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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



(OF AMERICA) 

 Devoted to the Science of Floriculture and Horticulture 



Vol. XXIV DECEMBER, 1920 



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No. 12 I 



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Things and Thoughts of the Garden 



MONTAGUE FREE 



NEW YORK 



30TAN1CAU 



A I this season of the year many of us are concerned 

 with the problem of providing Winter overcoats for 

 plants that may be expected to suffer from the 

 rigors of Winter if left unprotected. Regardless of the 

 latitude and climate in which gardening operations are 

 carried out there seems always to be a tendency for gar- 

 deners to attempt to grow out-of-doors plants which are 

 on the border line of hardiness and which need consider- 

 able coddling in order to carry them over the Winter. 

 Whether this is a laudable desire on the part of garden 

 lovers is a moot point. 



The most potent argument for growing nothing but 

 truly hardy stock is on the score of the appearance of the 

 garden in Winter, although this will not hold good where 

 the garden is frankly designed and used as a Summer 

 place only. 



It is, of course, jxissible to protect many plants without 

 rendering the garden too unsightly, if the right kind of 

 material is available, and happy should be the gardener 

 who has at his disposal an adequate supply of fir or pine 

 branches to cover and protect Rhododendrons and choice 

 Conifers. But in a garden that is intended for all the year 

 round use, those trees and shrubs that need protection 

 should be taboo, or relegated to a spot where the sight of 

 them will not interfere with one's enjoyment of the rest of 

 the garden. For there is so much of beauty and interest, 

 even in the depth of Winter, that can be enjoyed by those 

 having a seeing eye that it is a sad mistake to clutter up 

 the garden with semi-hardy plants that have to be swathed 

 in unsightly coverings. At this time one can appreciate 

 more fully the beauty and strength of the framework of 

 the deciduous trees and admire the diverse ways in which 

 their branches are disposed in order to secure the maxi- 

 mum amount of light and air for the leaves that they sup- 

 port. It will be noticed that those trees which produce 

 large leaves, such as the Kentucky Coffee Tree and 

 Paulownia. to mention two of a widely diverse type, have 

 strong stocky twigs sparingly produced and spaced far 

 enough apart to support the leaves without overcrowding. 

 On the other hand, in the small leaved trees, such as 

 Elm. Willow, ;incl I'irch, the branchlets arc small and 

 slender, much more numerous and well adapted to their 

 purpose of displaying myriads of small leaves. 



During the Winter one can more thoroughly enjoy the 

 beauty of the feathery tracery of the branches and twigs 

 of such trees as the Elm, especially when they are seen 

 silhouetted against the late afternoon sky. One can enjoy 

 the spectacle presented by the slender, flexible branches of 

 the Ilabylonian Willow as they are whipped by \\'inler 



.•?91 



gales and the graceful beauty of the white Birch, most 

 appropriately named "The Lady of the Woods." 



Their form is not alone in arresting our attention as 

 there is the style of branching, many details of the 

 structure of buds, and coloring of bark and twigs, that 

 call for notice. 



Most of the trees can be distinguished one from the 

 other by their habit of growth and it is most interesting 

 and profitable to become proficient in determining the dif- 

 ferent species by this means. The Lombardy Poplar, 

 vyith its numerous aspiring branchlets, simulates a gigan- 

 tic besom, differing from the sturdy, rugged white oak. 

 the symmetrical Linden and compact, stiff-twigged 

 Horse-chestnut, as widely as these differ from each oUier. 

 The most pronounced bark coloring is to be found 

 amongst the Birches, but these are not the only trees that 

 exhibit striking coloration. There is the Striped Maple, 

 with green bark handsomely striated with white ; the 

 Tree of Heaven, curiously mottled with light and dark 

 gray, in more or less regular patterns; the White 

 .Mulberry, with cinnamon brown bark; the Sycamore, 

 grotescjuely marked with leprous splotches; and the 

 Beech, with its smooth blue-gray bole. 



If one were asked to name the most striking of the trees 

 in their Winter garb, what would, be the answer? If the 

 evergreens are excluded the first choice of many would 

 undoubtedly be the Beech, with its massive trunk, well 

 proportioned branches and graceful slender twigs. The 

 coloring of the bark in this noble tree is also noteworthy 

 and produces almost indescribable effect when manv are 

 seen growing together in a pure stand. The .Sycamore. 

 Plane, or Buttonball. is also arresting, espcciallv when 

 I)lentifully adorned with its dangling ball-like fruits. The 

 bark of this tree often affords us an approximate indica- 

 tion of the points of the compass, as there is usually much 

 more flaking of the bark from the south side. The 

 .\mcrican Elm provides a note in the Winter landscape 

 at once strong and graceful. .As is well known this 

 beautiful tree occurs in many different forms. Those of 

 the so-called "Vase" shape, in which the trunk divides 

 into several massive branches which swerve outwards in 

 bold curves, are perhaps the most beautiful of them all. 



Although it is scarcely possible to find two Ginkgo 

 trees that resemble each other closely, yet their style of 

 branching is so distinctive that in spite of great variety 

 in outline, the greatest tyro experiences no difficulty in 

 at once recognizing them without close inspection. Their 

 habit is unique, possessed by no other tree. Young trees 

 usually have an uncouth appearance, owing to the erratic 



