492 



A WORD IN FAVOR OF EVERGREENS. 



of this journal, (p. 128.)* We have no 

 doubt whatever, that it will soon become 

 the favorite plant for evergreen hedges, as 

 the Buckthorn and Osage Orange are al- 

 read}'' for deciduous hedges in this country. 

 So hardy as to grow everywhere, so strong 

 and bearing the shears so well as to form 

 an almost impenetrable wall of foliage, it is 

 precisely adapted to thousands of situations 

 in the northern half of the Union, where an 

 unfailing shelter, screen and barrier are 

 wanted at all seasons.^ 



The Balsam Fir, [Picea balsamea,) or, as 

 it is often called, the Balm of Gilead Fir, is 

 a neat, dark green evergreen tree, perhaps 

 more generally employed for small grounds 

 and plantations than any other by our gar- 

 deners. In truth, it is better adapted to 

 small gardens, yards, or narrow lawns, 

 than for landscape gardening on a large 

 scale, as its beauty is of a formal kind ; 

 and though the tree often grows to thirty or 



• This plaut may be had from six inches to two feet high 

 at the English nurseries, at such extremely low prices per 

 1000 that our nurserymen can well atTord t'> import and grow 

 ii a year or two in their grounds, and sell it wholesale for 

 hedges, at rates that will place it in the reach of all planters 

 Autumn is the safest season to import it from England ; as, if 

 packed dry and shipped at that season, not ten plants in a thou- 

 sand will die on the passage. We hope in a couple of years 

 it will be obtainable, ni large quantities, m every large nur- 

 sery in America. We observe that Elwanger & Barry, at 

 Rochester, advertise it at the present time as a hedge plant. 



t " No tree," says the Arboretum Britlanicuin, "is better 

 adapted than this tor planting in narrow strips for shelter or 

 seclusion : because, though the trees in the interior of the strip 

 may become naked below, yet those from the outside will re- 

 tain their branches from the ground upwards, and effectually 

 prevent the eye from seeing throug-h the screen. The tenden- 

 cy of the tree to preserve its lower branches renders it an ex- 

 cellent protection to game ; and lor this purpose, and also for 

 the sake of its verdure during winter, when planted among 

 deciduous trees and cut down to within five or six feet of the 

 ground, it affords a very good and very beautiful under- 

 growth. The Norway Spruce bears the shears ; and as it is 

 of rapid growth, it makes excellent hedges for shelter in nur- 

 sery gardens. Such hedges are not unfrequent in Swhzer- 

 land, and also in Carpathia, and some parts of Baden and Ba- 

 varia. In 1844, there were spruce hedges in some gentle- 

 men's grounds in the neighborhood of iVIoscow, between 30 

 feet and 40 feet high. At the Whim (near Edinburgh,) a 

 Norway Spruce hedge was planted in 1823 with plants 10 

 feet high, put in 3 feet apart. The whole were cut down to 

 5 feet, and afterwards trimmed in a regular conical shape 

 The hedge, thus formed, was first cut on .Ian. 2t>, the year 

 after planting ; and m the plmits were fonnd to sustain no in- 

 jury, about the end of that month has been chosen for cutting 

 it every year since. Every portion of this hedge is beautiful 

 and green ; and the annual growths are very short, giving the 

 surface of this hedge a fine healthy appearance." [This is an 

 excellent illustration of the capacity of this tree for being 

 sheared ; but good hedges are more easily and better formed 

 by using plants about 18 inches or 2 feet high. Ed.) 



forty feet, its appearance is never more 

 pleasing than when it is from ten to fifteen 

 or twenty feet high. The dark green hue 

 of its foliage, which is pretty constant at all 

 seasons, and the comparative ease with 

 which it is transplanted, will always com- 

 mend it to the ornamental improver. But 

 as a full grown tree, it is not to be com- 

 pared for a moment, to any one of the tree 

 species of evergreens that we have already 

 noticed ; since it becomes stiff and formal 

 as it grows old, instead of graceful or pic- 

 turesque, like the Hemlock, White Pine, 

 or Norway Spruce. Its chief value is for 

 shrubberies, small gardens, or courtyards, in 

 a formal or regular style. The facility of 

 obtaining it, added to the excellent colour 

 of its foliage, and the great hardiness of the 

 plant, induce us to give it a place among 

 the four evergreens worthy of the universal 

 attention of our ornamental planters. 



The Arbor Vita, so useful for hedges and 

 screens, is, we find, so rapidly becoming 

 popular among our planters that it needs 

 little further commendation. 



Among the foreign evergreens worthy of 

 attention, are the Chili Pine, {Araucaria,) 

 the Cedar of Lebanon and the Deodar Ce- 

 dar, — three very noble trees, already de- 

 scribed in previous pages, and worthy of at- 

 tention in the highest degree. The two 

 first have stood the past winter well, in our 

 own grounds, and are likely to prove quite 

 hardy here. 



For a rapid growing, bold, and picturesque 

 evergreen, the Austrian Pine, {Pinus Aus- 

 triaca,) is well deserving of attention. We 

 find it remarkably hardy, adapting itself to 

 all soils, (though said to grow naturally in 

 Austria on the lightest sands,) A specimen 

 here, grew nearly three feet last season ; 

 and its bold, stifle foliage is sufficiently 

 marked to arrest the attention among all 

 other evergreens. 



