Jiuie 1, 19U7 



HORTlCULTURi: 



715 



Ornamental Conifers 



Cdntintdil from page b^o 



Thuyopsis dolabrata from Japan is an interesting 

 littlp tree when well growoi. It reqiures a well shel- 

 tered situation and a cool loamy moist soil. The shoots 

 are flat and toothed on both sides like a double saw. 

 The tree is broad, pyramidal in shape and one of the 

 nicest ornaments for small lawns. The variegated 

 form seems to be more vigorous than the type. T. 

 laetevirens is a dwarf flat-i;rowing form from dolabrata 

 making no leader. It has the same toothed foliage 

 but fme, and shorter shoots. T. Standishii also known 

 as Thuya japonica in some places, is much hardier than 

 the two others. It resembles more a coarse arbor- 

 vitae with longer pendulous shoots and broad pyramidal 

 outline, ft will gi-ow in any place where a thuya will 

 grow. 



BIOTA 



Biota orientalis, the Chinese arbor vitae, is a 

 medium sized tree with flat erect shoots and narrow 

 pyramidal outline; it is not very particular about soil, 

 but grows better in sandy loam, and wants to be shel- 

 tered from north winds. It is not a strikingly oma- 

 anental tree, but different forms of it are of great or- 

 namental value, used in the same way as thuya, es- 

 pecially for formal work. The seedlings raised from 

 the different forms of Biota orientalis vary much and 

 as a result a number of good little trees are in cultiva- 

 tion. B. 0. compacta and aurea can be taken as two 

 types of departure from the original, the first a pillar, 

 the second of spherical form, btit there is a gradation in 

 both of those forms between larger and smaller, more 

 compact or more open, those two keeping the middle; in 

 color they run from yellow to bluish green. Many of 

 these forms are named but the authenticity of the 

 names is often very doubtful as the names are nearly 

 all local. They are all striking on acount of the ver- 

 tical arrangement of their flat branches. A few that 

 differ in appearance are the following: B. o. aureo- 

 variegata, narrow pyramidal in form and strongly yel- 

 low variegated ; nice when young but less so when old. 

 B. 0. deeussata, lietter known under the name of Retin- 

 ospora dubia, is a very compact pyramidal little tree, 

 divided into a few stems when old, with heather-like 

 foliage, dark green and of a peculiar cream color in 

 winter. B. o. elegantissima and semper-aurescens, 

 which look much alike, are both of pyramidal outlines, 

 the first one broader, very compact, yellow in color the 

 whole year, but darker in winter. B. o. filiformis has a 

 spherical outline with cord-like erect shoots; filiformis 

 pendula grows erect and high, with the same cord-like 

 but pendulous shoots. All the Chinese arbor-vitaes 

 often lose some of their branches in winter when not 

 well enough protected, but with intelligent clipping they 

 soon fill out again. The hardiest of that section is B. 

 o. Zuccarinii, a Japanese tree of ovate, conical outline, 

 very compact and dark green in color. It is a fine tree 

 for small lawns and not particular about situation; for 

 I^ew England it is tlie best of all the biotas. 



LIBOCEDRFS 



Libocedrus decurrens, sometimes called Thuya gi- 

 gantea, the white cedar from the Pacific coast, is the 

 only one of the genus about hardy here. It grows to a 

 tall narrow tree, well furnished from top to bottom 

 with short flat branches. In Central Park. New York, 

 near Bolivar rock, is one over forty feet in height. This 

 tree wants a good sheltered place to succeed. There is 



in cultivation a tree under the name of T. Graigii 

 which spreads its branches more, has more reddish 

 bark, and more glossy foliage, bttt is more tender. 



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The Three Best Roses 



It may interest your readers to know which are the 

 three best all-round roses, in the opinion of the mem- 

 bers of the general committee of the National Rose 

 Society of England. W. E. Nickerson of Cambridge, 

 Mass., is a member of the National Rose Society of 

 England and last year he offered to the Society the 

 sum of fifteen guineas to be awarded to the raiser of 

 the be?t all-round rose of recent introduction in each of 

 the three sections, viz.. Hybrid Perpetual, Hybrid Tea 

 and Tea. Mr. Nickerson laid down no hard and fast 

 rules but left it to the society to determine by which 

 means the desired end should be attained. "He was 

 anxious simply to encourage the introduction of really 

 fine roses which are well adapted for growing by ordi- 

 nary amateurs in the open air and if so be, in the 

 United States as well." The matter was left in the 

 hands of the National Rose Society's General Commit- 

 tee who decided that (1) Only varieties sent out in 

 1900 and in subsequent years should he eligible; 

 (3) That the rewards be decided by ballot; (3) That 

 all members of the general committee be entitled to 

 ^ct.e. The ballot took place recently and the result was 

 declared as follows: The best Hybrid Perpetual was 

 declared to be Frau Karl Druschki; the best Hybrid 

 Tea Dean Hole and the best Tea Mme. Jules Grav- 

 ereaux. 



Frau Karl Druschki is already one of the most popu- 

 lar roses here, both for exhibition and for garden dec- 

 oration. It is undoubtedly the best white rose we have. 

 Not only are the individual flowers remarkable for size 

 and good form but the plants blossom freely tliroughout 

 a long period. (P. Lambert, Trier, Germany.) 



Dean Hole was awarded a gold medal by the National 

 Rose Society when first exhibited. It is one of those 

 roses of such extraordinary coloring that a pen descrip- 

 tion quite fails to portray its beauty. It is described 

 by the raisers as silvery carmine, shaded with salmon, 

 absolutely distinct and by far the finest of its color. A 

 colored plate of this rose was sent out with the Rose 

 Number of Horticulture March 9, 1907. (A. Dick- 

 son & Sons, Ltd.. Newtownards, Ireland.) 



Madame Jules Gravereaux has come to the front 

 within the last year or two and is rapidly becoming 

 popular. It is a strong growing variety and may be 

 used as a pillar rose as it makes a large bush. The 

 flowers are of exquisite form, pale yellow in color, 

 tinged with peach in the centre. (Soupert and Net- 

 ting, I;Uxembourg.) 



It is of course impossible to say that a certain rose is 

 the best rose for everybody for a variety that does well 

 in one garden may give quite indifferent results in 

 another garden where the conditions are different. Still 

 there are few, if any, roses that have a better claim to 

 the high distinction conferred upon them by the Nick- 

 erson awards than the three above mentioned. 



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