IRISH GARDENING. 



167 



this tree i« different in appearance to that of any 

 other hr I know, being coarse and rugged. 



A. homolepis, JaiJaii, introduced in 1870, 

 does not appear to be a tail growing tree. I 

 know it as a plant twenty-five feet high, and 

 with a great spread of branches; k(?.eps its lower 

 branches well, and in colour like A. Webbiana ; 

 the leaves are not so long; bears cones in pro- 

 fusion, that exude a quantity of resinous matter. 



Abies firma, another Japanese tree, and one 

 of our finest Silver Firs, especially in mild 

 localities, although I think it will prove hardier 

 than was expected in former years ; it puts on 

 good growth yearly, and wil' probably grow as 

 high as our common Silver Fir (A. pectinata) ; 

 the leaves are sharp pointed, light green in 

 colour, and the spread of branches is not great. 



Abies concolor, and ics varieties — Lowiana, 

 Waltzii (?) and violacea — are amongst the most 

 useful and ornamental of the Firs, come from 

 Sierra Nevada mountains ; beautiful in colour, 

 and with a branch spread of about twentj^-five 

 feet. Abies Waltzii is something of a rarity, 

 but very beautiful ; the leaves, almost white in 

 colour, are apt to get scorched by the summer 

 suns, therefore it ought to have some shade on 

 the sunniest side. 



Abies grandis, also from the States of 

 America, is a verj^ vigorous growing sort, great 

 in height and spread of branches, requires 

 plenty of space to develop, and there is no 

 doubt as to its hardiness ; it may become in 

 time a valuable forest tree. 



A. bracteata is the most remarkable of all the 

 Silver Firs, with massive deep green foliage, 

 sharply'pointed, and a no])le spread of branches ; 

 it is somewhat tender, especially in a young 

 state. Hard to procure at present, but Avell 

 worth a trial. 



Other species that occur to my mind are A. 

 Veitchii, A. Mariesii, A. magnifica, A. amabilis, 

 A. nobiiis, and A. Nordmanniana, which is a 

 good thriving tree, especially in peaty soils ; but 

 all the foregoing are reliable and may safely be 

 planted in most parts of Ireland, and will well 

 reward any troiible taken to give them a fair 

 start off. 



Perhaps I am encroaching on space, so Mill 

 conchule with a few words on some of the 

 varieties of Spruces (Picea). 



Of these there are many beautiful and useful 

 sorts, from the pretty little freak Picea excelsa 

 ■oar. Clanbrasiliana that never grows more than 

 five feet high but spreads over the ground con- 

 siderably, and is essentially a plant for the rock 

 garden, to the tall P. sitchensis ; but, generally, 

 the various species of Picea do not grow to such 

 great sizes as those of the Abies family, and can 

 be accommodated on a smaller space of ground. 



Talcing the largest growing sorts first, we have 

 P. ajanensis, often confused with P. Alcockiana ; 

 both will groM' to a considerable height and the 

 branches spread over a diameter of thirty feet, 

 the silvery green colour of the foliage is pretty 

 and distinct from that of other Conifers. 



Picea morinda (Smithiana), the Indian Spriice, 

 is a tree that is the better for a good deal of 

 shelter from Minds ; heavily branched, drooping 

 in habit, dark green in colour, it makes a 

 striking contrast in association with the lighter 

 colours of the others in the family. 



P. orientalis, and its golden coloured variety, 

 aurea, are beautiful compact plants, and well 

 worth planting in the best of positions, and Avith 

 them may be groMn the fine blue-green coloured 

 sorts P. pungens glauca and Kosteriana. 



Picea polita is one of the most distinct of the 

 Japanese Spruces ; light green in colour ; 

 branches close groM-ing and rigid ; the leaves are 

 short, stiff and prickly. One rarely sees a good 

 specimen of this species, it seems to have the 

 misfortune of continually losing its leading 

 growth. 



Three others I Mill group together as being 

 more or less related, although belonging to 

 different parts of the world, they are — P. 

 spinulosa, P. BreMcriana, and P. omorica. 

 These belong to u^hat is knoMii as the flat-leaved 

 or omorica group, and have certain botanical 

 characteristics in common. 



Picea spinulosa {syn. morindoides) is an 

 attractive plant Math graceful^ drooping 

 branches, medium in spread ; the leaves light 

 green in colour. This plant is a Himalayan 

 species. 



From M'hat little is knoM-n of P. BrcMeriana 

 the same brief description M'ould apply, although 

 the plant belongs to the Siskiyon Mountains of 

 Northern California, and is most difficult to 

 obtain at present. 



Picea omorica. the Servian Spruce, is, in my 

 experience, not so fast groM'ing as P. spinulosa. 

 more compact in habit, sturdier in every May, 

 and has not the same graceful drooping habit, 

 nevertheless it is a fine species and M^ell Morth 

 planting. 



These last tMO varieties have shoM^n a disposi- 

 tion to bear fertile seeds at an early age, and it 

 M'ill be worth the while of anyone who has got 

 plants of them, to secure the cones in order that 

 plants may be available later on, for surely there 

 is coming a time M'hen planting of trees Avill be 

 carried on in this country to a greater extent 

 than heretofore. 



In general practice it Mill be found that the 

 Spruces thrive in Met heavy soils better than 

 ■ the Silver Firs. 



T. J. R. 



