September 4, 1909 



HORTlCULTURi: 



337 



Notes from the Arnold Arboretum 'European Horticulture 



Of all the Poplars the mosi handsome in foliage is 

 the new Populus lasiocarpa from Central China. A 

 young plant is at the fii-st sight hardly taken for a Pop- 

 lar and may rival many of the ornamental foliage plants 

 in beaitty. Our plant is now about five feet liigh and 

 covered to the base with close set very large leaves of 

 briglit green color marked beautifully with red veins 

 and borne on stout bright red stalks. The leaves attain 

 up to twelve inches in length and ten in width and are 

 the largest of any Poplar; they are heart-shaped in out- 

 line and pointed, with closely serrate margin and the 

 stalks are about four inches long. It has proved hardy 

 in England, but has not yet been tried out of doors dur- 

 ing the winter here. In its native habitat it grows into 

 a tree from twenty to forty feet high. 



Another new tree with handsome foliage is Tetracen- 

 tron sinense closely allied and very similar to Cercidi- 

 phyllum japonicum now well known in cultivation and 

 appreciated for its fine and distinct foliage, but the 

 former is easily distinguished by the leaves being alter- 

 nate, not opposite as in the latter. They are ovate in 

 outline and long pointed, with obtusely serrate margin, 

 bright green above and whitish on the under surface, 

 from three to four inches long and borne on slender 

 stalks. The insignificant flowers appear with the young 

 leaves in slender pendulous catkins from three to six 

 inches in length. In its native country it attains a 

 height of fifty feet. Like the preceding species it is 

 yet to be tested here in regard to its hardiness. 



The many species of Ehamnus in cultivation are gen- 

 erally not of great value as ornamental fruiting shrubs, 

 since the berrj-like fruits are usually dull black, though 

 they are freely produced and of some effect in contrast 

 with the green foliage or on the bare branches in winter. 

 The species, however, which belong to the Frangula- 

 group are handsomer, as the fruits turn red before they 

 assume their final dark color and like Rhamnus Fran- 

 gula look rather pretty for a short time, while the 

 branches are studded with red and black fruits at the 

 same time. Particularly handsome is in this respect the 

 recently introduced Bhamnus crenata from Japan as the 

 red color of the fruits lasts longer and is brighter than 

 Ln the other species. It is an unarmed upright shrub 

 with ovate-oblong finely serrate leaves from two to four 

 inches long: the fruits which are preceded by insignifi- 

 cant greenish-white flowers appear in axillary short- 

 stalked clusters along the branches and assume in 

 August a bright red color changing later to purplish 

 black. In many books and catalogues it is given as 

 being in cultivation for a long time, but the 

 shrub met with sometimes in gardens under 

 the name of Rh. crenata is usually Rh. dalmrica 

 which differs very much in its spiny brandies, in the 

 fruits changing from green immediately to black, the 

 narrower glossy leaves and the scaly winter buds, while 

 Rh. crenata like Rh. Frangula has naked winter buds. 

 Rhamnus crenata has proved perfectly hardy at the 

 Arboretum. 



MULGEDIUM BOURGAEI 



This composite, a native of the Caucasus, possesses 

 grand foliage, and a flowershaft of 70 cm. in height and 

 1(5 cm. in diameter; and the seed was collected by Dr. 

 Levier during his journey in that region, and sent to 

 M. Correvon at Geneva. The doctor informed M. C.. 

 Sprenger, nurseryman of Naples, that the plant grows; 

 in limestone soil containing a layer of vegetable matter, 

 at the margins of woodlands near Muri and Lentichi, 

 and reaches a height of 9 feet, and the plant is of high 

 decorative value. There exists a form named integri- 

 folium now in bloom with a gentleman in Florence. 

 M. Bourgffii is in flower during the months of June and 

 July. 



LADY GARDENERS 



At the present time Switzerland has two horticultural 

 schools, both in Niederlenz, whilst in Germany there 

 have been established quite a dozen. The most of the 

 "marriageable" ones search for and find their livelihood 

 in small institutions, and estate gardens. Notwith- 

 standing the fact that for thirty years the reclamation 

 drum has been thumped vigorously, nothing as yet has 

 been heard or observed at exhibitions of the actual ef- 

 forts of our charming colleagues. Why is this ? Surely 

 because of the coyness of the male gardeners. These 

 should, as soon as may be, conduct the pretty Paradise 

 gardeners home and carry on housekeeping, changing 

 about from the garden and the greenhouse, into the 

 kitchen, and when it so far goes into the nursery. 

 Then the journejTnan and the serving maid question is 

 solved at one and the same time ; and the man has only 

 then to care that he keeps the grip in his own hand. 



THE "ENGLISCHEK" PELARGONIUM IN GERMANY 



The "show" or "Englischer" Pelargonium probably 

 so called because of its introduction from England to 

 Germany has, for a great number of years found favor 

 in the latter country amongst all sorts of people, where- 

 as in England its cultivation has waned greatly, and 

 but few cultivators have the large collections of varie- 

 ties that were once common in gardens of any preten- 

 sions. The original "show" varieties are supposed to 

 have been derived from P. hortulorum, a Cape of Good 

 Hope species introduced to Europe by Masson in 1794. 

 Normally this species is white flowered, loose in habit, 

 and having a long slender tube to the calyx, and long 

 stalks to its deeply lobed leaves. Another progenitor 

 of the "show" varieties appears to have been enculatum 

 introduced to British gardens by the Earl of Portland in 

 1690. In the fancy or small flowered show pelargoni- 

 ums, the first of the race was P. Willoughbyanum, 

 which was bred from the ordinary varieties of the period 

 —about 1835. 



The German varieties of these show pelargoniums 

 have been in recent years greatly improved in a variety 

 of ways by Herr Carl Faiss, nurseryman at Feuerbach, 

 Herr Eeubronner, and Herr Burger; and in compact- 



