow-growing.,
Arundinaria auricoma, the best yellow-variegated hardy Bamboo.
Fortunei, the best white-variegated hardy
Bamboo.
Cornus alba Spaethii, probably the finest of all yellow-varie-
gated dwarf shrubs, never ‘“‘scorching” in the hottest
summers.
Euonymus radicans, the white-variegated form of this plant
is useful as a carpet in shady positions where grass will
not grow.
Hedera Helix (Ivy), numerous varieties, both shrubby and
climbing—arborescens variegata, chrysophylla, discolor,
maderensis variegata, sulphurea, canariensis argentea.
Jasminum nudiflorum foliis aureis and
officinale foliis aureis, variegated climbers with
yellow leaves ; the latter is the more ornamental,
but is delicate in constitution.
Kerria japonica foliis variegatis, white.
Lonicera japonica aureo-reticulata. The veins of this climber
are beautifully “picked out” in gold.
Osmanthus Aquifolium ilicifolius variegatus, a holly-like,
white-variegated shrub useful in the milder
parts of the kingdom.
”
”
THE USE OF VARIEGATED TREES 91
Osmanthus Aquifolium purpureus, the hardiest of the
Osmanthus.
Pieris japonica variegata, white.
Ribes alpinum pumilum aureum, golden in spring.
Rubus ulmifolius variegatus, veins of the later leaves golden.
Salix repens argentea, a prostate silvery-leaved Willow, makes
a pretty weeping shrub if trained up at first.
Santolina Chameecyparissus, silvery white entirely.
Vitis heterophylla variegata, a pretty, blue-berried climber,
but tender ; the variegation is rosy white.
»» inconstans purpurea, a purplish form of the popular
“ Ampelopsis Veitchii.”
» vinifera purpurea, deep purple.
Vinca minor, white and yellow-marked forms.
TREES AND SHRUBS FOR SEA-COAST
In planting trees and shrubs near the sea, two im-
portant matters must be considered—(1) fierce gales;
(2) salt spray. As a protection against storms much
may be done by planting quick-growing things, such
as Poplars and Willows, and in this sheltered area
more permanent trees and shrubs may be put. This
way of planting for shelter where bleak places are
to be clothed with trees and shrubs is universally
adopted in some form or other, sometimes in the
shape of hedges or belts, and in the other cases
the plants are all placed much thicker together than
they are to permanently remain, thus forming a
compact mass against which the wind makes little or
no impression. In this last-named case continual
thinning will be necessary as they. grow up, for if
left too long the plants become weak, and the
advantage gained by the thicker planting is then
completely lost. A beautiful seaside shrub, and
the best, too, for forming shelter hedges of low or
medium height is the Tamarisk, which retains its
freshness throughout the season till the autumn,
however much exposed to the sea.
It is difficult to make a list of trees and shrubs
suitable for seaside planting around the British
Isles, as the coast-line is so varied, and the action
92
TREES FOR SEA-COAST 93
of the Gulf Stream has great influence on the
vegetation of many parts of our western coasts.
As no hard and fast line can be drawn, the first
list contains those trees and shrubs that may be
regarded as thoroughly hardy, unless otherwise
specified, and the second list those that are avail-
able for planting in the Isle of Wight, in the
south and west of England, and in some parts
of Ireland.
TREES
Acer platanoides (Norway Maple).
», Pseudo-platanus (Sycamore).
Alnus (Alder) of sorts. Will thrive only in damp places.
Ash, Mountain.
Betula alba (Birch) and varieties.
Carpinus Betulus (Hornbeam).
Cerasus (Cherry), particularly C. Avium and C. Mahaleb.
Cratzgus (Thorn) of sorts.
Cupressus macrocarpa (Monterey Cypress). Of rapid growth.
Fagus sylvatica (Beech) and varieties.
Fraxinus excelsior (Common Ash). F. Ornus (Flowering Ash).
Tlex Aquifolium (Holly) and varieties.
Laburnum.
Pinus austriaca (Austrian Pine). One of the best Firs for
bleak seaside places.
», contorta (Twisted Pine). A small tree.
» insignis (Grass-green Pine). More tender than the
others.
», Laricio (Corsican Pine). Equal to the Austrian Pine
for seaside.
5 Muricata (Prickly-coned Pine). A dwarf tree.
», Pinaster (Cluster Pine). Delights in the neighbour-
hood of the sea.
» montana (Mountain Pine). A shrub or small tree.
94 TREES AND SHRUBS
Populus alba (Abele or White Poplar). All the Poplars grow
quickly.
deltoidea (Canadian Poplar).
fastigiata (Lombardy Poplar).
» higra (Black Poplar).
Prunus cerasifera (Cherry Plum).
» Padus (Bird Cherry).
», Pissardi (Purple-leaved Plum).
Pyrus Aria (White Beam tree).
Aucuparia (Mountain Ash).
» prunifolia (Siberian Crab).
»» Sorbus (Service tree).
Quercus Cerris (Turkey Oak). Good loam suits this
best.
» Ilex (Evergreen or Holm Oak).
Salix (Willow) of sorts. Prefer a moist soil.
Ulmus (Elm) of sorts, particularly Wych Elm.
”
”
SHRUBS
Atriplex Halimus (Sea Purslane). Will grow close to the
water.
Aucuba japonica (Aucuba). Few evergreens equal this.
Berberis (Barberry), Aquifolium, Darwinii, dulcis, and steno-
phylla.
Buxus (Box) and its varieties.
Cerasus Laurocerasus (Common Laurel) and C. lusitanica
(Portugal Laurel).
Cistus Gum. Does well at Felixstowe, Suffolk.
Colutea arborescens (Bladder Senna). Will grow in very
sandy soil,
Corylus Avellana (Hazel) and varieties.
Cotoneaster of sorts. All these are good for the purpose.
Cytisus (Broom) of sorts.
Daphne Laureola (Spurge Laurel). Will grow in shade.
Deutzia crenata, D. crenata flore-pleno, D. gracilis, D. Lemoinei.
Elzagnus of sorts. All of these are good.
‘UTALOTA NI ‘(vipuvsje, viapunl) MSIMPIVPL NFIMOPL
TREES FOR SEA-COAST 95
Euonymus europzus and E. latifolius (Spindle trees), and
the evergreen E. japonicus and its varieties. This last
is one of the most valuable evergreens, but it is rather
tender.
Ficus Carica (Common Fig).
Forsythia suspensa. A charming rambling shrub.
Halimodendron argenteum (Siberian Salt tree).
Hippophe rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn). The finest seaside
shrub or small tree that we have; grows well in damp sands.
Leycesteria formosa.
Ligustrum (Privet) of sorts.
Lycium barbarum, L. europzeum (Box Thorn).
Olearia Haastii (Daisy bush).
Osmanthus ilicifolius and varieties.
Philadelphus (Mock Orange) of sorts.
Phillyrzea angustifolia, latifolia, media, and vilmoriniana.
Prunus spinosa flore-pleno (Double-flowered Sloe).
Pyrus japonica (Japan Quince).
Ribes aureum (Golden-flowered Currant).
» sanguineum (Flowering Currant) and varieties.
Rosa. The different wild Roses and Rosa rugosa.
Rubus (Bramble). The double-flowered and cut-leaved forms
are very ornamental.
Salix (Willow) of sorts. All prefer moist soil.
Sambucus (Elder) of sorts.
Skimmia japonica. Valuable for its bright-red berries.
Spartium junceum (Spanish Broom). Will grow almost any-
where.
Spirza of sorts. There is a great variety of these beautiful
flowering shrubs.
Symphoricarpus racemosus (Snowberry).
Syringa (Lilac) of sorts.
Tamarix gallica and T. tetrandra. Delightful shrubs for sea-
side.
Ulex europzus (Furze or Gorse), with the double-flowered
and dwarf kinds.
96 TREES AND SHRUBS
Viburnum Opulus and V. Opulus sterile (Snowball tree).
Weigelas of sorts, particularly Abel Carriere, candida, and
Eva Rathke.
For the west of England and other very mild
districts the following may be added :—
Arbutus Unedo (Strawberry tree).
Aralia Sieboldii.
Azara microphylla.
Benthamia fragifera.
Buddleia globosa.
Ceanothus of sorts.
Choisya ternata.
Desfontainea spinosa.
Escallonias of sorts.
Fabiana imbricata.
Fuchsias, hardy kinds.
Garrya elliptica.
Griselinia littoralis.
Grevillea rosmarinifolia, G. sulphurea.
Hydrangea Hortensia.
Laurus nobilis (Sweet Bay).
Myrtus communis (Myrtle).
Pittosporum crassifolium.
Rhamnus Alaternus and varieties.
Veronicas of sorts.
Viburnum Tinus (Laurustinus).
TREES AND SHRUBS FOR WIND-SWEPT
GARDENS
FEW trees and shrubs are happy in bleak and ex-
posed gardens. The hardiest should be used to form
a shelter belt, as every leaf and twig helps to break
the force of the wind, whereas solid obstacles, such
as walls, merely serve to divert its course. In plant-
ing spots much exposed to the wind, put the trees
much closer than it is intended they should remain
permanently, as the young plants serve to shelter
one another, and encourage, therefore, a quicker
growth. When they get crowded, gradually thin
them out. The trees and shrubs should always come
from exposed nurseries, as the growth is stout and
sturdy. Growth made in warm valleys is more
sappy. The following trees and shrubs can be
depended upon in most windy places :—
TREES
Acer platanoides (Norway Maple) and Acer Pseudo-platanus
(Sycamore). While not equal to some of the trees men-
tioned, these Maples do well in many places and form a
distinct feature.
Betula alba (Common Birch). An extremely graceful tree and
a universal favourite.
Crateegus Oxyacantha (Hawthorn). The principal effect of
97 G
98 TREES AND SHRUBS
exposure is to make the growth more stunted than
would otherwise be the case.
Fagus sylvatica (Beech). Long recognised as a good shelter
tree, its value in this respect is increased by the fact that
many leaves often shrivel on the branches instead of
dropping, thus giving additional protection in winter.
Fraxinus excelsior (Ash). The wide-spreading roots of this
anchor it securely in position, and the leaves do not
weigh down the branches to any great extent.
Ilex Aquifolium (Holly). Though of slow growth when young,
this, when once established, grows away freely and is
indifferent to wind.
Larix europza (Larch). This is well known as a nurse tree
for bleak places.
Picea (Abies) excelsa (Norway Spruce). One of our com-
monest Conifers, hence it is often used as a nurse tree
for choicer subjects.
Pinus austriaca (Austrian Fir). The best of all evergreens for
bleak places; Pinus Cembra (Swiss Stone Pine), of slow
growth, but very ornamental, and does not mind the
wind.
Pinus Laricio (Corsican Pine, or Black Pine). As indifferent
to exposure as P. austriaca, P. montana (dwarf), and P.
sylvestris (Scotch Fir), a well-known native, which often
crowns high hill-tops.
Populus alba (Abele), P. fastigiata (Lombardy Poplar), P.
deltoidea (Canadian Poplar), P. nigra (Black Poplar),
and P. tremula (Aspen). In low-lying districts all these
Poplars are of rapid growth, but in exposed places they
make much slower progress. Even then they grow
quicker than most shelter plants, and are valuable for
making an effective display more quickly than some of
the more permanent subjects. These can all be readily
cut back within reasonable limits if desired.
Quercus Robur (Oak).
Robinia Pseudacacia. The false Acacia is one of the best
swe F vospnif
THE LOMBARDY POPLAR.
TREES FOR WIND-SWEPT GARDENS 99
town trees we have; indeed, it does well almost every-
where.
Salix alba (White Willow). This will pass unscathed through
fierce storms. In fairly dry spots the rate of progress is
much slower than in moister soil, but, as a set-off, the
silvery hue of the foliage is more pronounced.
Ulmus (Elm). The best of the Elms for this purpose is the
Wych Elm.
SHRUBS
Atriplex Halimus (Sea Purslane). A silvery-leaved, free-grow-
ing shrub, indifferent to soil or situation.
Berberis (the Barberry). The best of these are the strong-
growing Berberis aristata, and the common Berberis
vulgaris, with its several varieties.
Cerasus Laurocerasus rotundifolia. One of the hardiest forms
of our Common Laurel.
Colutea arborescens (Bladder Senna). The golden flowers in
early summer and the large inflated seed-pods in autumn
are both attractive.
Cotoneaster buxifolia, Nummularia, and Simonsii. These are
all pretty berry-bearing shrubs.
Cytisus albus (White Broom), Cytisus scoparius (Yellow
Broom), and its varieties.
Deutzia crenata flore-pleno. A handsome flowering shrub
and the most robust of its class.
Euonymus europeus (Spindle tree). The fruits of this are
very ornamental in the autumn.
Halimodendron argenteum (Siberian Salt Bush). A pretty
rambling shrub, with silvery leaves.
Juniperus communis and J. Sabina (Savin). The fact that
these Junipers are evergreen is a point in their favour.
Ligustrum ovalifolium, ovalifolium elegantissimum, and vul-
gare. These Privets are well known for planting where
the conditions are none too favourable.
Lycium europeum (Box Thorn). A rambling shrub holding
its own almost anywhere.
100 TREES AND SHRUBS
Osmanthus of sorts. Holly-like evergreen shrubs.
Philadelphus coronarius (Mock Orange). Though less showy
than some others, this is decidedly the hardiest.
Phillyrzea vilmoriniana. A valuable evergreen with deep-green,
leathery leaves.
Pinus (Mountain Pine). This member of the Fir family is but
a shrub in stature. It is at home in bleak spots.
Potentilla fruticosa (Shrubby Cinquefoil). A low shrub that
produces its golden blossoms in July and August.
Rosa canina (Dog Rose) and Rosa rubiginosa (Sweetbriar)
are general favourites.
Rubus (Bramble). The cut-leaved, the double white, and
double pink are ornamental.
Spartium junceum (Spanish Broom). However bleak, this will
produce its comparatively large pea-shaped blossoms
throughout the summer.
Staphylea pinnata (Bladder Nut). The bladder-like seed-cap-
sules are striking in the autumn.
Symphoricarpus racemosus (Snowberry). Grows anywhere,
and produces its large white berries in great profusion.
