180 



GARDENERS' CHROMCLE 



Ornamental Flowering Trees 



ARBORUM AMATOR 



{Continued ) 

 THE SMALLER FLOWERING TREES 



Catalpa Kacinpfcri: This species of Latalpa is from 

 Japan. It is quite distinct from the larger 

 Catalpas, spcciosa and bignonioidcs. Kacinpfcri 

 makes an upright growth, and attains a height 

 of only 30 feet. This species begins to flower 

 when quite young producing in July panicles of cam- 

 panulate, yellowish white blooms, which are followed 

 by long slender seed pods. The foliage of this 

 Catalpa dilTers from that of the large growing species 

 in that it has a light purplish hue when young, and 

 carries this tint throughout the season. Its upright 

 growth makes it suitable for planting where a tree 

 of spreading habit could not be well used. 



Tea's Hybrid Catalpa: This is the smallest of all the 

 Catalpas. Its leaves have the purplish tint of Kccinp- 

 feri, but its flowers are larger and more abundant. 

 They are also spotted with yellow and violet and are 

 fragrant. This hybrid of bignonioidcs and Kacmp- 

 feri is an admirable little tree for any situation where 

 only a small tree can be used. 



J-lowering Cherries: The flowering therries when in 

 bloom make a beautiful display. There are several 

 species and varieties, namely, the Japanese double 

 pink, the old Chinese double white, the weeping form 

 rosea pcndula, and Japonica Vcitchii. The Japanese 

 is known as Sieboldi rnbra plena, the Chinese as 

 Sinensis, and the other two as named previously. 

 Rosea pcndula is. when in foliage only, a beautiful 

 weeping tree, and wlien in flower, surpassingly pretty. 

 Its pink buds appear in very eary Spring and when 

 open make the tree look like a cloud of snow. The 

 double flowers of Sinensis also are pink when in bud, 

 l)ut white when fully expanded. Sieboldi also bears 

 double flowers which are red not only when in bud, 

 init after they are expanded and until they are about 

 to fall. Sieboldi is, we think, the finest of all the 

 double flowering Cherries. Veitcliii strongly re- 

 sembles Sieboldi. We should also mention the species, 

 aviom, which is simply a double form of the garden 

 Cherry of the Ox-heart section. Its double flowers 

 come in ])airs, while those- of Sieboldi, Sinensis and 

 Vcitchii come in tufts of a dozen or more on each 

 cluster. The foliage of Sieboldi in Autumn changes 

 to a beautiful yellowish bronze color. The flowering 

 Cherries belong to the genus Prnnus pscudo-cerasus. 



Flowering Crab Apples: The flowering crab apples 

 may be divided into those with double and those with 

 single blooms, both being desirable. Of the double 

 varieties, Pyrus nialus ioensis tiorc plcno, BechteFs 

 Crab is, perhaps, the most beautiful. Its very double 

 fragrant flowers are of a soft "Daybreak pink" color, 

 and larger than those of other varieties, resembling- 

 small roses. The tree is of pyramidal shape. In plant- 

 ing it should not be crowded in among other trees. 

 Pyrus mains Scheideckeri is another very desirable 

 double variety, whose blooms are of a bright rose 

 color. There is also a pretty double white variety, 

 namely, Spcctabilis albo Hore plena. Of the single 

 varieties the best are the very sw^eet scented Pyrus 

 nialus coronaria and Pyrus malus florcbunda, both 

 bearing light pink flowers, and Parkinani. whose 

 flowers are pink in bud but white when expanded, and 

 whose beauty is enhanced by its dark green foliage. 



The flowering Crabs, though reaching sometimes a 

 height of 20 feet, all begin to flower when only very 

 small trees. 



Double Flo-u'cring Peaches: Of the ornamental 

 flowering fruit trees, which are grown for their pretty 

 flowers, and not for fruit, we have already spoken of 

 the Crab apples, and cherries. There are three vari- 

 eties of double flowering peaches, namely, those 

 bearing double white, double pink, and double red 

 flowers. Each one of these is desirable but when the 

 three varieties are planted in combination they form 

 an admirable group. These trees should be planted, 

 the same as the varieties of peaches grown for fruit, 

 in the Spring, not in the Autumn. This plan of group- 

 ing these flowering peaches may be enlarged and a 

 group made to include with these the flowering Crabs 

 and Cherries. Such groups exist in this country and 

 in the flowering season are indeed a beautiful sight. 



Magnolias: The flowers of most of the Magnolias 

 are among the largest, showiest and most beautiful 

 of the blooms of any of the ornamental flowering 

 trees, and those of some species have an exquisitely 

 sweet fragrance. Longfellow speaking of this fra- 

 grance savs : "Faint was the air with the odorous breath 

 of Magnolia blossoms." The foliage also in many 

 species is very large and handsome, and in some 

 species evergreen in the warmer parts of our country. 

 This makes Magnolias even when not in bloom notable 

 at once among other trees. The fruit too of many 

 Magnolias is large, bright colored and showy. The 

 several species vary in height from only a few feet 

 to one hundred or more. It is safe to transplant many 

 trees in either Spring or Autumn, but Magnolias 

 should be transplanted only in the Spring. We will 

 speak in this article only of the smaller Magnolias. 



AI.-\GXOLi.\ Gl.\uc.\: Magnolia glattca (Sweet or 

 Swamp or White Bay, as it is variously called) is a 

 small, attractive tree. It is indigenous from Massachu- 

 setts to Florida near the coast extending in the southwest 

 to Texas. In the south it is evergreen. Its very 

 fragrant white flowers are globose in form and ap- 

 pear in May or June, and are followed by pink fruit. 

 This pronounced fragrance of its flowers has given it 

 another common name, namely, "The Sweet Mag- 

 nolia." This species has a beautiful foliage, bright 

 green above and glaucous green on the underside. The 

 round, pink, or light red fruit pods form a pleasing 

 contrast to the green foliage. When these pods open, 

 and the seeds, each suspended b^- a light thread, droop 

 from them, the tree is indeed an interesting sight. 

 Glauca sometimes produces a few flowers out of sea- 

 son. This species flowers when small ; but in time it 

 attains a height of 20 to 25 feet. 



M.\r,()i,i.\ SofL.\XGE.\x.\ : Magnolia. Soulangcana 

 ( Soulange's Magnolia) is perhaps the most popular of all 

 the small kinds. Its flowers, campanulate in form, 

 are purplish outside, but white within, and often 

 fragrant, and appear in May after Stellata has finished 

 blooming and before Glauea blooms. By planting 

 four species of the smaller Magnolias, namely, 5"/^/- 

 /(;/(7. Soulangcana. Glauca and Thoinpsoniana. we 

 mav have a succession of blooms of these small Mag- 

 nolias from late March well into July. Sometimes 

 when an old Soulangcana is cut back severely in Spring 

 or when it suft'ers from a drought in its usual blooming 



