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HORTICULTURE 



May 10, 1919 



TREES AND SHRUBS THAT FLOWER EARLY 



Notes on Their Behavior in the Arnold Arboretum This Season. 



In the first bulletin issued by the 

 Arnold Arboretum this spring, the 

 statement is made that vegetation 

 was not unusually advanced in spite 

 of the mild weather in February and 

 March. 



On April 2nd the temperature fell 

 to 23 degrees Fahrenheit. This ruined 

 the flowers of the north China Peach 

 ( Primus Davidiana) which were just 

 opening and those of the earliest of 

 the Azaleas (Rhododendron dahuri- 

 cum) whose rose-colored corollas were 

 just emerging from the buds. On the 

 nights of the 24th and the 25th the 

 thermometer registered as low as 24 

 degrees. This ruined the flowers of 

 the early blooming Magnolias, but the 

 flowers of the Forsythias, Cherries, 

 Plums and Apricots show no signs of 

 injury. Freezing weather in April is 

 not unusual in New England and its 

 effect on the flowers of different plants 

 can well be studied by persons who 

 have in mind the planting of spring 

 gardens. 



To Save the Early Magnolias. 



The flowers of Magnolia stellata, M. 

 denudata (better known as M. cons- 

 picua), M. kobus and its variety 

 borealis, which open in April, are too 

 often ruined by frost. To prevent this 

 it is desirable to plant these trees and 

 shrubs on the north side of other 

 trees, and especially of evergreen 

 trees, where the flowers may be ex- 

 pected to open seven or eight days 

 later than on plants fully exposed to 

 the sun. The hybrid Chinese Magnolias 

 with pink or rose-colored flowers all 

 bloom later than the white-flowered 

 species and their flowers are rarely 

 injured by cold although the unfold- 

 ing petals of some of these hybrids 

 were badly discolored by the cold of 

 the past week. These hybrids there- 

 fore, although their flowers are less 

 beautiful than those of the species, are 

 better garden plants in this climate. 

 The best known of these hybrids is 

 called M. Soulangeana, of which there 

 are several varieties differing in the 

 greater or less amount of pink or rose- 

 color in the petals. 



The Cornelian Cherry. 



The Cornelian Cherry (Cornua Mas) 

 is a plant for which the frosts of 

 April have no terrors. The small, 

 bright yellow flowers arranged in 

 many-flowered clusters open late in 

 March or in early April and remain in 

 good condition for three or four weeks. 

 There is no record here of their in- 



jury by frost. This is a shapely shrub 

 or small tree of excellent habit; the 

 leaves are bright green and the scar- 

 let or rarely yellow fruit, which ripens 

 late in summer, is cherry-like in ap- 

 pearance. The Cornelian Cherry is a 

 native of eastern Europe and western 

 Asia, and has been grown in the Old 

 World gardens for three centuries. 

 There is no better early flowering 

 shrub for our northern gardens in 

 which, although it was brought to 

 America certainly more than a hun- 

 dred years ago, it is still too little 

 seen. 



The Earliest Pear. 



The earliest pear to flower, Pyrus 

 ussuriensis, has been in bloom for 

 more than a week and the flowers are 

 untouched by frost. This is probably 

 the largest of all pear-trees as speci- 

 mens occasionally occur in Korea 



AN APPEAL AND A PROMISE. 

 After an absence of more than 

 two years it takes time to pick up 

 the threads anew, to readjust one- 

 self to the machinery of life here. 

 Today, Sunday, I have had oppor- 

 tunity to look over some back num- 

 bers of Horth ri.Ti-RE and in that 

 of April 5th last, have read the last 

 message from our lamented friend, 

 the talented William J. Stewart— 

 "Remember Me for Old Time's 

 Sake— Adieu." One by one the old- 

 er generation of horticulturists 

 pass on. Their work here is done; 

 their precept and example . remain 

 as a legacy to us. It is our duty, 

 ours, the present generation, to 

 shoulder the burden and manfully 

 bear a part in the great work of 

 furthering the interests of horticul- 

 ture in all its branches, in doing 

 our part to increase the knowledge 

 and love of flowers, thereby adding 

 to the -sum total of human happi- 

 ness. The founder and first editor 

 has gone from us — Horticulture 

 remains. Of a surety those who 

 now control its destiny need never 

 hesitate to call on the services of 

 all who were proud to be considered 

 the friends of the late William J. 

 Stewart. In a practical way, by 

 doing something to help along the 



work to which he devoted the last 

 fifteen years of his life, his friends 

 can best remember him. 



E. H. Wilson, 

 Arnold Arboretum. 



sixty feet or more tall, with trunks 14 

 feet in circumference. The flowers 

 are not as large as those of some of 

 the other Chinese pear-trees, and the 

 fruit is small and of no value. This 

 tree, however, is exciting much inter- 

 est among American pomologjsts who 

 believe they have found in it a blight 

 resisting stock on which to graft gar- 

 den pears. 



Early Cherries. 



The cherries of Eastern Asia have 

 never been more thickly covered with 

 flowers. The delicate petals of the flow- 

 ers of these trees and shrubs seem 

 able to bear without injury the coldest 

 April weather Massachusetts has 

 known for many years. 



The earliest cherry to bloom in the 

 Arboretum this spring was Prunus 

 concinna, a small tree discovered by 

 Wilson on the mountains of central 

 China. In the Arboretum it first flow- 

 ered when less than three feet high; 

 it is perfectly hardy, and although the 

 flowers, which are white with a wine- 

 colored calyx, are less beautiful than 

 those of several other Asiatic cherries 

 it does not seem possible for any 

 plant of its size to produce a more 

 abundant crop. There has always 

 been misunderstanding about this 

 plant in gardens as it was distributed 

 by a London firm of nurserymen as 

 Prunus subhirtella. 



A Valuable Cherry. 



Prunus tomentosa, a native of north- 

 ern and western China begins to open 

 its flowers only a day or two later 

 than P. concinna. It is a shrub only 

 five or six feet high, and when fully 

 grown in abundant space for the 

 spread of its branches often broader 

 than tall. The flowers open from 

 pink buds as the leaves begin to un- 

 fold, and the bright red stalks and 

 calyx make a handsome contrast with 

 the white petals which are often 

 blotched toward the base with rose 

 color. The small fruit ripens in June 

 and is scarlet covered with short 

 hairs, and is sweet and of good flavor. 

 This shrub is attracting the attention 

 of pomologists, living in the dry cold 

 interior region of the continent where 

 it is hardy and where it produces fruit 

 of considerable comestible value. A 

 form discovered in western China by 

 Wilson (var. endotricha) is now estab- 

 lished in the Arboretum where it 

 blooms rather later than the northern 

 plant. The fruit of this variety is des- 

 titute or nearly destitute of hairs. 