Viburnum Opulus (Guelder Rose). A pretty native shrub.
Ulex europea (Common Furze). The double form of this
is remarkably showy.
CORSICAN PINE TREE WALK, 35 YEARS OLD.
‘IN '‘ATHINAN LF JONAAV VIVOINGANI VIYVOQAVUF SQONPA AHL
CONIFERS (INCLUDING PINES) IN
ORNAMENTAL PLANTING.
THOSE who take a serious interest in their gardens
and other planted grounds are so rapidly acquiring
a better comprehension of the art in its wider aspects,
and are so willingly receptive of further suggestion,
that we emphasise a lesson that we have often tried
to teach, namely, the importance of planting in large
groups of one thing at a time, and of a right choice.
There is no more common mistake made than that
of planting just the wrong things in the wrong places.
Thus we see plantations of Spruce on dry, sandy
hill-tops, from whence the poor trees must look with
longing eyes to their true home in the moist, alluvial
soil of the valley-bottom below. In mixed plantations
we see Conifers from many climes and all altitudes,
all expected to do equally well in perhaps one
small space of garden ground. If in a projected
plantation there is space for only fifty trees, how
much better it would be first to ascertain which out
of a few kinds would be best suited to the soil and
general conditions of the place, and then out of this
selection to choose the one that best fits the planter’s
own liking and will be most in harmony with the
further planting scheme that he has in view. In this
way he will obtain that unity of effect that alone can
Ior
102 TREES AND SHRUBS
make a garden or piece of planted ground pictorial
and restful, and enable to serve as a becoming setting
to the brightly-coloured flowering plants that will
then show their proper value as jewels of the garden.
In this restrained and sober use of trees, and
especially of Conifers, it is well to plant them of
several ages, the youngest to the outer edges of the
groups. If there is plenty of space it will be all the
better to plant the trees in hundreds rather than in
fifties, or in any case in spaces large enough to see
one whole picture of one good tree at a time.
Where such a planting was wisely made from forty
to sixty years ago how fine the effect is to-day, as
in the case of the grand growth of Douglas Firs at
Murthly. No one seeing so fine an example of the
use of one tree at a time could wish that the planta-
tion had been mixed, or could be otherwise than
deeply impressed with the desirability of the plan.
One such large group can always be made to
merge into another by intergrouping at the edges,
beginning by an isolated tree of group B in the
further portion of group A, then a group of two or
three of B, until the process is reversed and the
group is all of B, with single ones of A giving place
to all B. There is no reason why the same principle
should not be used with two or three kinds of
combined grouping, but then it should be of trees
harmonious among themselves, as of Spruce and
Silver Fir, or of such things as represent the natural
mixture of indigenous growth. Thus the Yew, Box,
Viburnum, Dogwood, Privet, and Thorn of a wild
MAIDENHAIR TREE (Ginkgo biloba, syn. Salisburia adiantifolia) ;
fROGMORE.
MAIDENHAIR TREE AT KEW.
CONIFERS AND PINES 103
chalky waste might be taken as a guide to planting
some of these with nearly allied foreign kinds. But
the important thing in all such planting is to have
the satisfactory restfulness and beauty of harmony
that can only be obtained by the right and limited
choice of material.
Although a few Conifers are deciduous, such as
the Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba), Taxodium distichum,
the Golden Larch (Pseudolarix Kempferi), and the
true Larches, the great bulk of the family consists
of evergreens. It is to the Coniferz, indeed, that
belong the only hardy evergreen trees which in
stature and size rival the large deciduous trees of
cool temperate latitudes. Although our only native
Conifers are the Yew, the Scotch Pine, and the
Juniper, there is a sufficient variety of soil and
climate within the limits of the British Isles to
provide suitable conditions for nearly the whole of
the family. It is only a few subtropical species that
cannot be accommodated. This does not imply that
the whole of the hardy Conifers can be grown satis-
factorily in any one place. In even the best Conifer
localities there are some species that will not reach
perfection, and in the general run of gardens there is
a considerable proportion of species about which
the same must be said. This fact, however, has
often been overlooked.
The extreme popularity of Conifers, which was at
its height from forty to fifty years ago, undoubtedly
led to the enriching of the parks and gardens of this
country with what are now, in many instances,
104 TREES AND SHRUBS
magnificent specimens. To realise how great that
enrichment was, one has only to mention such
places as Dropmore, Murthly Castle, Ochtertyre.
But Conifer planting, from both artistic and merely
cultural points of view, was overdone. Conifers
began to fill an undue proportion of space in gardens,
and displaced to a large extent the beautiful flower-
bearing deciduous vegetation whose seasonable varia-
tions give such charm and interest. With all their
symmetry and richness of hue, the popular species
of Abies and Picea often have a heavy, even sombre,
aspect. Heavy masses of Pine, Spruce, and Fir can
never give that changing aspect in the landscape that
comes with deciduous vegetation. The tender tints
of spring, the flowers, the gold and purple of autumn,
it is to these that the seasons of our northern
latitudes owe their greatest delights.
Perhaps the worst of all the uses to which Conifers
have been put is that of forming long avenues
across parks. It is difficult to understand the
frame of mind that would prefer rows of Araucaria,
Abies nobilis, or other similar things—however well
grown and pyramidal they might be—to a noble
vista of Chestnut, Oak, or Lime, with its canopy of
branch and foliage overhead. Conifers can, however,
be used effectively for forming short avenues within
the garden itself, especially in the more trimly-kept
parts.
The practice that is frequently adopted of forming
a pinetum and bringing together the members of
this family in one part of the grounds is a very good
CONIFERS AND PINES 105
one. It is far better than sprinkling them indis-
criminately over the whole garden. At the same
time, where sufficient space is not available for the
formation of a pinetum they may be used in their
proper proportion with other evergreens in various
parts of the garden. Single specimens on lawns of
Abies, Picea, and of many other genera are always
effective, and nothing in the whole range of native
or foreign trees is more stately and picturesque than
the Cedar of Lebanon. How much do we of the
present day owe to those who a century or more
ago planted this tree so abundantly in this country !
Before planting Conifers largely in any garden
where they are to be grown for their purely
ornamental qualities, a study should be made of
the species planted in other gardens where the
conditions as to soil, moisture, and altitude are
similar. On the peaty formations in Surrey and
Hampshire where Rhododendrons succeed so well,
many Conifers thrive exceedingly well also, The
Common Spruce and its allies are nearly all failures
on light dry soil, especially where the subsoil is
gravel. In places, however, where the Spruces fail,
the Common Larch and the Lawson Cypress succeed
well. In chalk districts many Conifers refuse to
grow, but the following are among those that thrive:
Abies magnifica, A. nobilis, A. nordmanniana, and A,
Pinsapo, the Cedars, Cupressus lawsoniana, C. macro-
carpa, and C. nootkatensis, the Maidenhair tree, the
Junipers, the Thuyas, the Yews, and the following
Pines: Pinus Laricio and P. austriaca, the Scotch
106 TREES AND SHRUBS
Pine, P. excelsa, and P. Pinaster. Most of the Pines,
too, are happy on gravelly or stony ground.
None of the Silver Firs (Abies) or Spruces (Picea)
are good trees for planting at the seaside, unless
there is sufficient shelter to break the force of the
wind, and even then there are very few that will
succeed. The species most suitable for planting
where there is a thick outer belt are Adbzes nobilis,
A. lasiocarpa, A. nordmanniana, and A. pectinata, the
Common Silver Fir. Of the Spruces, Picea nigra and
P. alba, the North American Spruces, succeed better
than the Norway Spruce, P. excelsa, but these, like
the Silver Firs, must have the shelter of a good wind
break ; Picea parryana, P. pungens, and P. Engelmannt
will not succeed in exposed places, even in inland
localities, and fail entirely by the sea. The Conifers
that will thrive by the sea are very few, and probably
not more than half-a-dozen kinds can be trusted.
The finest of all is undoubtedly Pinus Pinaster, which
is essentially a sea-coast Pine, revelling in storms and
sprays. P. maritima, closely allied, is equally suitable.
Then, for warmer parts, is the Aleppo Pine (P.
halepensis), but is only for southern and warm
coasts. P. insignis is somewhat hardier, and stands
the sea gales fairly well, and P. austriaca, and its
relative, P. Laricio, are both excellent, specially for
making the first barrier against the winds. The
hardy Scotch Pine (P. sylvestris), if planted in large
masses grows well, but does not luxuriate close to
the sea, and is especially liable to be browned in
foliage by the salt spray.
VARIETY TENUIFOLIA OF CORSICAN PINE (Pinus Laricio),
CONIFERS AND PINES 107
Besides the Pines the finest of all Conifers is the
Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), which one
sees hardy everywhere on the coast in these islands ;
it grows finer than it does in its home on the
Pacific coast. It makes a fine front barrier against
the wind, especially when mixed with the foregoing
Pines. The variety C. Jambertiana is also excellent.
There are two other Conifers which, though not
much planted by the sea-coast, will, we believe,
prove reliable ; these are Cedrus allantica and Thuja
gigantea (sometimes called 7. Lobéiz). A third Conifer
that we have seen doing well by the sea is Adres
Pinsapo, but it must have a temporary shelter
in its small state. This subject of seaside planting—
the most difficult in a tree planter’s practice—is an
important one, and it is only possible to treat the
matter generally.
The Conifer family is especially noteworthy for
the way many of its species vary. Not only is
this propensity evidenced in such characters as the
colour of the leaf and the differences in habit ; it
shows itself more remarkably sometimes in the form
and texture of the leaf and mode of branching.
So great is the difference between some forms of
certain species of Conifers that they have been
placed in different genera. What are generally
known as Retinosporas, for instance, are really
nothing more than forms, “states” the botanists
term them, assumed by various species of Thuya
and Cupressus. Strictly speaking, Retinospora has
no separate existence as a genus. This, however,
108 TREES AND SHRUBS
is a botanical phase of the matter. Horticulturally
we are more concerned with such variations as
adapt the plants to various garden purposes. Many
quaint and dainty forms of large trees are very
suitable for the rock-garden in association with other
alpine plants. The Common Spruce, for instance,
has given birth to many pigmy forms. The Yew,
the Scotch Pine, and various others have “sported”
in a similar way. But no hardy tree varies so
much, perhaps, as the Lawson Cypress when raised
from seed. The species has assumed almost every
shade of colour that Conifers do assume, and every
form of growth. Beautiful golden, variegated, pen-
dulous, and erect varieties have been raised, and not
only from the Lawson Cypress, but from many other
Conifers also. The Golden Yews, the yellow form
of the Monterey Cypress, and the golden variety of
the Scotch Pine, may be recommended to those who
require this colour, although in the Pine it only shows
itself in winter. The blue-white or glaucous hue
that is more or less present in most Conifers, shows
itself most conspicuously in the Blue Spruce (Picea
pungens glauca), in Cedrus atlantica glauca, in the
new Cork Fir from Arizona (Abzes lastocarpa var.
arizonica), and in Adbzes concolor violacea.
THE PROPAGATION OF CONIFERS
Many mistakes have been made in propagating
the Coniferz, and to make matters still worse, the
old erroneous doctrines are still preached and
practised. The unpopularity of certain species of
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CONIFERS AND PINES 109
Abies, Picea, and Pinus is due to a great extent
to the practice of grafting them on unsuitable stocks.
For instance, the species of Abies are worked on
A. pectinata, of Picea on P. excelsa, and of Pinus
on P. sylvestris or P. Laricio. In addition to this,
such methods and stocks are still spoken of as the
correct ones to use; though, to take one genus
alone, what kind of a specimen Adzes bracteata,
A. nobilis, or A. concolor would make in twenty
year’s time if worked on A. fpectinata we should
not like to say—certainly very poor, even if they
lived, which is doubtful. It may be laid down as
a law that species of Conifere should never be
grafted but raised from seed, which can always be
obtained through English firms. With varietal forms
of Coniferz that will not come true from seed or
that cannot be struck as cuttings, grafting must
be resorted to, and if young plants of the type
species are used as stocks the results will be fairly
satisfactory. In the case of some of the more
highly variegated Cupressus, &c., grafting is really
the best method of propagation, as these forms are
mostly of weak constitution and are not satisfactory
from cuttings. In the following list the best methods
of propagation are given with each genus, together
with special mention of those forms which are of
indifferent growth though not difficult to propagate :—
JUNIPERUS.—The Junipers should be raised from
seeds, though some of them do fairly well if propa-
gated by cuttings. The green and glaucous varieties
of J. chinensis, J. excelsa, J. virginiana, and J. communis
110 TREES AND SHRUBS
root easily from cuttings, or can be layered with
success. The variegated forms are best grafted on
stocks of the species they belong to, and J. Sabina
(the Savin) and its varieties are easily raised from
cuttings or layers, the latter being a very easy way
of propagating them.
CUPRESSUS.—This genus is divided into two
sections, viz., the true Cypresses, represented by
C. macrocarpa, C. sempervirens, &c., and Chamecy-
paris, of which Cupressus lawsoniana is the best
known species, With the former section seeds
are the best means of reproducing the species,
while the few varieties should be grafted on stocks
of the parent species. The handsome C. macrocarpa
var. lutea especially should be worked on the type, as
it is practically a failure from cuttings, and if grafted
on C. /awsoniana, as is sometimes done, it makes a
short, stumpy bush instead of a typically tall colum-
nar tree. In the Chamezcyparis section Cupressus
lawsoniana, C. nootkatensis, C. obtusa, C. pisifera, and
C. thyoides are the only species, though there are
a host of varieties attached to them, the forms of
the three latter species, in fact, including all the
various plants more commonly known under the
generic title of Retinospora. The species should
be raised from seed, which is easily obtainable and
germinates readily, or in default they will root from
cuttings. The varieties, with a few exceptions, are
quickly propagated by cuttings, those that require
to be grafted being C. /awsoniana var. lutea, the
variegated forms of C. nootkatensis, and C. obtusa
LIBOCEDRUS DECURRENS AT FROGMORE (about 65 feet high).
CONIFERS AND PINES III
vars. nana, nana aurea, and filifera aurea. ‘The
forms of C. thyotdes also do well when raised from
layers.
