November 16. 1918 



H0RTICULTT7RE 



497 



VARIOUS SHRUBS INJURED BY 

 THE WINTER 



Although it was believed in May that 

 the Arboretum had lost a number of 

 species by the excessive cold of the 

 winter, the actual loss has not been 

 as serious as it then appeared. All 

 the plants, however, of the Japanese 

 Ilex crenala were killed. These plants 

 have been growing in the Arboretum 

 for twenty-five years and had never 

 suffered in earlier winters more than 

 the loss of a few leaves. This Holly 

 was believed therefore to be one of 

 the few broad-leaved evergreens which 

 could be safely used in northern gard- 

 ens. Plants of the Inkberry (Ilex glc- 

 bra), a common Atlantic and Gulf 

 coast shrub from New Hampshire to 

 Texas and one of the handsomest and 

 hardiest of the broad-leaved evergreen 

 shrubs which can be grown here, lost 

 for the first time in the Arboretum a 

 large part of their leaves and a few 

 branches during the winter. The 

 plants soon recovered, however, and 

 are now as thickly clothed with leaves 

 as they were a year ago. The largest 

 plants of Ilci opaca. another native of 

 the Massachusetts coast region, were 

 killed outright, but smaller plants, al- 

 though they lost most of their leaves, 

 are still alive. One of the new Chinese 

 species of Magnolia (M. WUsonii), 

 Daphne genktca and Lonicera Delava- 

 yi appear to be the only species of 

 recent introduction which have been 

 actually killed. All the plants of 

 SophorC' viciifoUa appeared to be dead 

 until June when the leaves began to 

 unfold. None of the plants fiowered 

 but they are all in good condition. All 

 the plants of the new Chinese genus of 

 the Witch Hazel Family {Sinc- 

 UHlsoTiii) appeared to be uninjured in 

 May but many of the branches died 

 after the leaves were fully grown, and 

 although these plants may recover 

 their present condition is not satisfac- 

 tory. 



Evergreen Barberries. 



It is a satisfaction to be able to re- 

 port that the four species of evergreen 

 Barberries from western China in the 

 collection, Berieris Julianae. B. Bar- 

 genliana, B. Gagnepainii and B. ver- 

 ruculosa, are now in good condition, 

 although the leaves of all but the last 

 species were killed and many of those 

 of B. verruculosa were! injured. It 

 may be expected therefore that these 

 beautiful plants may continue to live 

 in eastern Massachusetts if suitable 

 positions can be found for them. 



Corylopsis 



The two species of western China 

 which were covered with flowers in 

 the spring of 1917, C. Willmottiae and 

 C. Veitchia7ia, were killed to the 

 ground by the cold of the winter and 



are now represented by feeble stump- 

 shoots, and it is doubtful if these 

 plants can be successfully and per- 

 manently grown in this climate. The 

 Japanese C. pauciflora and C. spicata, 

 which lost their flower-buds and some 

 branches have not looked well through 

 the summer but are recovering. An- 

 other Japanese species, C. Gotocna. 

 which was uninjured in bud and leaf, 

 seems destined to become a popular 

 garden plant in the northern states. 

 Several other shrubs which wpre in- 

 jured by the winter and in May and 

 June gave little promise of recovery, 

 are now alive and will probably en- 

 tirely recover. Among them is a plant 

 of the Japanese Lindera nblusiloba 

 which, although it has been growing 

 in the Arboretum for twenty-five 

 years, is still one of the rarest plants 

 in the collection as it has not borne 

 seeds and has proved diflicult to propa- 

 gate. This plant is most beautiful in 

 the autumn when the leaves during 

 the first week in November are the 

 color of gold. Another Japanese Ben- 

 zoin, B. sericea, which was injured by 

 the winter will probably recover, al- 

 though this plant has suffered in less 

 severe winters and will probably never 

 be valuable in this climate. The two 

 Dipeltas, a Chinese genus related to 

 Weigela. which were killed to the 

 ground have produced shoots from the 

 roots. These plants, although they 

 have flowered sparingly in the Arbore- 

 tum, have suffered from cold before 

 and it is doubtful if they can be suc- 

 cessfully grown in Massachusetts. 

 Rhus Potaninii, Cornus Paucinervis. 

 Salix Bockii, Osmaronia cerasiformis 

 and Ceanothus Wrightii have re- 

 covered, as was predicted in the Bulle- 

 tin issued on the 16th of May. The 

 most important of these for the gard- 

 en is Cornus paucinervis for it flowers 

 here late in July when comparatively 

 few shrubs are in bloom. It is a nar- 

 row shrub with numerous upright 

 stems five or six feet high, small nar- 

 row pointed leaves with only two or 

 three pairs of veins, small flat clusters 

 of white flowers and small black shin- 

 ing fruits. If this plant proves as 

 hardy in eastern Massachusetts as it 

 has at Rochester, New York, it will be 

 one of the most valuable of Wilson's 

 introductions from western China. 

