124 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



FLOWERING EVERGREEN SHRUBS 



""PHElxK is no need to point out to a practical yardener 

 the importance of evergreens in the garden scheme. 

 There is, indeed, a regrettable tendency in some quarters 

 to use them in unsuitable places. There was a time — 

 not so very long ago — when it was considered proi:)er to 

 clothe the table legs. This attitude we very properly 

 deride, yet, even today, one often sees the butts of fine 

 forest trees obscured by meaningless evergreen planting. 

 Such planting effectively destroys the balance and grace 

 which, with the appearance of strength and solidity, con- 

 stitute the charm of a well grown tree. 



The value of evergreen shrubs admitted, there seems 

 no reason why a much greater proportion of those used 

 should not be flowering shrubs than is at present the case. 

 There are very few positions where the fact that a shrub 

 at some period of the year bears attractive flowers (or 

 handsome fruits) is a disadvantage. 



Yew and Holl_\', each in its particular way, are, of 

 course, admirable hedge plants. The)- also have decora- 

 tive values as trees. Laurel has none of these advantages. 

 It is an unsatisfactor}- permanent hedge and, as usually 

 seen, cumbers ground which might be occupied by more 

 beautiful as well as more interesting shrubs. 



If a substitute be sought with something of the .same 

 leaf character, there is a multitude of hybrid Rhodo- 

 dendrons to choose from, to say nothing of the ever- 

 swelling legion of large-leaved species. The so-called 

 .■\merican AN'ood-Laurel, Kalmia latifolia, is also charming 

 when in flower and valuable as flowering when the bulk 

 of Rhododendrons are over, though the Rhododendron 

 season, with new introductions, grows steadily longer. 

 On soils with an appreciable lime content these Rhodo- 

 dendrons will not grow, but large-leaved flowering ever- 

 greens are still to be found, ^^'e have the so-called Straw- 

 berry Trees, for example. Arbutus L'nedo and its varieties, 



A. Andrachne and the hybrid between the two species, A. 

 hybrida, none of which objects to lime. Cistus laurifolius 

 is also worthy of mention, since it forms a good solid 

 background when out of flower though, of course, its 

 leaves resemble the Laurel only in shape — not in size. It 

 is a most attractive shrub when in flower. 



The same may be said of the large-leaved Escallonias 

 which, on well drained soils, are much more handy than 

 many jjeople suppose. The two hardiest large-leaved 

 species are E. macrantha and rubra. Of these two E. 

 rubra is usually considered the hardier, but, in the writer's 

 opinion, this is'e.xceedingly doubtful. E. punctata is hand- 

 somer than E. rubra, but scarcely so hardy, yet it is an 

 invaluable species for the southern edge of woodland, or 

 for sheltered sites generally, in any of the coldest districts. 



Then we have the broad-leaved Barberries which to 

 most of us are still " Mahonia." There is the old favorite 

 Oregon Grai>e itself, Mahonia aquifolium, invaluable for 

 underplanting. Then there is Bcrberis jai)onica and its 

 several varieties (including the one generally listed as 



B. Bealei>, B. nepalensis and B. nervosa. 



There are several useful evergreen Cotoneasters which, 

 if of small value as Howering shruljs. arc admirable when 

 in fruit. These include C. Erancheti, i)annosa, buxifolia, 

 salicifolia (and varieties), and turbinata. Of prostrate 

 sorts C. microphvlla and Dammeri are reliable and beauti- 

 ful fruiting shrubs. Ail the Pyracanthas are also de- 

 lightful fruiting evergreens. 



Of evergreen Ceanothuses the only one likely to suc- 

 ceed in tjie open inland without considerable prr)tection is 

 Ceanothus thyrsiflorus, the so-called California Lilac, 

 which in time reaches the stature of a small tree. The 

 flower trusses, which are of fair size, are pale blue. The 

 variety griseus is almost as hardy. It has much larger 

 foliage, is a quicker grower and the blossoms are i>ale 



lilac. Alddcratel}' hardy, too, is C. Lobbianus, now con- 

 sidered to be a natural hybrid between C. thyrsiflorus 

 and C. cientatus. This is a bright blue-flowered kind, 

 often seen in gardens as C. dentatus. This muddled 

 nomenclature leads to much confusion as to the hardiness 

 of various families of ])lants which are not, in general, 

 entirely hardy. 



The Mexican Orange, Choisya ternata, is unquestion- 

 ably far hardier than most people consider it. Given 

 shelter from wind-frost it will withstand very low tem- 

 peratures unharmed. Its beauty none will deny. The 

 l\ai)hiolepis has the same highly glazed foliage as the 

 Choisya, but in general appearance these shrubs remind 

 one more of the Escallonias than anything else. The two 

 hardiest species are R. japonica and Delacouri, the former 

 with white and the latter with pink flowers. 



That beautiful and fragrant relative of the Mock 

 Orange, Carpentaria califdrnica, requires a wall in most 

 districts, though it makes a beautiful shrub in the o])en on 

 our western seaboard.s. It flowers about niid-.^ummer, a 

 time when shrub-flowers are welcome. The same way, with 

 equal truth, be said of Garrya elliptica, though it certainly 

 resembles the Carpentaria not at all. The handsome cat- 

 kins in this case are at their best in the depth of \\'inter. 



Rosemai-y and Lavender once used to be in every gar- 

 den. Alas ! they are so no longer, yet both are admirable 

 evergreen (or rather evergrey!) shrubs, and the latter is 

 really beautiful, as well as fragrant, when in flower. 

 There is now much variety obtainable in Lavenders, the 

 true Lavender, Lavandula vera being obtainable in pale 

 and dark forms, as well as in forms of varying degrees 

 of compactness. 



There are, of course, many beautiful American plants 

 still unmentioned, notably those of the Andromeda clan — 

 such as Pieris japonica and P. floribunda and Leucothoe 

 Catesbasi, besides the Heaths. Tall varieties of the latter 

 which are very eft'ective include Erica australis and E. 

 arborea (and variety alpina), lusitanica, mcditcrranea, 

 Veit'chii and strictn. — The Garden. 



STIMULATING PLANT GROWTH WITH CAR- 

 BON DIOXIDE 



{Continued jroin pai^e 121) 



ofl" at 6 to the sewer. Here the gas is partiallv purified. 



To still further clean it, the gas passes through pipe 3 

 to the second and last scrubber. Here a solution of 

 soda (NajCOj) is used in place of the water in scrubber 

 number one. This liquid is not lost, it collects at C, 

 passes through pipe 7 into tank E. ■•'roin this ]>oint it is 

 ]niniped at E to the to]) of the scrulibcr at 2, from whence 

 it is s]>rayed over the coke again. 



The gas, coming from the top of the second scrubber, 

 is now clean and pure, and is carried to the ventilators or 

 ])um]D D. from which it is distributed through ]>i]>es to the 

 greenhouse. This pump also serves the purpose of bring- 

 ing fresh air into the boiler, its action being somewhat 

 similar to that of a forced draft. 



The pipes which distriiiute the carbon dioxide gas in 

 the greenhouse, p;iss about one foot above the jilants, and 

 are provided with tiny holes about a foot ajiart. The 

 jjrocess of gassing is considered com]>lete when 2 or 3 per 

 cent of carlxin dioxide has been provided which, of course, 

 gradually dissipates. Larger quantities of gas are in- 

 jurious, therefore ventilation must be carefully watched to 

 avoid the effects of an overdose. The results obtained 

 with this patent process justify the remark tliat this 

 method of growing plants f|uickly and comparatively in- 

 exjx^nsively will ultimately become universal where the 

 most progressive growing methods are practised. 