THuyA.—These are propagated in much the same
way as the Cupressus, viz., the species by seeds, and
the varieties by cuttings or by grafting in the case of
the one or two highly variegated forms. Some of
the green or glaucous varieties of both Cupressus
and Thuya will come fairly true from seed, from
40 per cent. to 70 per cent. being the usual quantity
of seedlings true to name. Variegated forms. from
seed either come green or a mongrel mixture of
green and variegated.
LIBOCEDRUS.—This should be raised from seed,
as when grafted on Thuja orientalis—a too common
method of propagation—it makes a miserable speci-
men. The middle pair of scales in the cone of
Libocedrus alone contain fertile seeds.
SCIADOPITYS and TAxODIUM.—These can only be
propagated by seeds, and the young plants should
have a fairly moist position with plenty of leaf-
mould or peat to grow in afterwards.
SEQUOIA.—The two species of Sequoia should
be raised from seed, and the three or four varieties
be grafted on the type species.
CRYPTOMERIA.—This only contains one species,
viz., C. japonica, which can only be obtained from
seed, or by cuttings ; and the varieties root readily
as cuttings, though one or two of the weaklier ones
do better if grafted on C. japonica.
ARAUCARIA.—Propagate by seeds, which, though
112 TREES AND SHRUBS
sometimes difficult to obtain, germinate freely and
quickly.
TsuGa.—The Hemlock Spruces are easily and
quickly obtained from seeds, and one or two will
strike from cuttings; the varieties do best when
grafted on the species they belong to, though 7.
pationiana var. glauca, more commonly known as
Abies hookeriana, will come fairly true from seed,
about 75 per cent. being the usual quantity if the
seed is obtained from good plants.
PIcEA.—This genus has been mentioned before
as being commonly grafted on P. excelsa (the
Common Spruce), which is an easy way of obtain-
ing young plants, which, however, cannot be recom-
mended to form good specimens in after years.
The species of Picea should all be raised from seed,
and the many named varieties of P. excelsa should be
grafted on the parent species. At least one-half the
plants of P. Engelmanni var. glauca and P. pungens var.
glauca (the Californian Blue Spruce) will be found
true to name when raised from seeds, while their
superiority afterwards over grafted plants is evident.
CEDRUS, LARIX, AND PSEUDOLARIX.—It should
always be remembered that these three are quite
distinct genera, and for purposes of propagation
should never be used in conjunction with each
other, the first being evergreen and the two latter
deciduous. The species of all three should be
raised from seed; the varieties of Cedrus should
be grafted on that genus, the forms of Larix on the
Larch, though the geographical forms of the Common
CONIFERS AND PINES 113
Larch, such as var. rossica and var. sibirica, usually
come true from seed. Pseudolarix Keampferi, the
only representative of the genus, must be raised
from seed, as if grafted on the Larch they will
not thrive for long.
ABIES.—In this genus some of the most handsome
Conifers are found, and also ‘some of the most
difficult to grow. All the Abies should be propa-
gated by seeds, but if seed of the varieties cannot
be obtained then they must be grafted on the
parent species.
PsEUDOTSUGA.— This genus only contains one
species, viz., P. Douglasit (the Douglas Fir), which
is propagated readily by seed, the seedlings being
of rapid growth and soon form good plants. The
few varieties are grafted on the type, though the
majority will come fairly true from seed, which,
however, is not always to be obtained.
Pinus.—Perhaps no Conifer adds so much to the
beauty of the landscape in winter as the Pine. All
the species should be raised from seeds, and any
green or glaucous varieties can also be propagated
in the same way if seeds can be obtained. The
golden, dwarf, and variegated Pines must be grafted
on the species they are varieties of.
TAXACEZ is usually associated with Conifere,
from which it differs chiefly by the seed being
nearly or quite enclosed in a fleshy envelope in-
stead of in a cone, the fruit of some resembling
a small Plum, but a typical fruit is seen in that
of the Common Yew. The hardy genera are Ginkgo
H
114 TREES AND SHRUBS
biloba (the Maidenhair tree), which is propagated
from seed—the plant is deciduous and slow grow-
ing ; Cephalotaxus and Torreya are propagated by
seeds, cuttings, or layers.
Taxus (the Yew).—There are only three or four
species of Taxus, but there are a great many varieties
of the Common Yew, many being very handsome.
The species are easily raised from seeds, layers,
or cuttings. The first two methods are the best,
cuttings being very slow in growth, but as seed
is very plentiful in most years this is the quickest
and best means of propagation. Some of the
varieties will come true from seed; the Irish Yew,
however, must be struck from cuttings, as seedlings
never come true. The more highly variegated Yews
grow quickest when grafted on the Common Yew,
and as they always keep good in after years this
method can for once be recommended.
Propagate PRUMNOPITYS and SAXEGOTHEA by
seeds, cuttings, or layers.
CONIFERS AT MURTHLY CASTLE, PERTHSHIRE
The following account of a great Conifer garden
in Scotland is important, as showing how certain of
the better-known species have behaved during the
last fifty years or so. It is taken from the Garden of
May 19, 1900 :—
The second quarter of the present century saw
the introduction of a large number of Conifers
hitherto unknown to English gardens. Their culti-
vation was eagerly taken up, and especially in Scot-
AVENUE OF ANCIENT YEWS AT MURTHLY,
CONIFERS AND PINES 115
land, a land whose general conditions seem highly
favourable to a considerable number of species, much
success has been attained. It maystill be premature
to state with any degree of assurance what may be
the ultimate suitability of many of these Conifers for
growth in our islands. The lifetime of a tree is not
comprised within its first sixty years, and such a
length of time is all too short to prove the ultimate
success of any new tree, though within that space
it may come to a magnificent size and apparent
promise. Such a state is shown by the splendid
Douglas Firs in the grounds of Murthly Castle,
Perthshire, where also many another exotic Conifer
is grown in quantity.
These words of Sir William Thiselton-Dyer, that
formed part of his opening address on the second
day of the Conifer conference of the Royal Horti-
cultural Society in 1891, may here be quoted :—
“ Any one who had not travelled in Scotland could
form no idea of the extent to which rare Conifers
were cultivated in that country, and the splendid
development which they attained. The chairman,
by way of illustrating these remarks, directed the
attention of the audience to some large photographs
representing specimens of Coniferze to be seen at
Murthly Castle, Perthshire, where they flourished,
and where stately and magnificent examples 70 feet,
80 feet, and 100 feet high were to be met with.
Such trees could only be seen in Scotland, and were
the result of a peculiar association of physical condi-
tions. In the south-west of England it was impos-
116 TREES AND SHRUBS
sible to find a parallel, though even on the sunburnt
soil of Kew good specimens of the Pines proper were
occasionally to be seen. With regard to the Abies,
however — that section of Conifers of which the
Spruces may be taken as a type—a state of things
prevailed in Scotland which could not be rivalled in
England. On the other hand, the climate in the
south-west of the latter country was fairly suitable
for some other Conifers, and many of the fine
Mexican Pines could be grown there.”
Of the remarkable Douglas Fir at Dropmore, Mr.
Charles Herrin on the same occasion says: ‘The
monarch Douglas Fir, planted in 1830, has attained
a height of 120 feet, girth of trunk 11 feet 9 inches,
with beautiful spreading branches sweeping the
ground, covering a diameter of 64 feet. The leaves
are also of a glaucous hue, equalling in that respect
many of the plants now sold from nurseries under
the name of Douglasi glauca. . . . Many trees have
since been raised from its seeds and planted out on
the estate; one, planted in 1843, is now 78 feet
high, with a girth of trunk of 8 feet 2 inches,
spreading 39 feet in diameter at base; a perfect
specimen.”
By comparing the growth of the latter tree with
the Murthly table, it will be seen that the trees
make their growth much more rapidly in Scotland.
The Murthly Conifers were all planted by Sir William
and Sir Douglas Stewart. The present owner, Mr.
Steuart Fothringham, who measured the trees in
1891 in anticipation of the visit of the Scottish
ag
CONIFERS AND PINES 117
Arboricultural Society, on learning that we should
be glad to know their increase of growth since that
date, has been so good as to have the same trees
measured again, the increase being shown by the
subjoined table on p, 118.
Mr. Fothringham also furnishes the following
remarks: “The measurements were all carefully
taken by sending men or boys up the trees, not by
dendrometers, and are, I believe, correct. There
are something like eighty or a hundred different
varieties growing at Murthly, but some of them are
young and only experiments. Those measured and
noted-are the most striking; they are nearly all
gowing in large numbers. The remarks appended
to the table are made by Mr. James Laurie, the
gardener, who knows Conifers well. The only addi-
tional notes I have made are the following: Adzies
Menziesi will never, in my opinion, supplant the
Spruce. Adzes orientalis is not as free-growing as the
Spruce, but quite as hardy. Araucaria imbricata —
Many of these were damaged by severe frost. Cedrus
Deodara will not, in my opinion, live to great age in
our climate. Cupressus thyoides.—This particular tree
was so much broken by branches blown off its
neighbour that I cut it down. Pinus monticola has
been attacked by a parasitic growth that is likely to
destroy all the young growth and probably the trees.
Juniperus recurva was severely injured by the hard
frost. By the hard frost I mean the winter of
1894-5. In February 1895, the thermometer was
for several days below o Fahr., and on one night
TREES AND SHRUBS
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CONIFERS AND PINES 119
went to 11° below o. This shows that all these trees
will stand great cold at the time of year that it is
likely to come, but late frosts in spring, when the sap
has begun to rise, are detrimental to the young
shoots of those that start their growth early in the
season. There are at Murthly, besides Conifere,
fine specimens of Yews, Oaks, Beech, Spanish Chest-
nut, Horse Chestnut, and Sycamore.”
CARE OF OLD TREES
THE charm of many an estate is not the garden or
the woodland, but the monarchs that for years have
weathered the winter storm and stand out as noble
specimens of their family. The trees may have some
historic associations, but whether this is so or not,
when they begin to decay efforts are made to save
them from absolute death. Decay is harmful and
objectionable in park and garden, and we are not
sure that this matter of decay in trees has been
so well considered as it might be, as bearing upon
the health of other trees and of mankind also. A
tree may be picturesque in decay, but we prefer it
in health and beauty. Experts are frequently asked
for remedies to arrest decay in old trees.
The two principal causes of decay are starvation
at the root and injury by storms and disease. Such
trees as the Beech and Horse Chestnut, that root
close to the surface of the soil—quite different to
the Oak—may often be invigorated by covering the
ground with a few inches of good soil or short
manure. Artificial watering, during prolonged
drought, when thoroughly done, is also very helpful
to the tree. Trees with large crowns of branches
are frequently seen thinly furnished with foliage, and
altogether sickly owing to unhealthy or insufficient
120
CARE OF OLD TREES 121
roots. The balance between top and bottom has
been destroyed. To restore it in some degree the
top-growth may be reduced by pruning out and
shortening back branches here and there, wherever
it can be done without spoiling the appearance of
the tree. This demands careful judgment, but some
old and sickly trees may certainly be restored in a
measure by this help. It is of no value in the case
of trees with decayed trunks, nor with those like
our Common Oak, which will not break from old
wood. But Elms, Robinias, and Red Oaks are
among those that respond to this treatment.
Old trees with insecure branches can often be
saved from destruction by fastening the main
branches together on to the trunk. The common
practice of putting an iron collar round the branch
is a mistake. The iron prevents the branch expand-
ing naturally and ultimately chokes it. A better
way is to use a strong iron rod with a plate at the
end, and instead of supporting the branch by
encircling it, a hole is bored right through the
centre of it, through which the rod is pushed from
the outer side. In this way the weight is borne by
the iron plate, which should, by removing sufficient
bark, be allowed to fit close in to the wood. New
bark will gradually close over and hide the plate,
and instead of an ugly collar cutting into the wood,
the only evidence of artificial aid is the rod coming
from the inner side of the branch.
Branches or snags that have to be removed should
be sawn off quite close to the trunk or larger branch
122 TREES AND SHRUBS
from which they spring. When a stump, even not
more than a few inches long, is left, the new bark
and wood are unable to close over it, and the wood
ultimately decays and acts as a medium for mois-
ture and fungoid diseases. A coating of liquid tar
over the wound, renewed once or twice until the
new bark has closed over, is a sure protection against
these evils.
Trees decayed in the centre, with only an outer
layer of healthy wood, are, of course, doomed, but
by filling up all holes in the earlier stages of decay,
and thus keeping out moisture, their term of life can
be lengthened by many years.
Holes made by woodpeckers can sometimes be
plugged up with a piece of Oak. This, if left on a
level with the bark, will often enable the latter to
close over the hole. Large holes may be filled with
cement, or even built up with bricks, the surface
being made water-tight and tarred over.
ALDERS NEAR WATER (Cathkin time).
WHITE WILLOW (Salix alba) BY WATERSIDE.
TREES AND SHRUBS FOR WATERSIDE
Many of the brightest garden pictures at the present
day are by the well-planted pond or lakeside, where
shrubs of large growth are grouped to give colour
through summer and winter.
The wild plants of the riverside are in themselves
for the most part large of stature and important of
appearance. When one sees the upright growth and
large leaves of the Great Water Dock (Rumex) and
the broad round ones (2 feet or more across) of the
Butter-Bur (Petasites), and the beds of the Common
Reed (Phragmites), 8 to 10 feet high, with its
great brown-black plumes, and the curious bright-
green Horsetail (Equisetum), and the rosy banks of
Willow-herb and Loose-strife, and the calm wide
breadths of the white Water Lily in the still back-
waters ; when we see all these lessons that Nature
teaches by the riverside we perceive that for the
best of good effect of waterside gardening we need
not be afraid of planting things of bold growth
largely.
When we come to garden plants there are many
families that are never so happy as when close to
water, or in soil that always feels the cool, moistening
influence of water within a few feet below them.
Such are the whole range of the larger herbaceous
123
124 TREES AND SHRUBS
Spirzeas, some of them plants of great size. Then
we have the Thalictrums, the autumn - flowering
Phloxes, the stately Heracleum; Telekia, Bamboos,
Arundo Donax, the Swamp and Meadow Lilies of
the northern states of America; and coming to
smaller though scarcely less important plants, the
Scarlet Lobelias, Oriental Poppies, many Irises, the
Michaelmas Daisies, and Day Lilies ; all these thrive
by the waterside.