 Coluteas bloom on the branches of 

 the year and all the species, although 

 they had been killed to the ground 

 were later as full of flowers and fruits 

 as they were in ordinary seasons. 



The following plants believed to be 

 dead in the spring are still alive, al- 

 though it is doubtful if they can be 

 permanantly successful in this cli- 

 mate: Stachi/urus chiyiensis. Siaphy- 

 lea holocorpa, PoUothyrsis sinensis, 

 and Fortunearia sinensis. The Staphy- 

 lea, which Wilson believed to be one 

 of the handsomest of the small trees 

 which he saw in China, has never 

 done well in the Arboretum, and al- 

 though there is still life in some of 

 the small plants it is doubtful if it 

 ever flowers here. Viburnum oiatifoU 

 iuni, which was reported in May to 

 have been killed, has grown again 

 from the roots, and all the Chinese 

 Viburnums with deciduous leaves are 

 now In good condition. The two ever- 

 green species which live here. V. 

 rhytidophyllum and V. buddlei folium, 

 lost their leaves from the cold but are 



now covered with a new growth and 

 look as well as they usually look here 

 at this season of the year. They are 

 better suited, however, for a milder 

 climate than that of New England. 

 Lonicera Henryi. a Chinese species 

 with twining stems and evergreen foli- 

 age, was killed to the ground but Is 

 growing again. This beautiful plant 

 flowered for several years in the Arbo- 

 retum and was believed to be perfectly 

 hardy and an important addition to 

 the smaller number of broad-leaved 

 evergreens which can be successfully 

 grown in the northern states. 

 Broad-leaved Evergreens. 



The colors which the leaves of a 

 few of these assume in the autumn 

 add greatly to the beauty of these 

 plants in November. The most con- 

 spicuous change of leaf color on any 

 of these plants is on the Rocky Mount- 

 ain Mahonia (or Berberis) repens. 

 FYom light bluish green the leaves 

 turn to pale violet color in the au- 

 tumn. This is one of the handsomest 

 and hardiest evergreen plants which 

 can be used here to cover the ground 

 under larger plants; it grows only a 

 few inches high, spreads rapidly by 

 underground stems, and the bright 

 yellow flowers are large and conspicu- 

 ous. It is unfortunate that eastern nur- 

 serymen have not yet learned the value 

 of this plant. The small dark green 

 leaves of the Box Huckleberry (Gay- 

 lussacia brachycera) become in the 

 autumn deeply tinged with red when 

 the plant is fully exposed to the sun. 

 and the leaves of Pachystima Canbyi 

 are more or less tinged with violet. 

 These are two of therarest plants in the 

 United States, being known now only 

 in two localities, the first in Pennsyl- 

 vania and the other in West Virginia 

 where the Pachystima has not been 

 seen, however, for nearly fifty years. 

 The leaves of Leucothoe Catesbaei 

 often turn deep bronze color in the au- 

 tumn. This plant which has always 

 been considered hardy in eastern 

 Massachusetts, suffered seriously dur- 

 ing the winter. Most of the "plants 

 lost the ends of their branches and 

 their leaves, and many were killed 

 outright in a particularly favorable 

 position for this shrub where it had 

 been established for nearly twenty 

 years. The Rhodoedndrons are in 

 good condition and generally well 

 furnished with flower-buds, and the 

 Laurels (Kalmia latifolia) have not 

 before in the Arboretum given such 

 promise of abundant bloom. 



— Arnold Arboretum Bulletin 



VEGETABLE FORCING, 



By Prof. B. L. Watts 



Which has Just come from the press. 

 This book was produced In response to 

 numberless Inquiries for a practical np- 

 to-rtate volume on the forcing of vege- 

 tables. In our judgment It Is the most 

 complete, final and authoratatlve work on 

 forcing ever Issued. The author of this 

 Intensely practical book has had a large 

 experience In growing crops under glass. 

 He gives clearly and concisely, complete 

 Instructions covering Greenhouse Con- 

 struction, Soil. Preparation. Insects. 

 Diseases. Marketing. Cropping System, 

 and the growing of all of the most Im- 

 portant Vegetable Forcing Crops. The 

 book win be found equally valuable t» 

 amateurs and experienced gardeners. 

 Price Net ti.OO. Fop Sale by 

 HOBTICtJLTCRE PUBLISHING CO. 

 Boston, Has*. 



