For April, 1920 



139 



Ornamental Flowering Trees 



ARBORUM AMATOR 



It is a common practice both on estates of consider- 

 able acreage and on home grounds of limited area to 

 select for planting the several kinds of deciduous and 

 evergreen shade trees, often to the almost entire ex- 

 clusion of those trees which belong to the ornamental 

 flowering class. It is now recognized by many land- 

 scape gardeners that ornamental flowering trees 

 should be in the majority on grounds of small area, 

 and on large estates should be planted very freely in 

 combination with the large deciduous and evergreen 

 trees. 



The distinctly ornamental flowering trees embrace 

 a wide range of size, form, and color of flower. Their 

 period of bloom too extends from earliest Spring till 

 late Summer. 



For practical consideration these trees may be di- 

 vided into three classes, small trees which attain to a 

 height of from about fifteen to thirty feet, medium, 

 from about thirty-five to fifty, and large, from about 

 sixty to one hundred or more. 



In this issue and in our next also we will speak of 

 the small ornamental flowering trees, and in subse- 

 quent issues of flowering trees of medium size, and 

 in still later issues of those of large size. 



The smaller flowering trees are suitable for plant- 

 ing on grounds of quite limited area, either as indi- 

 vidual specimens on lawns, or amid low growing 

 shrubs, or along the boundary line. These make up 

 with their wealth of pretty blooms what they may 

 lack in shade giving quality. 



Flozvering Dogwood. The flowering dogwood {Cor- 

 ntts Horida) is one of our hardiest and most beautiful 

 native trees ; it has spreading branches and usually 

 grows to a height of 15 to 20 feet, but sometimes, 

 though rarely, 30 to 40 feet. This species produces in 

 May, before it puts on its foliage, in the greatest pro- 

 fusion its sessile clusters of small, greenish-yellow 

 flowers, surroimded with a very showy white or pink 

 involucre composed of four large bracts. This in- 

 volucre is the conspicuously beautiful feature of this 

 species and is commonly considered the flower itself. 

 The flowers are followed by bunches of red berries in 

 Autumn. The color of the foliage in Autumn is char- 

 acterized by extremely beautiful and delicate hues. 

 There is no better all-season medium sized ornamen- 

 tal flowering tree than the dogwood. This tree may 

 be planted anywhere, in the sunshine, or in shady 

 places ; it harmonizes with everything, and fits in well 

 everywhere, among the shrubbery, amid the pines and 

 cedars, in the foreground of the large shade trees, 

 in the hedge rows, and on the lawn. There is a red 

 variety, rubra, which is exceedingly desirable and 

 should be planted as freely as the white species, florida. 

 Resides these two, there is a third species of more 

 recent introduction known as Japanese Dogwood 

 (Cornus Koiisa). a beautiful small tree, the bracts of 

 whose involucre are more pointed than those of florida. 

 This species flowers when in full leaf and remains in 

 bloom a long time in May and June. Furthermore in 

 .Autumn this species is well covered with globular 

 Strawberry-like edible fruit. 



Varnish Tree. The Varnish Tree {Koelrcuteria 

 paniculata) is a native of Japan. It is one of the few 

 trees which flowers in the Summer, blooming in Wash- 

 ington, D. C, in carlv Tunc ^nd in New England in 



early July and producing panicles a fool long of beauti- 

 ful yellow flowers which are succeeded by large blad- 

 der-like seed pods at first light brown but changing 

 later to olive brown. In Autumn its glossy, pinnately 

 divided foliage assumes beautiful shades of color. This 

 tree is hardy as far North as Massachusetts, and may 

 be planted safely in the West where other trees would 

 succumb to drought and hot winds. It makes a very 

 irregular growth, hardly ever having a straight 

 body, but this very habit of growth makes the 

 Koelrcuteria desirable as it relieves the monotony of a 

 collection of trees all with straight trunks. Its form 

 is rounded rather than tall which displays its flowers 

 more advantageously. This tree transplants easily. 

 It attains a height of 15 to 30 feet. 



Styrax. There are five species of the Styra.v, two 

 of which grow in tree form reaching sometimes a 

 height of 30 feet. They are natives of Japan and 

 China. The two tree species are Obasia and Japonica. 

 Their foliage resembles somewhat that of the Dog- 

 wood. The fragrant white flowers of Obassia are 

 produced in May in racemes about 6 in. long, and 

 those of Japonica in June and July. These two Sty- 

 raxes, when kept in strictly tree form are suitable for 

 planting as single specimens or in the foreground of 

 larger trees. They are hardy as far North as Massa- 

 chusetts. 



Silver Bell. The Silver Bell also called Snowdrop 

 tree (Halcsia tctraptcra), a pretty little tree native 

 from Virginia Southward, but quite hardy as far 

 North as Philadelphia and even as far as New York 

 City, has a somewhat rounded head, but a rather ir- 

 regular habit of growth. In May its flowers, resem- 

 bling those of the snowdrop, hang gracefully from its 

 spreading branches, amid its dark foliage. This tree 

 flowers when quite small. Its proper place is on the 

 lawn, or among shrubbery, or in the extreme fore- 

 ground of larger trees. It sometimes reaches a height 

 of 30 feet. The Silver Bell can also be grown in shrub 

 form, in fact it has a decided tendency to grow that 

 way, but can by proper pruning when young be grown 

 with a single bole and in tree shape. Pruning should 

 be done directly after the flowering period. There is 

 another species, namely, diptcra, a native from the 

 Carolinas and Southward, but nearly as hardy as 

 tctraptcra. There are .Silver Bell trees 50 years old 

 growing in Pennsylvania and as far North as Eliza- 

 beth, N. J., and Darien, Conn. 



Wistaria Tree. The Wistaria Tree {Pterostyra.v 

 corymbosa). closely related to the Styrax, is a native 

 of Japan. It is barely hardy as far North as Massa- 

 chusetts even in well sheltered positions. In June its 

 graceful dropping panicles of fragrant, white flowers 

 appear in great profusion and are similar in general 

 appearance to those of the Dcutcia. This tree has a 

 spreading habit of growth and a rounded outline and 

 attains a height of 15 to 20 feet, but begins to flower 

 when very small, and it is, when in flower, surpass- 

 ingly beautiful. 



(1 olden Chain Tree. The Golden Chain Tree (Cytisus 

 laburnum or Laburnum vnlgare) is a native of Southern 

 luiropc. In early .'^uiumer, when its drooping racemes 

 of yellow Wistaria-like flowers appear amid its shining 

 green, pinnately divided leaves, this tree is indeed a 

 beautiful sight. There are several other varieties and 