There are many shrubs that prefer a moist place,
such as the Guelder Rose and the beautiful North
American Halesia, Quinces, Rhododendrons, Azaleas,
and Kalmias, while the lovely Fritillaries, Globe-
flowers, and the double Cuckoo-flowers love damp
grassy spaces. We think we may safely advise those
who are making gardens by river or lake to go
forward and plant with confidence, only selecting
such things as are mentioned below.
As the things named are described elsewhere in
this book a list only is given. —
TREES AND SHRUBS FOR SWAMPY PLACES
Willows (Salix) in great variety: S. alba (White
Willow), S. babylonica (Babylonian Weeping Willow),
S. purpurea, S. p. pendula (American Weeping Willow),
S. Caprea, S. C. pendula (Kilmarnock Weeping Willow),
Cardinal Willow and Golden Willow—both these are
very beautiful in winter ; the stems of the former are
crimson, and of the latter golden yellow, and make
a remarkable picture of intense colouring; plant
NATURAL TREE GROWTH BY WATER (Burnham Becches.)
‘AGISHALFM AC SAIOTTIA!
TREES FOR WATERSIDE 125
them in large groups—S. daphnoides (the White-
stemmed Willow), S. fragilis (Crack Willow), S. f.
hasfordiana (Red-barked Willow), and S. hippophaifolia
(Sea Buckthorn-leaved Willow).
Populus alba (White Poplar), P. canadensis (Canadian
Poplar), P. nigra (Black Poplar), Lombardy Poplar,
and B. tremula (the Aspen). But the Poplars must
not be overdone, and by pond or lakeside are
often out of place. In such places the Cardinal and
Yellow-barked Willow, Sea Buckthorn, and similar
shrubs are more appropriate.
Common Alder, with its many varieties — Cut-
leaved, the Golden-leaved, and such as Alnus incana
and A. serrulata.
Taxodium distichum (Deciduous Cypress); tender
green in spring and brownish red in autumn, when
the leaves change colour.
Hippophe rhamnoides (the Sea Buckthorn).
TREES AND SHRUBS FOR MOIST (BUT NOT
Swampy) SOIL
Berberis Darwinit (Darwin’s Barberry), B. Thun-
bergi (for its beautiful autumn leaf-colouring), Birch,
Dogwoods, Cornus alba and varieties; the variety
sibirica has brilliant-red stems. Cotoneaster buxifolia,
C. frigida, C. Nummularia, C. Simonsii; Ash, Myrica
Gale (Sweet Gale) and M. asplenifolia; Ledum palustre,
Nyssa aquatica (Tupelo tree), Mountain Ash, Quercus
aquatica (Water Oak), Q. palustris (Swamp Oak) ;
Rhamnus Frangula (Buckthorn). Roses with brightly-
126 TREES AND SHRUBS
coloured heps — Rubus biflorus (White - stemmed
Bramble), R. fruticosus fl. pl. (Double Pink Bramble),
R. laciniatus (Cut-leaved Bramble), R. spectabilis (Sal-
mon Berry). Sambucus racemosa (Red-berried Elder),
Spirea Douglasit, S. hypericifolia, S. lindleyana;
Tamarisk. Viburnum Opulus (Guelder Rose) ; when
this native shrub is weighed down with the rich red
berry-clusters, it is a remarkable colour picture, and
the autumn leaf tints add to its beauty.
Of Conifers, mention may be made of T7suga
canadensis, Abies Mensztesit, Cupressus thyotdes, and
Thuja gigantea.
Bamboos: Select those of robust growth, such
as Arundinaria japonica (Bambusa Metake), A. Simoni,
A, Veitchti, and A. palmata; Phyllostachys viridi-
glaucescens and P. mitts.
TREES AND SHRUBS FOR THE ROCK
GARDEN
IF we think of the changes in gardening terms which
have occurred during the last quarter of a century,
there is surely significance in the gradual transition
from the Rock Garden or Alpine Garden into the
more imposing Rock Garden of our present-day
language. It points to the bolder grouping—now
happily adopted in most good gardens and more in
accordance with Nature’s pattern—which includes
evergreen and flowering shrubs as well as the close-
growing alpine plants, gem-like in their brilliant
colours, which in earlier days were alone considered
suitable for the purpose. The principle is now
generally recognised that the “ unstudied picturesque-
ness of Nature may be brought into the rule and
line ordering of our gardens,” and the better con-
struction and government of the Rock Garden gives
greater scope for the carrying out of this worthy
effort.
In enumerating suitable shrubs for the Rock
Garden, more than ordinary care should be exercised
in their selection, in view of the greater difficulty
of rectifying mistakes in such positions. We must
not be led away by the beauty of a shrub, for
instance, during its time of flowering alone, without
127
128 TREES AND SHRUBS
considering its character at other seasons and its
adaptability to its special surroundings. A due sense
of proportion will also hold us back from planting
a spreading, hungry-natured shrub in limited space,
or where it would rob and over-run more valuable
but weaker plants. Such considerations as these
must be left to the planter who, in his turn, must
be guided by the incidental circumstances of his
particular locality. It is only possible here to set
down some of the best shrubs available for the
purpose, and to indicate, in a very general way, the
positions for which they are suitable.
Occasionally, where there is ample space, a deci-
duous tree of low growth may be planted to great
advantage. Not long ago, in a picturesque district
bordering on Western Germany, a mental note was
made of the excellent effect of Wild Medlar trees,
scarcely more than good-sized bushes, growing about
the boulders and overhanging the edge of quarried
rocks, The white flowers in spring, and the fine
form and tint of the russet-brown fruit as it gradually
swells during the summer months give this tree a
peculiar claim on our attention where the position
is suitable. But in planning the main features of
the Rock Garden, we naturally turn our thoughts
first to evergreen trees and shrubs, because the
plants grown in such positions, being usually either
alpine or herbaceous, are mostly in abeyance during
the winter, and it is desirable that the rockery, no
less than every other part of the garden, should
be interesting even if it cannot be gay, during the
TREES FOR THE ROCK GARDEN 129
period of rest. A specimen Holly or, in exceptionally
mild climates, a tall bush, from 8 to ro feet high,
of Pittosporum undulatum, one of the most beautiful
of New Zealand evergreen trees, may be so placed,
for example, as to be exceedingly pictorial ; but, as
a rule, we must keep our shrubs to an average
maximum height of not more than from 4 to 5 feet,
and, generally speaking, those of still lower stature
are better suited to the ordinary Rock Garden.
Some of the small-growing Conifers, from their
compact habit and distinct character, are especially
well fitted to break the outline and to give contrast.
We think of Pines and Spruce Firs and Cedars as
majestic trees, and it is only when one comes to
study them in their manifold varieties that we find
how many of these range from a height of only a
few inches to 3 feet, or at most to q feet.
Some species, it is true, do not lend themselves
gracefully to the dwarfing process, becoming clumpy
and inelegant, but this charge cannot be brought
against many of the Cypresses and Junipers. Several
of the smaller Conifers, besides, give the advantage
of distinct variations of colour with the changing
seasons. Reference is not now made to the golden
and silver forms, so-called, which occur in most of
the genera, and put on their brightest tints in spring,
but to the deeper winter colouring assumed, ¢.g. by
Cupressus thyoides ( = Retinospora ericoides), which alters
its summer tone of dark green to purple brown on
the approach of cold weather; or by Cryptomeria
elegans, a little less hardy, which changes to a fine
I
130 TREES AND SHRUBS
shade of bronzy crimson. Like other plants, Conifers
differ greatly as to constitution, and judgment must
be used in their choice. The dwarf alpine form of
the Common Juniper (Juniperus communis nana) is very
hardy and slow-growing, never becoming too ram-
pant for the smallest Rock Garden, and shares the
blue-grey tint which is so characteristic of this beau-
tiful species. Very distinct from it is the lovely
prostrate Savin (J. Sabina procumbens), one of the
best of evergreen shrubs for the Rock Garden, and
one most restful and satisfying to the eye at all times
in its deep tones of sea green.
Cupressus pistfera, almost plumose in one of its
many variations, and C. obtusa, both better known
perhaps under the garden name of Retinosporas, are
admirable, and may be used either in the normal or
the dwarf forms according to the greater or less
space at command. Almost the last tree, probably,
which one would expect to see draping the vertical
face of a rock is the Spruce Fir, yet a weeping variety
(Picea excelsa pendula) is exceedingly effective in such a
position as a foil to hanging masses of richly-coloured
Aubrietias or Golden Alyssum, while it looks well at
all seasons. Mention may here be made of a remark-
able Conifer, Cunninghamia sinensis, of great beauty
and very distinct character, which takes the shape,
in our climate, of a spreading bush, though in its
native habitat it grows into a tree of noble dimen-
sions. It is suitable only for a Rock Garden of
some boldness of construction, with which a mild
climate and a sheltered position are fortuitously com-
TREES FOR THE ROCK GARDEN 131
bined, but under such happy circumstances a place
should certainly be found for this handsome and
little-known China Fir.
Another uncommon coniferous shrub, also very
distinct and more generally useful than the last, is
Podocarpus alpina. Though a native of Tasmania, it
grows at high elevations, and is able to resist severe
frost. Dark green in foliage, only about 2 feet in
height, and of a somewhat spreading nature, it is
never out of place in the Rock Garden, whether large
or small.
From Conifers we may pass to Veronicas, certain
of which might almost be mistaken for some min-
ute form of Cypress. Of this character is a small
group known in New Zealand, the natural habitat of
a large number of shrubby species, by the apposite
name of Whipcord Veronicas. Being themselves
alpine, are particularly well suited for grouping with
low-growing mountain plants. Six species or varieties
of this interesting section grow naturally at elevations
ranging from 7000 to 4000 feet, and are much more
hardy than is generally supposed. These are: V.
cupressoides, V. c. var. variabilis, V. lycopodiotdes, V.
Armstrongu, V. Hectori, V. loganiotdes.
The form of V. cupressoides, known as variabilis,
was mistaken, on its first introduction, for a distinct
species, V. salicornioides, and may still be met with
under that name. The small violet or white flowers
of these miniature evergreen shrubs are not perhaps
much to be taken into account, but they have a
distinct value of their own as rock-work greenery.
132 TREES AND SHRUBS
There are other dwarf New Zealand Veronicas of
a leafy character, differing essentially from these
mimetic species, such as V. carnosula and V. pingut-
foka, also inhabiting regions 5000 feet above the
sea-level, which are suited for localities with average
advantages of climate. Others again, such as V.
Lyall, V. glauco-cerulea, and V. hulkeana, though they
grow naturally at lower altitudes, and must be
reckoned only half-hardy, may yet be serviceable for
Rock Gardens on the southern sea-board, or on the
west coast of Scotland. Belonging to the larger-grow-
ing and more familiar species of Shrubby Veronica,
mention may be made of a good purple-flowered
hybrid, of very compact growth, known as Purple
King, which is exceedingly ornamental from its free-
flowering habit. Many of the losses sustained amongst
these interesting New Zealand shrubs are owing to
drought rather than to frost, and their extreme sus-
ceptibility to dryness at the root is a fact not recog-
nised as it should be.
Hardy Heaths are of the utmost value in the Rock
Garden, and range in height from the 6 feet or more
of Erica arborea to the 6 inches of the well-known
E. carnea, and can be used in rough places, where
more delicate plants might not thrive. A.sudden
emergency once arose in the experience of the writer,
when a shelving mass of earth had to be shored-up
as quickly as possible with such material as lay ready
to hand at the moment. This happened to be found
in a heap of ugly, yellowish, water-worn boulders of
great size, which abound in that particular locality,
CISTUSES AND ROSES IN THE ROCK GARDEN.
(In the left lower corner, Cistus hirsutus ; middle, Rosa alba; to right,
R. rugosa Mme. Georges Bruant.)
DWARF SHRUBS ON ROCK GARDEN.
TREES FOR THE ROCK GARDEN 133
at no great distance below the ground-level, and
must be dug out when any deep trenching has
to be done. There was no time to be wasted in
facing the stones, which would have made them
more sightly, and they had to be used as they were.
Fortunately a large consignment of the best hardy
Heaths had lately arrived from the Darley Dale
Nurseries, and were immediately seized upon to
cover up the ugliness of the hastily-built-up barricade.
Boulders and Heaths, however, took to each other
kindly, in spite of a soil by no means specially suitable,
and with the addition, later, of a few good kinds of
Cistus and other shrubs, the bank still remains as
happy a bit of rough planting as could be desired.
Of the taller Heaths, £. arborea is somewhat tender,
and is not so generally useful as E. mediterranea or
E. codonodes. A hybrid form—E£. mediterranea x E.
carnea—is excellent, and comes into flower about
Christmas, in advance of either of its parents, when
its pale-purple spikes are very welcome, and are quite
distinct from the rosy-red flowers of E. carnea. The
foliage of hardy Heaths is never unsightly, but the
persistent dead flowers are, and these should always
be clipped off as soon as their beauty is over, or the
new growth will break away above the withered
flowers, leaving, in many cases, straggling and un-
clothed branches. The omission of this needful
work every season is a fruitful source of the ragged-
ness which brings some discredit on these otherwise
attractive plants.
Many flowering shrubs of the same natural order
134 TREES AND SHRUBS
as Heaths, but unlike them in general appearance,
such as the Alpine Rhododendrons, R. ferrugineum
and R. hirsutum, and the less well-known but very
beautiful and distinct R. racemosum, as well as some
of the miniature varieties of Azalea indica, notably
R. obtusa and its forms, seem peculiarly suitable for
the Rock Garden. Again, where rock meets more
level ground, and the trickle of a stream can be so
directed as to give moisture without sogginess, a
considerable number of peat-loving evergreen shrubs
belonging to the same order, of the type of Gaultheria,
Vaccinium, and Pieris, may be used with excellent
effect. Gaultheria Shallon, indeed, is a singularly fine
shrub in any position, and is not very exacting in
any of its requirements. Growing about 2 feet high,
with purple leaf-tints in winter, and spikes of white
waxy flowers, brightly tinged with red, in spring,
which are followed by purple fruit, few things can
surpass it in its way. For carpeting moist spots, the
little G. procumbeus, which rises scarcely 3 inches
from the ground, will fill a useful place with its
winter colouring of crimson brown. Shrubs of this
class are well worth study by those whose locality
admits of their cultivation.
