80 



HORTICULTURE 



July 26, 1919 



RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS OF 

 A ROVING GARDENER 



Perhaps there is no time of year in 

 which the conifers are more attractive 

 than just now. It is a great pleasure 

 to visit a good collection and revel in 

 the wondrous beauty of the conifers, 

 as their brilliant color shades from 

 light to dark in the various species. 

 After a walk through the Arnold Ar- 

 boretum the other day I decided that 

 no handsomer plant was to be found 

 there than a specimen of Pseudolarix 

 near the Walnut street entrance. The 

 Chinese golden larch has a free open 

 habit, and graceful feathery foliage 

 that gives it a most distinct and pleas- 

 ing appearance. It is perfectly hardy 

 in Boston and probably in parts of 

 New England further north. As a 

 subject for lawn and park planting it 

 cannot be surpassed. In the fall the 

 pea green leaves take on clear yellow- 

 tints, for this is a deciduous tree and 

 drops its leaves like the true larches. 



The largest tree of the kind in New 

 England is to be found on the Hunne- 

 well estate at Wellesley, Mass. This 



tree has ripened seeds for many years 

 and the plants in the Arnold Arbor- 

 etum were raised from these seeds. 

 This Chinese tree certainly deserves 

 very much wider recognition than it 

 has yet been given. For one thing it 

 seems immune to the attacks of in- 

 sect pests. At least the particular 

 kind of pest, if there is any, which 

 preys upon it has not yet turned up. 



One lesson which has been empha- 

 sized by conditions in the pinetum is 

 the fact that larches and spruces must 

 not be planted in close proximity. The 

 spruce is a natural host for the insect 

 which is making the larches look as 

 though they had been scorched by a 

 forest fire. This is a very serious mat- 

 ter, and probably will result in the 

 making of a new planting of larches in 

 a different part of the Arboretum 

 grounds. 



Another oriental introduction which 

 must share honors with the pseudo- 

 larix is the Japanese yew, Taxus cus- 

 pidata. Professor Sargent has been 



reported as saying that this is the 

 finest plant which Japan has con- 

 tributed to the gardens of New Eng- 

 land. Very likely some such state- 

 ment was made, for Professor Sargent 

 greatly admires this yew. There are 

 several excellent specimens in eastern 

 gardens, some of the finest perhaps 

 being found on the Bayard Thayer es- 

 tate at Lancaster, Mass. The speci- 

 men illustrated was made on the 

 Thayer place, and is about thirteen 

 feet high and twelve feet through. It 

 was moved to its present location by 

 Superintendent William Anderson 

 about eight years ago. The Japanese 

 yew was introduced into this country 

 many years ago by the Parsons Nur- 

 series at Flushing, L. I. Two forms 

 are found in frequent cultivation. One 

 spreads from the bottom while the 

 other spreads at the top, often pro- 

 ducing a very interesting and vase-like 

 effect. This yew is adapted to many 

 purposes. Its habit of growth is such 

 that it can be used safely in a formal 

 garden; yet it makes an excellent 

 hedge and doesn't look out of place on 

 grounds of limited size. It is com- 

 monly raised from buddings as when 

 seeds are sown the resulting plants 

 usually show a distinct leader and are 

 likely to grow into small trees. 



GOOD specimen or TAXIS CUSPIDATA. 

 At the Bayard Thayer Place, Lancaster, Mass. 



