April 4, 1908 



HORTICULTURE. 



437 



Notes From the Arnold Arboretum 



With the exception of Hamamelis japonica of whicli I 

 have spoken in the last issue there are at present in tlie 

 Arboretum no otlier flowering trees or shrubs to attract 

 attention. Tliis does not, however, mean that bright 

 colors are entirely wanting. The generally rather dull 

 coloring of the bare shrubbery is enlivened here and 

 there by shrubs with brightly colored branches, among 

 the most conspicuous being several kinds of Dogwood. 

 The best of them are Cornus stolonifera, the Eed-Osier 

 Dogwood, and C. alba sibirica with lighter more coral- 

 red bark ; in trade the latter is often erroneously called 

 Cornus sanguinea; the true C. sanguinea, however, is a 

 European species with dull dark red and thinner 

 branches, less handsome than the Siberian Dogwood. 

 Other good red-barked species are Cornus Bailcyi, C. 

 Amomum and Cornus obliqua (C. Purpusi). A pleas- 

 ing contrast with these red-stemmed Dogwoods is 

 fonned by C. stolonifera flaviramea with bright yellow 

 branches, a comparatively new variety and not yet so 

 well known as it merits to be. It first came to the Ar- 

 boretum in 1891 from Enfield, N. Y., and was subse- 

 quently distributed from here. Besides Salix alba vitel- 

 lina it is perhaps the best yellow-stemmed shrub we 

 have. Of the Yellow Willow there is also a pendulous 

 variety, Salix alba vitellina pendula which is one of the 

 best and hardiest weeping Willows in cultivation, com- 

 bining a perfect pendulous habit with brightly colored 

 branches. Salix alba hritzensis is another brightly col- 

 ored Willow but with red instead of yellow branches. 



All these shrubs are most effective when massed to- 

 gether in larger groups and if winter effects are espe- 

 cially desired, it is to be recommended to cut them back 

 occasionally, so as to produce a larger number of vigor- 

 ous young shoots, for the one year old branches show the 

 most brightly colored bark. The eSect of planting in 

 masses is well shown by the bands and groups of red- 

 stemmed roses as Bosa lucida, R. blanda and R. Carolina 

 along one of the driveways in the Arboretum ; in a single 

 shrub the color would hardly be noticed, while these 

 dark red masses particularly if seen from a distance, 

 form a prominent feature in the wintry landscape. 



Besides the red and yellow-stemmed shrubs there are 

 many others with branches of various conspicuous colors 

 too numerous to be mentioned. I shall here only draw 

 attention to some species with bright green branches as 

 Kerria japonica, Cornus sanguinea viridissima, Rosa 

 lucida alba, several species of Cytisus and Laburnum, 

 Acer Negundo, and Sophora japonica and to some 

 shrubs with pale gray or whitish bark as Elaeagnus ar- 

 gentea, and E. umbellata, Sheplierdia argentea, Tlippo- 

 pliae rhamnoides, Lonicera tatarica, Viburnum Opulus, 

 Rubus occidentalis, Salix irrorata and S. daphnoides 

 and S. acutifolia. The whitest bark, however, we find 

 among the trees in several birches as Betula papyrifera, 

 alba, pendula and populifolia which on account of the 

 brilliant whiteness of their trunks are at all times of 

 the year a conspicuous feature in the landscape. 



A few shrubs still hold their brightly colored fruits 

 and thus add variety to the shrubbery. Easily the best 

 of them is the now well known and appreciated Berberis 

 Thunbergii whose scarlet fruits have lost but little of 

 their brightness during the winter. Two other Barber- 



ries whose fruits witlistand the wintry weather equally 

 well are Berberis Sieboldii and B. Rehderiana, but 

 neither of them is as good as B. Thunbergii; their fruits 

 are smaller and are not produced so profusely and the 

 shrubs themselves are of lower stature and not suited 

 for hedges. Also the common Barberry and its allies 

 hold still most of their berries though considerably 

 shriveled. Viburnum Opulus is another shrub whose 

 clusters of brightly colored fruits though partly dried 

 up are still a conspicuous feature of the shrubberies. 

 Also the whitish fruits of Myrica caroliniensis, the Wax- 

 berry, and Rhus Toxicodendron, the Poison Ivy, are still 

 hanging on to the branches and not without ornamental 

 qualities, and so are the black or bluish black finish of 

 the several species of Ligustrum and the lustrous black 

 fruits of Rhodotypus. 



Prunus Davidiana^ Franch 



Many of the cherries, peaches and almonds are most 

 valuable for their ornamental qualities. To some of 

 them the far-famed Japanese gardens and landscapes 

 owe much of their charm. Yet much to our discredit 

 we have hitherto given them but little space in our gar- 

 dens and plantations. Of this worthy group the earliest 

 to unfold its flower buds is Prunus Davidiana. In the 

 vicinity of Boston it makes its display during the second 

 week in April if the season is normal, though if the 

 spring is somewhat forward the buds may begin to ex- 

 pand late in March. At any event we may feel sure that 

 it will charm us with its floral offering before even the 

 Forsythia displays its golden bells, or Spiraea Thun- 

 bergii whitens its arching branches. This dainty little 

 tree is indigenous to northern Cliina. Here it assumes a 

 form very much like that of the common plum and at- 

 tains a height of twelve to fifteen feet. The flowers, 

 which are borne abundantly in advance of the leaves, are 

 nearly an inch across and are white or pink in color. It 

 is perfectly hardy in Massachusetts, yet its flower buds 

 may occasionally suSer from the trespass of an untimely 

 frost. For this reason it may be well to see that it has 

 a somewhat sheltered place. Then too, its branches may 

 sometimes be affected by the so-called "Japanese die- 

 back;" yet this is not a serious menace to its use. As 

 might well be expected from its relationship to the peach 

 it is not a long-lived tree and may need replacing. Al- 

 though not fastidious, it is distinctly a garden plant. It 

 needs a well-drained soil, plenty of food and a protected 

 location. It may be used to good advantage in the shrub- 

 bery with the more refined of the small trees and shrubs. 

 Yet perhaps the very best association would be in a 

 group composed of its attractive cousins, such as Pru- 

 nus pendula, Prunus subhirtella, Prunus Pseudo-Cera- 

 sus, Prunus triloba, Prunus Japonica, and Prunus to- 

 mentosa. All in all it deserves to be much better known 

 and more frequently planted. It has decided merit in 

 the neatness of its habits, in the purity and charm of its 

 flowers and in the timeliness of its florescence. 



i/Oa.^(2. ^^^i^. 