For dry, sunny, and stony banks Rock Roses may
be chosen, but the position must be wind-screened,
a more important factor in the question of their
hardiness than cold. The large-growing Gum Cistus
is well known and tolerably hardy everywhere, and
so also is C. laurifolius, but there are several most
desirable species of dwarfer growth, such as the
TREES FOR THE ROCK GARDEN 135
white, crimson-spotted C. /usitanicus, the pink-flowered
C. villosus, the bright-red C. crispus, and the pure
white C. florentinus, which are quite happy in sheltered
rock walks especially by the sea; they have been
also grown with success in many colder situations
inland. The Cistinez, at best, are somewhat short-
lived, and lose vigour and power of resistance as
they grow older. Keep up, therefore, young, thrifty
stock by yearly cuttings to fill up inevitable gaps,
which is a matter of no cultural difficulty. Where
Rock Roses are out of the question, their place may
worthily be filled by the hardier shrubby Helan-
themums, though they differ greatly from Cistinez
in their trailing habit and smaller flowers. The
breadths of brilliant colour given by these Sun Roses
while in bloom are invaluable, and may be enjoyed
to the full in almost any locality, while the many
variations of tint, from deep green to ashen grey, in
their leafage should also be taken into consideration,
as it increases their usefulness when out of flower.
No list of good shrubs for the Rock Garden would
be complete without some reference to Yuccas, which
for all practical purposes must be included under
that head. Groups of these magnificent plants, with
their sub-tropical effect, cannot be surpassed for
nobility of outline and stateliness of flower. To do
them full justice, they must have space to develop
their grand proportions, but this may often be found
on the ridge or upper slope, even in rock-work of
limited character. Y. gloriosa, with its fine form,
Y. recurva, and the stemless Y. flaccida, of smaller
136 TREES AND SHRUBS
growth, are amongst the best and hardiest kinds,
and to these may be added Y. angustifoha, another
valuable and nearly stemless species.
It is only possible, in restricted space, to touch
in a very cursory way upon a few of the available
groups of dwarf-growing shrubs. Many more than
have been mentioned will occur readily to the minds
of those who are at all conversant with plants, such
as Abela rupestris, Magnolia stellata, several beautiful
species Of Daphne, some of the St. John’s Worts, of
low-growing Cyt/sus, and others which may be classed
under the head of miscellaneous. The subjoined
list, though it does not pretend to be exhaustive,
will be found of use, either for purposes of winter
greenery or for summer embellishment, by those
who are seeking good and suitable dwarf shrubs
for planting, under varied conditions in the Rock
Garden.
DWARF SHRUBS FOR THE ROCK GARDEN
Harpy EVERGREEN
Buxus sempervirens vars. Rosmarinus officinalis (Rose-
Cotoneaster buxifolia.
Danzea Laurus (Alexandrian
Laurel).
Gaultheria Shallon.
Lavendula vera
der).
Mahonia Aquifolium.
Osmanthus Aquifolium.
Pernettya mucronata.
(Laven-
mary).
Skimmia Foremani.
Veronica (Whipcord).
4 cupressoides.
” cup. var. variabilis.
» Armstrongii.
i Hectori.
% loganioides.
4) lycopodioides.
TREES FOR THE ROCK GARDEN 137
Cupressus obtusa nana.
rs pisifera.
‘3 thyoides.
Juniperus communis nana.
» Sabina prostrata.
Contfers
Picea excelsa clanbrassiliana.
» ex. pendula.
» eX. pumila glauca.
Podocarpus alpina.
Taxus baccata and vars.
Harpy FLOWERING SHRUBS
Amygdalus nana.
Azalea (Rhododendron)
amezena.
»» indica and vars.
» Mollis.
Cytisus Ardoini.
» Kewensis.
»» | purpureus.
Daphne blagayana.
» Cneorum.
» Mezereum.
Dryas octopetala.
Erica carnea.
3 Ciliaris.
5, codonodes.
» mediterranea.
3» ™. hybrida.
Genista germanica.
» pilosa.
Helianthemum vars.
Hypericum moserianum.
3 olympicum.
3 patulum.
Kalmia angustifolia.
» glauca.
Magnolia stellata.
Olearia Haastii.
Ononis rotundifolia.
Philadelphus microphyllus.
Phlomis fruticosa.
Polygala Chameebuxus.
Rhododendron ferrugineum.
a hirsutum.
‘3 racemosum.
Rosa lutea.
»» pimpinellifolia.
», xanthina (Ecz).
Rubus arcticus.
Spireea arguta.
» Bumalda.
»» decumbens, &c.
Veronica buxifolia.
rm carnosula.
» pinguifolia.
3 linifolia.
Yucca angustifolia.
» filamentosa.
» fil. var. flaccida.
» gloriosa.
» recurvifolia.
138 TREES AND SHRUBS
FLOWERING AND OTHER SHRUBS FOR SHELTERED
SITUATIONS AND MILD CLIMATE
Abelia rupestris.
Cistus albidus.
» crispus.
» lusitanicus.
5 Villosus.
Coronilla Emerus.
5 glauca.
Daphne Dauphini.
» Genkwa.
Desfontainea spinosa.
Draczena australis.
Fabiana imbricata.
Escallonia macrantha. -
‘j montevidensis.
is philippiana and
hybrids.
Eugenia Ugni.
Fatsia japonica.
Grevillea rosmarinifolia.
Helianthemum formosum.
Linum arboreum.
Myrtus communis.
», box leaved.
Olearia dentata.
Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius.
Philesia buxifolia.
Pittosporum Tobira.
55 undulata.
Rhododendron.
Rosa berberifolia.
Rubus roszfolius.
Swainsonia alba.
Trachycarpus excelsa
(Chinese Fan Palm).
Veronica chathamica.
PA epacridea.
_ Fairfieldii.
- glauco-ccerulea.
4 pimeleoides.
4 speciosa.
5 Traversii.
i Purple King (hyb.).
Conifers.
Cryptomeria elegans.
Cunninghamia sinensis.
For Moist Peaty Soi, aT THE Foot oF ROCKS
Andromeda polifolia.
Bryanthus erectus.
Cassandra calyculata.
Cassiope tetragona,
Dabeecia _ polifolia
Heath).
Gaultheria procumbens.
Ledum palustre.
Leucothoé axillaris.
i Catesbeei.
Lycopodium dendroideum.
(Irish
Myrica asplenifolia.
» Gale.
Pieris floribunda.
», japonica.
Rhodothamnus chamecistus.
Salix reticulata.
Selaginella Douglasii.
Vaccinium crassifolium.
3 uliginosum.
i Vitis-ideea.
Zenobia speciosa.
‘MALANA LP (mowmyy psoy Aqqnays) FSOOILQAYA SINONO
TREE IN COURSE OF REMOVAL WITH ONE OF BARRON'S
MACHINES.
REMOVAL OF LARGE TREES AND
SHRUBS
PROBABLY no garden operation requires more time
and labour than the proper removal of large trees
and shrubs from one part of a garden to another.
Time, as it will take two, or even three, days to
remove a large tree to a distance ; and labour, as the
services of from eight to twelve men will be required
to accomplish the work. It is not, therefore, an
operation to be lightly undertaken or got through
in a hurry.
Before proceeding to describe the various ways of
moving large specimen plants, it will be well to con-
sider the trees and shrubs that are generally required
to be moved. Three numbered lists are given
arranged according to the ‘roots of the shrubs or
trees—that is, those that, when they have stood for
some time in one place, are most alike as regards
the way their roots are placed together ; and the lists
are also some guide when transplanting, as the
chances of life after removal are greatest in No. 1,
less in No. 2, and considerably lower in No. 3.
LVo. 1. LVo. 2. No. 3.
Andromeda. Ailantus. Arbutus.
Azalea. Alder. Aucuba.
Clethra. Almond. Bay Laurel.
139
140
No. 1. No. 2. No. 3.
Kalmia. Amelanchier. Carya.
Rhododendron. Ash. Catalpa.
Vaccinium. Beech. Cotoneaster.
Birch, Diospyros.
Box. Elzagnus.
Celtis. Halesia.
Chestnut. Hamamelis.
Crateegus. Hippophee.
Elm. Holly.
Flowering Cherries. Liquidambar.
Hornbeam. Laurel (Common).
Horse-Chestnut. », (Portugal).
Laburnum. Magnolia.
Lime. Osmanthus.
Malus. Phillyreea.
Maple. Rhamnus.
Mulberry. Styrax.
Oak. Tulip Tree.
Peach. Viburnum.
Plane. Walnut.
Poplar. Yew.
Pyrus.
Robinia. Coniferze.
Willow.
TREES AND SHRUBS
It will be noticed that Conifers are mentioned in
the third list, and even in nurseries where they are
regularly moved the mortality amongst them is very
high ; and the removal of large Conifers should never
be attempted except with a transplanting machine,
and expert men to handle it. As a rule, it will be
found cheaper and better to buy young plants than
to attempt the removal of large ones that have stood
for some years without root disturbance. Such
REMOVAL OF LARGE TREES 141
flowering shrubs as Spivea, Philadelphus, Kerria, Ribes,
&c., can be safely moved without much trouble, as
they make a mass of roots which will hold a good
ball of soil unless it is very dry. All are practically
certain to live if carefully planted and well watered
afterwards.
There are several ways of moving large trees, the
simplest and quickest being by a proper transplant-
ing machine, which consists of a framework on
wheels fitted with a system of rollers and levers.
For moderately-sized trees, say, to about 12 feet
high, a two-wheeled machine is sufficient. This is
moved by eight or ten men. For trees above 12
feet high a four-wheeled machine is required, with
two, or perhaps three, horses to draw it. The first
will take a ball of soil weighing from two to three
tons, the latter anything to ten tons, or even more.
In preparing the tree for the small machine the
ball is made round, and slightly smaller than the
width of the machine, a trench being cut round the
tree to a depth of 3 feet or so, the actual depth
depending on the roots, but the soil should be re-
moved a foot lower than the lowest roots. On no
account undermine the ball until the proper depth
has been reached. A proper machine-pick is the best
thing to use under the ball, carefully working out
sufficient soil to introduce a board 6 inches wide and
about 14 inches thick on each side of the ball. The
soil immediately under the centre of the ball should
be left intact. When the boards are in position
ropes are passed under them on each side and led
142 TREES AND SHRUBS
up over the rollers on the machine and fastened, and
then by levers the ropes are rolled up, swinging the
plant up cleanly and with a good ball of soil. Before
putting the ropes under, however, a stout piece of
canvas or mat should be tied round the ball with a
couple of cords, between which and the canvas seven
or eight pieces of narrow flat board should be fixed
to prevent the cords from cutting the ball. The rear
part of the machine is made to be taken out so that
it can be pushed right over a plant, and it should
be run on planks on soft ground.
With the large transplanting machine a ball of soil
of almost any size can be taken, but the method of
preparing it is somewhat different. It should be
made nearly square, being rather longer than it is
broad. When the proper depth has been reached
make a hole about 2 feet wide under the centre of
the ball, and running entirely through the longer
way of it. Through this hole one, or even two,
broad planks 3 inches thick should be passed. On
each end of these, where they project beyond the
ball, a stout plank is laid on edge, and two others
placed lengthwise to fit above the first two. These
planks should all be cut to fit tightly into each other.
If necessary, owing to the depth of the ball, another
tier of planks should be placed above the first to
insure stability. The machine is then placed over
the plant, and the whole, by means of chains and
levers, is swung up off the ground, and then ready to
be taken anywhere. This machine, however, should
only be used by those who have had experience with
REMOVAL OF LARGE TREES 143
it, as it is difficult and cumbersome to handle, and
in the hands of novices is liable to cause serious
accidents.
Where no transplanting machine exists, other
mechanical contrivances must be used to move a
large tree. Rollers and planks, a low trolley, or a
draw-board, as it is called, are the best. The
preparation for removal is the same for these means
as it is for a machine, with the exception of getting
under it, which varies according to the means em-
ployed. For rollers and planks the soil should be
worked out directly under the centre of the ball, and
planks put through to form a bed to run the shrub
or tree on. On these a roller should be placed,
working the soil out at the sides so that it is well
under the ball, but not going so far under as to
undermine it, and cause it to drop over. Above the
roller put one wide plank to form the bottom of the
ball, and by means of a rope round it the whole can
be taken where required. When moving it, however,
it is well to raise the rear half by means of a broad
lever or a lifting-jack, which, in conjunction with a
steady pull on the rope, should start the plant com-
fortably on its journey.
When a low trolley is used the ball of soil must
be firm, and not liable to break to pieces when
handled with reasonable care. Having cut out the
ball to the required depth, work under it all round,
merely leaving enough in the centre to support it. If
possible, work off some of the upper soil to decrease
the weight, but this depends entirely upon the roots,
144 TREES AND SHRUBS
and the way they run. If small roots are plentiful
at the top, little or no soil can be removed, but if
they are lower down, then the upper soil may be
removed with advantage. Having worked under the
ball, lay two stout planks under it well packed up to
the centre, and then with two strong poles under the
ends of the planks lift the whole on the trolley. If
the work is carefully thought out, it is possible to
make the actual lifting a very small operation by
bringing the trolley close and lowering it consider-
ably.
The draw-board is a handy contrivance for
moderate-sized trees or shrubs which will hold a
good ball of soil. It is made in two forms, One
consists of a piece of well-seasoned oak 3 inches
thick, and about 3 feet long by 2 to 24 feet wide
at the widest part, from which it slopes down to
a thick end, where a stout swivel-ring is fixed to
take a rope. The other form is a kind of trolley,
and consists of a frame 3 feet long by 2 feet wide;
it runs on rollers that work on bent irons fastened
to the framework, the whole standing about 4 inches
high. Either of these can be used for moving
plants the ball of soil attached to which is not larger
than the board. They will take a heavy plant with
comparative ease, and are especially useful for moving
large Rhododendrons and other American shrubs.
To get them under a plant cut out the ball of soil
to the proper depth, and work under it from the
front, that is, the direction in which the plant is to
go, keeping the ball wedged up during the process,
REMOVAL OF LARGE TREES 145
not by having a man to pull the top over, but by
using wedges or levers underneath it, until sufficient
soil has been worked out to allow the board to be
inserted. When the board is in position the rope
should be passed through the ring and then around
the collar, using a piece of mat to keep it from
rubbing the bark off, and then back through the ring
again. It is well to run the board over planks on
soft ground to reduce the labour of pulling.
In putting the tree or shrub into its new position,
carefully measure the size of the ball, and make the
hole considerably larger and slightly deeper, break-
ing up the bottom well. When the tree or shrub
is in position ram the soil tightly round it until it
is about two-thirds covered, when the hole should
be completely filled with water, covering in the
remainder when the water has drained away. The
stem must also be made secure by means of stakes
or cords, otherwise wind will cause damage to the
roots.
When the ground is dry under a tree that is to
be moved nothing should be done until it has been
thoroughly soaked. To do this a trench 2 feet
deep and as narrow as possible should be taken out
all round, and gradually filled in with water, pouring
it in steadily, away from the ball rather than to it,
and persevere with this watering till the ball of soil
under the tree is thoroughly saturated. Leave it for
at least twenty-four hours to drain. Three points
must not be forgotten: (1) Wrap the ball of soil
securely round with canvas as soon as possible; (2)
K
146 TREES AND SHRUBS
never use the stem of a tree as a lever in moving
the ball—this should always be moved from below,
and the stem never touched on any account; (3)
always allow plenty of room for working.
Moving large trees is not easy and must not be
lightly undertaken. It involves much time, labour,
and expense, in most cases far more than the trees
are worth. Trees 8 or 10 feet high may be easily
moved, but above that height the work should be
done by an expert. Trees and shrubs of consider-
able size can be purchased at a moderate price from
good tree nurseries, where they have been regularly
transplanted, and if carefully planted will soon make
good specimens.
It is in the planting of trees that so many failures
occur as arule. A good tree may be obtained, arrive
in excellent condition, and yet be planted in such
a way that success is out of the question. The fault,
as a matter of course, is put on the man who sup-
plied the tree, not on the one who killed it by
improper planting. Those who think of moving
Jarge trees or shrubs should not do so until the
probable cost has been considered, and the advice
and help obtained of some one who has handled
big trees before. The expert will be able to say if
a tree can bear removal, or whether it is better
destroyed, and its- place filled with a young and
vigorous specimen from a nursery.
YOUNG TREES AND SUNSTROKE
IT is most noticeable that the stems of young trees
of from 8 to about 14 feet in height are apt in
some seasons to get much damaged, so much so
that the trees are rarely satisfactory for some years
afterwards, even if they do not die outright. The
mischief is usually not seen until it is too late to
mend matters, and is found more as a rule on young
trees with small heads standing out singly than
where they are planted amongst undergrowth or
in partial shade. If careful notice is taken it will
be found that the stems are damaged on the south
side, or it may be east or west of south, but never
on the north side, and is directly caused by the rays
of the sun being too hot for the young stems to
bear. The trees most liable to sunstroke—which
it practically amounts to—are the Lime, Willow,
Horse Chestnut, Sweet Chestnut, Birch, Mountain
Ash, Ash, and Plane, and generally in the order
they are given, the softer wooded trees suffering
more severely than those of harder growth. The
Oak, Elm, and Beech are seldom much damaged
by the sun, though in cases of failure it will be well
to notice the stems and see how far the direct rays
of the sun are responsible for the death of the tree.
The first marks of sunstroke are seen in the shape
147
148 TREES AND SHRUBS
of longitudinal cracks in the bark, which is also
slightly browned and flattened, as if there were a
hollow beneath. The part affected is from about
1 to 3 feet in length, and from 1 to 3 inches
in width. If the bark is cut away the wood
beneath will be found perfectly firm, but hard and
dry, more like a piece of seasoned wood than part
of a growing tree. When such is the case the only
thing that can be done is to cut away the bark
back to the living tissue, thoroughly coat the wound
with gas tar, and shade the stem afterwards with a
few branches or something that does not need to be
fastened on the stem. Hay or straw bands cannot
be altogether recommended, as anything which
excludes the light tends to the softening of the
young bark. This should be avoided, as the firmer
the bark the better will be the ultimate success of
the tree. Iron tree-guards, though not beautiful,
have the advantage of protecting the stems of young
trees from the sun as well as from the attacks of
animals. In addition to the slight shade they give,
the iron, being a good conductor of heat, takes up a
large amount of the heat rays which would otherwise
be directed full upon the stem.
A hot and dry season is no more likely to cause
sunstroke than a wet one, and probably not so
much, as we have noticed it in sunless years quite
as much as in bright summers. The time when
it is most likely to happen is when a few days of
hot sunshine follow a spell of wet weather, as the
wood is then soft and full of moisture, and is more
YOUNG TREES AND SUNSTROKE 149
liable to be scorched than during a period of
prolonged sunshine.
When trees are planted out singly it is well to
choose those with spreading heads and low stems,
as then the tree will shade itself to a great extent,
the short amount of bare stem being less exposed to
the sun’s rays than a taller one. After all, this is
only Nature’s method of protection, as, in a wild
state, no young tree is bare-stemmed, except in a
wood, where it is shaded by those near it. On the
edge of a wood, or in the open, young trees are
furnished to the ground with foliage, which is not
shed until the stem has become hardened enough to
withstand climatic vicissitudes. If trees with tall
stems are the only ones available, then the stems
should be shaded by some means for a year or two,
especially when they have become established and
are making strong, sappy growths, as the stem is
practically in the same condition and apt to be
scorched by a sudden burst of hot sunshine.
GOAT AND WoobD-LEOPARD MOTHS
Sunstroke must not be confounded with the
ravages of the caterpillars of the Goat Moth and
Wood-Leopard Moth, the external signs of which
are much the same, but on the bark being removed
one or two channels almost the size of a man’s
little finger are to be seen, together with accumula-
tions of wet sawdust-like material deposited by the
caterpillar. These are exterminated by thrusting a
150 TREES AND SHRUBS
stout wire into the channels until the grub is killed,
and afterwards cutting away the dead bark and
tarring the wound thoroughly. The tree should
also be securely staked, otherwise it will probably
snap off in the first high wind.
SHADE TREES FOR STREETS
IN the middle ages it was accounted an act of piety
to make or maintain a road or a bridge, or to do
anything in connexion with them that would con-
duce to the safety or comfort of the wayfarer. The
planting of trees for shade, or the placing of a
shaded bench for rest came within the same category
of pious works. In our days, when rush and hurry
and the pressure of business, and the worship of
bare utility fill the minds of most men, there are
many who have almost forgotten the gracious aspects
of the more leisurely life. It is probably from this
cause that so many opportunities are lost that might
be seized by those in authority for making the
lives of our fellow-creatures somewhat easier and
pleasanter.
In days of extreme heat what a difference in
comfort there would be between the bare sun-baked
expanses of the streets of many a town, such as we
all know, and the same spaces carefully planted with
shade-giving trees. In very narrow streets trees are,
of course, out of the question, or in any street
whose width is not enough to allow of easy traffic
and trees as well, but one cannot walk through any
town, except the very few in which the question has
already been considered and satisfactorily answered,
I5t
152 TREES AND SHRUBS
without seeing many a street or waste space or
corner where a row or a group or even a single
tree would not add immensely to both beauty and
comfort. Where there is plenty of width, and espe-
cially where houses fall back a little from the road,
the trees may well stand just within the edge of the
footpath or pavement. Should there be still more
width, there may be a row in the middle of the
road. In this case the middle row of trees should
not be quite evenly continuous, but perhaps five or
six treés and then a gap, formed by leaving out one
tree, in order to allow the traffic to move from side
to side of the road. In many a town where a street
runs north-east and south-west, a row of trees on
its south-western side only might be an inestimable
boon.
Even in country villages there is often a bare
place, especially where roads meet, where a few
trees well planted and a plain strong oak bench
would be a comfort and a pleasure to many hard-
working folk, and might be the means of converting
unsightliness into beauty.
For towns the Plane has the best character, but
other good trees are Wych Elm and Hornbeam,
Sycamore, Maple, Lime, Lombardy Poplar, and
Horse Chestnut. The spreading growth of the
Horse Chestnut commends it rather for a space
like the place of a foreign town. Here is also the
place for Limes, for though they are good street
trees, yet when in bloom the strong, sweet scent,
although a passing whiff is delicious, might be an
PLANE TREE (Platanus orientalis).
SHADE TREES FOR STREETS 153
annoyance if poured continuously into the windows
of houses during the blooming time.
The Wild Cherry, with its quantity of early bloom,
would be a beautiful street tree, and in places where
trees of rather smaller growth are desired there is
the Bird Cherry and the Mountain Ash. The large
American Mountain Ash is a good street tree, in
autumn loaded with its handsome bunches of scarlet
fruit.
The larger Willows are also charming trees for
streets. Many of the trees named, if their tops
spread too near the houses, may, with good effect,
be pollarded about 10 feet from the ground.
TREES AND SHRUBS IN SCOTLAND
THE following list has been kindly sent me by a
great lover of trees and shrubs who lives at Forres.
My correspondent writes: ‘I have grown all the
plants in my list in my own garden, except Buddleia
eglobosa and Araha mandschurica, but the latter is
grown in quantity by several of my neighbours, and
there are also several fine plants of the Buddleia in
many gardens in sheltered spots. My experience is
that many plants are quite frost-proof but cannot
stand cold winds. This applies more especially to
the shrubby Veronicas. I have seen them in the
Edinburgh Botanic Gardens as if scorched with fire
on the exposed side, while they were untouched
where sheltered from the north and east. My own
garden is fairly well sheltered.”
Amelanchier canadensis—Hardy, free - flowering,
beautiful at all times.
Aralia (Dimorphanthus) mandschurica.—Useful in
some positions for its curious habit of growth and
rather handsome foliage ; quite hardy.
Aristolochia Sipho.—This has curious and incon-
spicuous flowers, which give this climbing plant its
popular name of “Dutchman’s Pipe.” It can be
grown on a wall, in which position, perhaps, its fine
foliage is seen to the best advantage, but it is quite
154
TREES IN SCOTLAND EES
hardy and looks well climbing into a thin tree such
as the Common Almond,
Berberis (Mahonia) Aquifolium.—A handsome plant
at all times, and will even grow under the shade
of trees.
Berberis Darwinti—Very bright in flower. Young
and sappy shoots get killed back in winter.
Berberis Thunbergi—A most attractive Berberis ;
it makes a small neat-growing bush to which the
adjective “sparkling” might be applied. Its chief
glory is its autumnal foliage, and a large clump in
September is “a sight to see”; quite hardy.
Berberts vulgaris.—Very beautiful when clustered
with fruit. The purple-leaved variety (B. v. purpurea)
is most useful for its foliage.
Betula purpurea.—A good foliage tree.
Buddleia globosa—-This does well in a warm
sheltered spot facing south-west, where the morning
sun in winter will not touch it too soon. It also
objects to exposure to cold winds.
Calycanthus floridus.—Quite hardy, and grows well
in half-shady places.
Ceanothus azureus.—This succeeds either trained to
a wall or as a bush. In the latter case it should be
in a sheltered position. It seems quite frost-proof,
and its blue flowers are very beautiful at a time
when few shrubs are in bloom (July and August).
Its shoots should be well thinned, and those left
shortened as soon as the buds begin to show signs
of movement in the spring. The best form I have
tried is Gloire de Versailles.
156 TREES AND SHRUBS
Choisya ternata (Mexican Orange Flower).—This is
well worth growing as a bush in a sheltered angle
of a wall, where it can be protected in winter with
a hurdle or some such contrivance, lightly thatched
with Broom. It is even then, in very severe weather,
cut about the points of the shoots, which, of course,
spoils the blooming ; but it soon grows through again,
and it is worth growing for its foliage alone.
Clematis——These mostly do well, and the newer
sorts are very attractive, but for all purposes it is
very hard to beat C. montana and C. Jackmani, the
former in May and the latter for the autumn.
Clethra alnifolia.—A neat and free-flowering shrub,
with spikes of white flowers in August; it is very
hardy and useful, as few shrubs are in flower at
that time.
Cornus alba.—A clump of this Dogwood is very
effective in winter, especially when the sun is shining
on its bright-red shoots. C. a. Spethi is a good varie-
gated variety.
Corylus purpurea.—A good purple-leaved tree.
Cotoneaster microphylla—Quite hardy either as a
bush or on a wall.
Cytisus albus—No garden should be without this
beautiful Broom. C. precox, the Cream Broom, is a
dwarfer but no less beautiful variety; it is very
pretty grouped with a few plants of C. purpureus,
which flowers at the same time. Another fine Broom
is the red and yellow variety of the Common Broom
(C. scoparius andreanus). The Brooms will grow any-
where, but prefer an open place in full sun. They
CYTISUS PR:ECON (Spring).
A VARIETY OF MAHALEB CHERRY (Prunus Mahaleb, var.
chrysocarpa).
TREES IN SCOTLAND 157
should be cut hard back after flowering, and if the
young seed-pods can be picked off so much the
better.
Daphne Cneorum.—A bright little shrub best grown
on the rock garden; quite hardy.
Daphne Laureola—tThis has fine foliage and will
grow in quite a shady place.
Daphne Mezereum—A_ beautiful early -flowering
Daphne, too well known for description.
Deuizia crenata.—A most useful hardy shrub, grow-
ing to a good size. The variety, Pride of Rochester,
is very pretty.
Diervilla (Wegela)—I\ndispensable shrubs, very
hardy, free-flowering, and easily grown. The flower-
ing shoots should be cut back to strong young wood
as soon as the flowers fade. They are most accom-
modating in this respect, as the strongest of the
young shoots start well back and not at the points,
as is usual with most plants. Good varieties are
Eva Rathke, Hortensis nivea, and rosea.
Escallonia macrantha.—A good wall shrub.
Escallonia philippiana.—Hardier than E. macrantha,
and can be grown as a bush in a sheltered spot.
Forsythia suspensa.—Quite hardy, and very beau-
tiful in early spring, as it flowers before the leaf-buds
burst. It should be cut back to young growths after
the flower is over.
Garrya elliptica.— Quite hardy as a bush.
Fuchsia Riccartoni.—This_ gets cut down every
winter, but is never killed, and it flowers abundantly
every year treated as a hardy herbaceous plant.
158 TREES AND SHRUBS
Genista tinctoria fl. pl.—A low-growing trailing
Genista, useful for the rock garden and flowering when
many of the alpines are over.
Genista virgata—A very different plant to the
above, and will make a very large bush, covered
with pale-yellow flowers in late summer. A good
shrub.
Halesia tetraptera.— Quite hardy and attractive both
in bloom and foliage.
Hamamelis arborea,—This is quite hardy, but grows
very slowly. It flowers in a small state, but not very
freely. I have only had this plant for four years, but
I think it will do very well, and should flower more
freely when a bit larger.
Hedysarum multjugum—Quite hardy. An attractive
shrub, with spikes of reddish pea-like flowers in July
and August. It increases freely from the root by
suckers. Thin and cut back the shoots in spring.
Helianthemum vulgare (Rock Rose).—There are
many garden varieties of this, both double and single,
the single sorts being the most attractive. They are
quite hardy on a warm and sunny rock garden.
Hydrangea paniculata—Hardy. A splendid low-
growing shrub, flowering in autumn. A group of
this, with a few plants of Prunus Pissardi cut hard
back every spring to keep them small, is very effective,
and the group can be carpeted with Lily of the
Valley or London Pride to cover the bare soil under-
neath. The shoots of the Hydrangea should be well
thinned, and those left cut hard back in the spring.
It well repays a dose or two of liquid manure in the
TREES IN SCOTLAND 159
growing season. The variety, grandiflora, is better
than the type.
Hypericum calycinum (Rose of Sharon).—Grows
well in half shade. It is a dwarf plant, very pretty,
but perhaps too often seen. Useful for carpeting
other shrubs.
Jasminum nudiflorum.—Best on a wall. Winter
flowering (yellow) and very pretty when in bloom.
Jasminum officinale—Requires a wall, but does
well while young. It is not a very long-lived plant
here.
Kalmia latifolia—Very attractive pink flowers ;
hardy, and will do wherever Rhododendrons
flourish.
Kerria japonica—A pretty yellow-flowered shrub
that increases rapidly from the root. The double-
flowered variety is the most commonly grown.
Laburnum.—Too well known for description. L.
Adami is curious and worth growing.
Lavendula Spica.—The Lavender needs no de-
scription.
Leycesteria formosa——A good plant for a shady
place. It grows well under trees, and is very hardy.
Liriodendron tulipifera—Grows well here, and is
quite hardy, but seldom flowers so far north.
Ligustrum ovalifolium (Privet)—The golden form
of this is good and bright.
Lonicera periclymenum.—The common native Honey-
suckle is an indispensable climber, and will grow
almost anywhere ; but looks best, perhaps, climbing
up trees, or over shrubs or hedges. The variety,
160 TREES AND SHRUBS
serotina, flowers later than the type, and is best known
under the name of Late Dutch. L. Sulhvanti is a
shrubby sort, with not unattractive flowers of a
brownish-orange colour.
Magnolia.—The only one I have tried is M. stellata,
which has proved quite hardy, and I have no doubt
that several others would do quite as well in sheltered
places.
Netllia opulifolia (Spirea opulifolia).—Quite hardy.
Pernettya mucronata.— Does well.
Pieris (Andromeda) floribunda—tIs quite hardy and
very beautiful early in the year. Will grow in soils
that suit Rhododendrons.
Potentilla fruticosa.—A little summer-flowering
shrub, with yellow flowers. It does well on the
upper parts of the rock garden, and is quite hardy.
Padus (Cerasus) Mahaleb pendula.—A very attractive
little weeping tree, with small white flowers in spring.
Pyrus.—The following do well here: P. Malus
floribunda, P. coronaria, P. lobata (syn. Mespilus grandi-
flora), and, of course, the native Rowan tree (P.
Aucuparia). The family of Apples enjoy a well-
drained place, being impatient of too much wet at
the roots ; otherwise, their culture is of the simplest.
They should be allowed to grow as they will, only
cutting out any branches that would be obviously
better away, and dead wood if any.
Rhododendrons and Azaleas \uxuriate here. The
common &. fonticum sows itself in the woods. I
have not yet tried the Himalayan Rhododendrons,.
but from what I have seen of them in the Edinburgh
TREES IN SCOTLAND 161
Botanic Gardens, which are much exposed to cold
winds, I feel fairly certain I could grow them here,
where I can give them more protection.
Rhodotypus kerrioides——A very pretty hardy shrub,
flowering on and off all the summer. It has very
clean white flowers, and from appearances looks as
though a cross with Kerria might be successful. The
Rhodotypus seeds freely here. It grows to a good
size.
Rhus Cotinus.—Another good shrub, attractive either
in flower or foliage, and the latter turns to a good
colour in autumn.
Ribes——No garden should be without a plant of
the Common Ribes. I also grow Aureum and a pale
pinkish-white sort.
Robinia hispida (Rose Acacia).—This is doing well
in a corner sheltered from the north, east, and west
by evergreens.
Roses.—The best that I grow as shrubs (in the
garden sense) are the Penzance Briars, Rosa rugosa
(Japanese Rose), Austrian Briars, R. spinosissima,
Blairit I1., Charles Lawson, R. macrantha, R. alpina,
&c. These Roses stand up and make a good bush
in a sheltered place, without staking or any other
trouble. Very little pruning is needful, and that
after the flowers are over, cutting out weak wood
and shortening some of the old shoots back to where
young ones are breaking vigorously.
Rubus deliciosus—Very pretty white flowers, large
for a bramble. It appears to be quite hardy, but is
not a very strong grower.
L
162 TREES AND SHRUBS
Ruscus aculeatus (Butcher's Broom),.— An incon-
spicuous little shrub that grows well under trees.
Spartium junceum (Spanish Broom).—A good shrub
for a sheltered bank; it has spikes of bright-yellow
flowers in July.
Spirea.—Most of the Spirzeas do well here. The
following are the best of those I grow: S. canescens,
very pretty habit of growth and foliage ; S. discolor
(ariefolia), S. japonica (vars. alba, bumalda, and Anthony
Waterer), the last-mentioned very good. S. lindley-
ana, a large grower, handsome both in flower and
foliage. S. prunifolia fl. pl. should be in all gardens ;
good both for flowers and autumnal foliage. S.
Van Houttei, very good. LExochorda grandiflora, often
known as Spirwa grandiflora, | have had since 1898,
but though it is now a large bush and very healthy,
it has not yet made any attempt to flower.
Syringa (Lilacs).—These are indispensable. Some
of the newer varieties are good, such as Charles X.,
rosy lilac; Marie Legraye, white; Souv. de L. Spath,
reddish ; Mme. Lemoine, double white. These should
always be procured on their own roots. Grafted
plants seldom live long.
Viburnum Opulus sterilis,— This, the well-known
Snowball tree, and Y% Tinus (Laurustinus), are the
only two I have grown. Both do well, and I fancy
V. plicatum and some others would do also. I shall
try them.
Vitis Cognetie—I have this growing up the outer
branches of a Spanish Chestnut. It does not grow
very fast, but is making steady progress. It appears
TREES IN SCOTLAND 163
to be perfectly hardy, and its fine foliage turns to a
magnificent colour in autumn.
Veronica.—Several of the shrubby Veronicas do
well. V. Traversi is the hardiest of all. In the Edin-
burgh Botanic Gardens there is a good collection of
these.
TREES AND SHRUBS IN EDINBURGH
Trees and shrubs that will thrive near Edinburgh
will do so in almost any exposed city or town simi-
larly situated. Only those that have proved adapt-
able to this windswept district have been included,
an asterisk being placed against the more beautiful
and interesting species and varieties that are happy
in cold and windy gardens.
ACERS.—A. Pseudo-platanus is the “ Plane” of Scot-
land. Old trees form features of great beauty. It
reaches a height of 60 to 70 feet, often less when
isolated. A, P. var. flavo-marginatum*—The original
tree of this variety still remains at Corstorphine,
near Edinburgh. It is very effective in spring, but
the foliage becomes much duller during summer.
A, P. purpureum. A. campestre (Common Maple).
A. circinatum*—This is the most beautifully-coloured
tree we have in autumn. A. platanoides* (Norway
Maple)—This is to be preferred to either the Syca-
more or Common Maple for planting in pleasure-
grounds and gardens. A. dasycarpum.* A. palma-
tum*— The varieties of this are excellent although
164 TREES AND SHRUBS
slow growing. A. rubrum. A. pictum. A. opulifolium
obtusatum*— A bright tree in early spring with its
golden-green foliage and flowers. A. saccharinum
(Sugar Maple). A. japonicum and varieties.
ACTINIDIA KOLOMIKTA.—Climber ; grows quickly
on south wall.
HORSE CHESTNUT (4sculus Hippocastanum) and
others: carnea, Pavia, parviflora, flava.
AILANTUS GLANDULOSA (Tree of Heaven).
AMELANCHIER VULGARIS and A. canadensis.*—
Very ornamental. Seldom seen, but as free-growing
and flowering as the Hawthorn.
ANDROMEDA POLIFOLIA.*—-Dwarf height, about
one foot. Very beautiful shrub for peat beds.
ARBUTUS ANDRACHNE.—Flowers in February and
March.
ARCTOSTAPHYLOS ALPINA.—Plenty of this found
in north of Scotland, but somewhat difficult to
establish in gardens. A. Uva-ursi—Freer in growth
than the preceding. Both species are low-creeping
shrubs suitable for planting with Heaths in peat.
ARALIA SPINOSA * and A. chinensis.
ARISTOLOCHIA SIPHO (Dutchman’s Pipe).—Large
effective climber.
ARTEMISIA ABROTANUM, arborescens, and tridentata.*
—Useful shrubs of grey tone.
AUCUBA JAPONICA and varieties.*
AZARA MICROPHYLLA® and A. dentata.
BERBERIS AQUIFOLIUM,* Darwinti, vulgaris, ne-
palensis. Single specimens of B. Aguifolium, the
Mahonia, become very ornamental with age.
TREES IN SCOTLAND 165
BETULA ALBA* (the Silver Birch).—A very hardy
tree, beautiful both in summer and winter. The
pendulous variety is the best. Its branches are
proof against all winds. No tree is so well adapted
for planting close up to houses in the city, for it is
very graceful, and obscures little light.- B. utilis,
B. papyrifera, B. populifolia.
BRYANTHUS EMPETRIFORMIS.*—Very fine planted
in broad masses. JB. erectus—Very beautiful in small
beds.
Box* and varieties.
CALYCANTHUS FLORIDUS.—This is excellent on
walls.
CAMELLIAS only flower here on walls in the
open. They form large bushes in the grounds.
Camellia Thea, the tea-plant, is also perfectly hardy.
CARMICHALIA FLAGELLIFORMIS.*—Very interest-
ing, and flowering with great freedom.
CARPENTERIA CALIFORNICA.*—A splendid plant
for south walls, large established specimens having
a profusion of large white flowers.
CaRPINUS BETULUS* and varieties.
CARYOPTERIS MASTACANTHUS,—A_ good wall
plant.
CaSSIOPE FASTIGIATA® and C. fetragona.*—Both are
very choice subjects here and flower well.
CASTANEA SATIVA* (Sweet or Spanish Chestnut).
—Ornamental, but does not ripen fruit here.
CEANOTHUS AMERICANUS and veitchianus.* Splendid.
CERCIS SILIQUASTRUM* (Judas tree).
CHIMONANTHUS FRAGRANS (Winter-sweet).— Wall.
166 TREES AND SHRUBS
CHOISYA TERNATA (Mexican Orange Flower).
Cistus.*—These are very fine, and flower for
months if somewhat sheltered.
CLEMATIS.—Of these very charming are alpina,*
aptfolia, Flammula,* heracleefolia, Vitalba.*
COLLETIA CRUCIATA.
COLUTEA ARBORESCENS and melanocalyx.
CONVOLVULUS CNEORUM.*—Very pretty plant for
a south wall; silvery foliage and white flowers.
CorNus (Dogwood).—Of these, a/ba and varieties,
Kousa, florida, sanguinea (very ornamental in winter),
Mas and m. variegata* (a very choice, variegated shrub),
are the best.
CORYLOPSIS PAUCIFLORA and C. sficata.—Both do
well on a south wall.
CoRYLUS AVELLANA and purpurea.*—One of the
most effective shrubs if used carefully.
COTONEASTERS.— Of these, buxifolia, Simonsti, thymt-
folia,* microphylla,* horizontalis* (a species with
peculiar spreading flat branches, producing a fine
effect if grown on sloping banks), are the most note-
worthy.
HAWTHORN. — Crategus monogyna, Oxyacantha,*
also the ordinary white single form, are valuable
hardy trees, flowering at the end of June to July.
CyTisus (Broom).—Of this beautiful family, a/bus,*
Ardoini,* biflorus,* decumbens,* nigricans, precox,*
purpureus,* scoparius and varieties,* are all splendid
growers for dry, sunny situations.
DaBeciaA.—Polifolia,* alba,* bicolor,* the Irish
Heaths, are beautiful in small beds and rockeries.
TREES IN SCOTLAND 167
DAPHNE.—Of this delightful family, bd/agayana,*
Cneorum,* var. majus,* Laureola, Mezereum and varie-
ties.*
DEUTZIA GRACILIS * and D. scabra.
ELZAGNUS ARGENTEA,* E. multiflora,* and E.
pungens.*
EMPETRUM NIGRUM.*—This plant is useful for
mixing with Heaths.
ENKIANTHUS HIMALAICUS.*—The finest species of
the genus. Attractive.
HeatHs.—Of these, E. carnea,* c. alba,* ciliaris,*
cinerea,* Mackaii,* mediterranea,* multiflora, stricta,*
Tetralix and varieties,* vagans and varieties,* Wat-
sont.*
ERIOGONUM UMBELLATUM.—A very fine plant for
covering banks,
ESCALLONIA.—Of these, £. exonitensis,* macrantha,*
philippiana,* are very valuable, either for walls or as
small bushes.
EUCRYPHIA PINNATIFOLIA.*—A very beautiful but
slow-growing hardy shrub.
Evonymus.—Of this family note should be made
of E. americanus, E. europeus, E. radicans.* The
variegated and other forms of these shrubs are very
welcome.
EXOCHORDA GRANDIFLORA (Pearl Bush).
FABIANA IMBRICATA.* —A_ striking evergreen
shrub for a wall.
Facus (Beech).—F. ferruginea and sylvatica* and
varieties.
FORSYTHIA SUSPENSA® and F. viridissima.
168 TREES AND SHRUBS
FRAXINUS EXCELSIOR™ (the Ash), also the Manna
Ash (F.Ornus),*
Fucusia RICCARTONI.*—Flowers for a very long
time, and is very hardy.
GENISTA.—Of these, G. anglica, hispantca, pilosa,
sagittalis, tinctoria.
GLEDITSCHIA TRIACANTHOS.
HAMAMELIS (Witch or Wych Hazel).—H. arborea,*
Japonica,* virginica.
HYDRANGEA PANICULATA. * — Magnificent when
established.
HyYPEricuM.—Of these, H. Androsemum, hookeri-
anum, moserianum* (the best of the genus for small
beds).
ILeEx.—Of the Hollies, 2. Aguifolium and many
varieties, J. cornuta,* I. Dahoon,* I. crenata,* and
I. latifolia* succeed best.
JASMINES.—/. fruticans and J. nudiflorum.* The
last-named should be grown as a small bush as well
as on walls. Also J. officinale* and varieties. A
golden-leaved form of this species merits attention
from its foliage alone.
JUGLANS (Walnut) REGIA.—Grows fairly well, but
no fruit of value.
LAaBURNUM.—Both L. alpinum and L. vulgare.*
LAVENDER.
LeDuM.—Of this family, Z. latifohum* and L.
palustre.*
LEUCOTHOE RECURVA.
LEYCESTERIA FORMOSA.
LIQUIDAMBAR STYRACIFLUA.*
TREES IN SCOTLAND 169
LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA (Tulip tree*).—Grows
into a very handsome tree.
LONICERA.—Of the Honeysuckles the best are
L. Caprifolium,* L. fragrantissima, L. Periclymenum,*
L. japonica,* L. Standishi, L. Xylosteum, L. Lede-
bourtt.
LUPINUS ARBOREUS * and varieties (Tree Lupine).
—Best on walls.
MaGNOLias.—Of these, 7. acuminata,* the Cucum-
ber tree, flowers freely. J. grandiflora* is only for
sheltered walls, and 1. Fraseri, M. conspicua, M. stellata,
M. Watsoni* for sheltered places.
MORUS NIGRA (Black Mulberry) and &. alba.
OLEARIA Haastil.*—The best August flowering
shrub. O. macrodonta and stellulata.*
OSMANTHUS AQUIFOLIUM.*
PERNETTYA MUCRONATA. * — Effective both in
flower and berry.
PHILADELPHUS (Mock Orange).—P. coronarius *
and varieties and microphyllus.
PHLOMIS FRUTICOSA.
PIERIS FLORIBUNDA.*—Very free flowering. P.
japonica variegata* —Effective.
PLATANUS ACERIFOLIA (Plane).— These appear
hardy, but are not popular. They are slower in
growth than most trees.
PopuLus (Poplar).—P. alba, P. balsamifera (Bal-
sam Poplar), P. nigra (Black Poplar), and P.
tremula.
POTENTILLA FRUTICOSA* (Shrubby Cinquefoil).—
Well deserves more attention.
170 TREES AND SHRUBS
PrRuNus.—Of these, the Cherry and Bird Cherry,*
Plum,* Bullace,* and the beautiful P. ¢riloba are a
success.
PTELEA TRIFOLIATA.
Pyrus.—P. Aria®* (the White Beam tree), P. Aucu-
paria* (Mountain Ash), P. japonica,* P. rotundifolia,*
P. Sorbus * (Service tree).
QUERCUS (Oak).—The most satisfactory species
are Q. sessilifolia,* and Q. pedunculata. These gene-
rally thrive well and are amongst the most beauti-
ful of trees for large gardens. In poor soil and
windswept places the British Oaks do not grow
more than about 4o feet in height, but develop
into picturesque features. Their foliage here is of
a pleasing green when that of the Beech and Syca-
more is past its best. Very few acorns are pro-
duced. Q. Cerris,* the Turkey Oak, and its variety
laciniata,* and Q. lucombeana,* are also beautiful trees.
We must also mention the Evergreen Oak (Q. Jlex),*
alba, palustris, laurifolia, coccinea (Scarlet Oak), Suber
(Cork Oak), conferta.
RHODODENDRON.—Of the Rhododendrons the
following are satisfactory: R. altaclerense, Anthopogon,
arborescens, arboreum Campbellice, azaleoides, blandyanum,
calendulaceum, campanulatum, campylocarpum, catawbtense,
caucasicum,* ciliatum, cinnabarinum,* ferrugineum,* ful-
gens, glaucum,* hirsutum*® and varieties, indicum bal-
samineflorum, lancifolium, lepidotum,* myrtifolium,*
nobleanum,* n. album,* ponticum* (many varieties),
preecox,* punctatum, racemosum, Rhodora, sinensis* (azalea
mollis), Vaseyi,* Wailsont. These are the principal
TREES IN SCOTLAND 171
Rhododendrons that thrive and flower well here.
No other shrubs give such a long and varied flower
display.
RIBES.—R. alpinum, aureum, and rubrum. R. san-
guinea* and its varieties are the principal ornamental
currants.
ROBINIA PsEuDACACcIA.*—An elegant foliage tree,
and usually the last to break into leaf.
Rosa.—Practically all the Tea and Hybrid Per-
petual Roses can be grown, if sheltered spots are
chosen and the plants grown as dwarfs. However,
the stronger varieties are the most satisfactory ones,
and in bad seasons it is July before they commence
to flower, although September has well advanced
before they cease. The hybrid Sweet Briars are the
freest of all to grow. Groups form thickets of
foliage which are almost hidden with blossom.
Rosa wichuriana covers banks, or anything somewhat
flat, in a very short time. It flowers through Sep-
tember, and attracts great attention. Such tender
Roses as Maréchal Niel, Niphetos, and Banksian
are useless.
ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (Rosemary).
Rupus.—Of these, R. arcticus, dwarf; R. lacinatus,*
R. nutkanus.* R. deliciosus* is a beautiful shrub, and
should be left alone after planting.
Ruscus (Butcher’s Broom).—R. aculeatus and R.
Hypoglossum.
SaLix (Willow).—S. alba, babylonica (Babylonian
Willow), and pendula, a lovely tree. S. Caprea* (Goat
Willow), fragilis, herbacea (the Alpine Willow, not
172 TREES AND SHRUBS
much larger than the Wild Thyme), Lapponum, nigra,
Pauline, reticulata, rubra, viminalis.
SKIMMIA FORTUNE! and S. japonica.*
SamBucus (Elder).—S. canadensis, nigra, racemosus.
Sprr@as.—Of these, S. bella, bullata, canescens, de-
cumbens, cantoniensis,* discolor,* japonica, var. Bumalda,*
tomentosa, var. alba.
STAPHYLEA COLCHICA.
SYMPHORICARPUS RACEMOSUS (Snowberry).
SYRINGA (Lilac)—S. persica* (Persian Lilac), and
S. vulgaris* and varieties.
TAMARIX.—TZ. gallica, T. hispida, and T. odessana,*
a very fine August flowering shrub.
Tita (Lime).—T. argentea, T. cordata, T. platyphylios,
and T. vulgaris,* the best of all.
ULEX (Furze).—JU. europeus and var. fl. pl.*
ULmus (Elm).—U. campestris * and U. montana.*
VACCINIUMS.—Of these choose V. arboreum, V.
corymbosum, V. Myrtillus, and V. pennsylvanicum,*
very fine for drooping over rocks in rock garden;
V. Vitis-idea and the variety variegata, a pretty
variety of this native shrub.
VERONICA.—Of these the most satisfactory are
V. amplexicaulis,* Armstrongii,* buxtfolia,* chathamica,*
Colensot,* cupressoides,* c. variabilis*—-grown in poor
soil and well exposed, this variety of V. cupressoides
is very fine both in summer and winter—decumbens,*
epacridea,* glauco-cerulea,* Hectori,* Kirkit,* ligustri-
folia,* monticola,* pimeleoides,* pinguifolia,* rakaiensis,*
salicifolia,* Traversii.* The above are hardy Veronicas.
They also happily include many of the best. Other
OR SNOWBALL TREE.
GUELDER ROSE
ROW.
WYCH ELMS BY HEDGE
TREES IN SCOTLAND 173
species are good plants out of doors during summer ;
they are, however, best lifted early in October and
housed till May, or they may be covered in severe
weather. Cold winds do most mischief.
VIBURNUM OPULUS (Guelder Rose) and varieties,
V. O. sterilis,* and V. tomentosum plicatum.*
ViTIs (Vines).—Of these the best are V. Coignetie,*
V. heterophylla,* V. Labrusca,* and V. riparia.*
Vinca (Periwinkle).—V. major * and V. minor * and
varieties.
Yucca.— Y. acutifolia, Y. filamentosa,* and Y.
gloriosa.*
BAMBOOS.—These require sheltered positions and
good deep soil. The following have proved to be
the best out of a considerable number: Arundinaria
* var. variegata,* falcata,* Hindsit,*
auricoma,* Fortunet,
japonica,* nitida,* pumila,* Veitchit,* Simoni variegata,*
Bambusa palmata,* B. tessellata,* Phyllostachys aurea,*
bambusoides,* boryana,* flexuosa,* mitis,* nigra,* Quiloi,*
viridt-glaucescens.*
CONIFERS.—These are only useful when young—
at least, the majority of them. It is impossible to
keep them symmetrical against strong cold winds,
and the deposits of soot upon their foliage are
injurious.
When Conifers are wished for as large trees, the
Cedar of Lebanon, Atlantic Cedar, Pinus sylvestris,
Pinus Pinaster, ot Cupressus lawsoniana are suitable.
When Abies and Picea lose their symmetry they
are usually far from ornamental. All the species and
beautiful varieties of Cupressus, Thuya, and Juniperus
174 TREES AND SHRUBS
are very valuable in a young state. They should be
replaced as they become thin and shabby, as they
soon do in exposed places. The most satisfactory
tree of all is the Yew. Even this hardy tree has
its foliage badly hurt by severe winds, but the
damage is soon made good.
TENDER SHRUBS AND TREES IN THE
SOUTH-WEST
THE possibilities that exist of the successful open-
air culture of tender subjects in the south-west are
but little dreamt of by the majority of English flower-
lovers. They doubtless read with interest the accounts
in the horticultural press of Australian, Chilian, and
Californian flowering trees and shrubs growing in
their native habitats, and possibly feel a desire to
visit these climes in order that they may verify
with their own eyes the truth of their readings. As
a matter of fact, however, a lengthy sea-voyage is by
no means indispensable in order to view certain of
these exotics flourishing in the open air, for a few
hours’ journey by rail will bring the passenger to a
land where many of these denizens of other climes
may be seen enjoying robust health under English
skies.
The following list of tender shrubs and trees
growing in the gardens of the south-west cannot claim
to be an exhaustive one, since it contains only such
as have been personally noticed in good health during
rambles along the southern coast-line of Cornwall
and Devon, and, where no lengthened inspection is
possible, it is obvious that certain species and
varieties must be overlooked. Incomplete, however,
175
176 TREES AND SHRUBS
as it doubtless is, it should give an idea of the
climatic advantages enjoyed by the district in
question.
Many of the subjects mentioned are growing in
Tresco Abbey gardens, Isles of Scilly, but most of
these are also found in mainland gardens as well.
Where any have been met with at Tresco only, the
fact is noted, but these may also be present on the
mainland.
The soil of the Scillies, which is composed
apparently of peat and disintegrated granite, and is
almost identical with much of that around Penzance,
is admirably adapted for hard-wooded Australian,
New Zealand, and Chilian shrubs and trees, and
almost all the species and genera enumerated would
be best suited by a compost in which peat and leaf-
mould and granite sand formed the chief proportion,
although it must be allowed that some alluded to
have been found to succeed equally well in sandy
loam. Porosity in the soil is indispensable, for, in
this district, where the winter rains are often ex-
ceptionally heavy, unless the water percolates rapidly
through the ground, stagnant moisture collects around
the roots, a condition which is absolutely fatal to
success. The advantages of the Cornish granite
sand are gradually being appreciated. Mr. Fitz-
herbert writes, ‘I was told the other day by an
acquaintance that since he had imported it by the
truck-load to his Sussex garden he was able to grow
many things successfully that he had before failed
with.”
TENDER SHRUBS IN SOUTH-WEST 177
ABELIA FLORIBUNDA.— Mexico. A beautiful ever-
green shrub, bearing clusters of drooping pink
flowers about 3 inches in length. Requires a sunny
and sheltered site. Finest specimen 6 feet. Several
gardens.
ABUTILON VEXILLARIUM.—Rio Grande. A hand-
some evergreen species generally grown against a
wall. It throws up long, slender, arching shoots
from 6 to 8 feet in length, studded with pendulous
ball-shaped flowers with crimson sepals, yellow petals,
and dark-brown stamens which are very striking and
often remain in bloom for six months. Common.
A. vitifoium— Chili. A most ornamental ever-
green shrub of which there are two forms, one
bearing lavender flowers, the other white. In excep-
tional cases it attains a height of 20 feet, and when
covered with its large blossoms, which are about 3
inches in diameter, and feathered to the ground with
foliage, it presents a lovely picture. Large specimens
form pyramids of bloom, and in some gardens
numbers of these are to be found. Wall protection
unnecessary.
Acacias.—Australia. In Cornish and South Devon
gardens many species are to be met with in robust
health.