iS 



IKISII (.\ARDEN1NG, 



IK I! R LAKY 



ofu-n inat-k-. Ilio Ircol ot all iIk- v■I•;^^^ is Tmiis 

 lloribuiuhi ; il is also ono oi iIk- Ixst i.k'>L'is. ami 

 its liabit ol i^rowtl) is poil'cit. iVof. i^iaLclul. 

 J4cnll\ poiuliilous, the ioiii^" sk-iukr biaiulKs 

 bfint;- simply smotlK-ivd witli lloutis. TIk' 

 two Japanosc crabs, Pviiis Riiii^o aiul V. 

 lorinyfo, arc lioth i;\hhI, aiu! llicro arc sc\cral 

 \aiictics ol these, ol which P. Rinj^o p>ia- 

 miclalis is one o\ the Ih-sI. It lias ;i prolusion 

 ol v.lecp pink iKnxcrs. Pv rus SchciJcckei i and 

 1'. neid/w ct/Uyana must also be menl ioneJ. 

 Hot!) these species, unlike any o\ I he olhers. 

 (lower on spurs. 0\ the cheiries. the Japanese 

 species aie the most \aluable; the so-calleJ 

 W'ateier's C'herry, Prunus pseutlo cerasus. witii 

 its multitude of larj^e semi-double (.lelicale pink- 

 coloured llowors, is known lo all and \ahied i^ix 

 all. Seen ai;ainst a dark backs^round on a 

 brii^ht May day a well-i^iown specimen is an 

 object ol beaut\ which can hardh' be exai^^er- 

 aled. I'runus senulata, the iloulMe Chinese 

 cherr}-, j^enerall} known in Continental lists as 

 r. Sieboldii, is almost as i.;ood, but llie lloweis 

 are smaller and rather less ^racelul ; the\ aie 

 while to pale pink in colour. Oi the common 

 cherry, 1\ cerasus, there are se\eral nice \ arie- 

 ties ; r. cerasus dumosa is a beautiful du art" lni>h. 

 densely covered with good white How ers. V. C. 

 Rhexii Ik pk, also known as P. L". ranunculi- 

 ilora, is a fine ornamental plant w ith double pure 

 w hite llowers. There is also a g^ood double form 

 of the "g-ean." Of the plums, the double 

 blackthorn, Prunus spinosa flore pleno, is about 

 the best May flowerer ; and of the pcacli group, 

 the almond, Prunus triloba, single and double, 

 and the many beautiful double forms o\' th^. 

 peach, all add to our list o\' .May llowering 

 shrubs. 



It is difficult to arrange shrubs in order oi 

 merit, and 1 am making- no attempt to do so. 

 but a place of honour must be found for the 

 •' brooms " of May. Oi' the very dwarf species, 

 suitable for rockworks, the two best ha\e been 

 sent out from Kew, Cytisus Kewensis and C. 

 Beanii. C Kewensis is a cross between C 

 Ardoini and C. albus. It is most floriferous, the 

 llowers being- pale canary yellow. C. Beanii is 

 rather more dense in habit, and the flowers are 

 brigrht golden yellow. It is a cross between C. 

 Ardoini and C. biflorus. Quite a group open 

 early in May, and continue in full beautv rig-ht 

 through the month. Besides the two mentioned, 

 we have C. prtecox, C. albus, C. purg-ans, C. 



Ardoini, L'. billorus and the species which 

 lescini-'le il. C. hirsutus ami C. hirsutissinuis, 

 and the connniMi broom, (.'. scoparius. with the 

 l>eautiful Normandy broom, C'. s. .\ndreanus. 

 0\ these larger grow ing brooms, C pnecox and 

 C". billorus, the one a hxbriil oi garden iirigin, 

 the other Iroin h^islein lunoju', are the fust to 

 llower. rhe\ are \ er) dilferenl in habil. C". 

 pra'cox has all the slender grace o\C . alba, and 

 C. billorus is a slill bush. These brooms slunild 

 be planted in groiijis lor bold elVect. A giH>d 

 gioup ov a single old sp(.>eimen oi C'. albus 

 alwa\s excites at-hniral ion. C'xtisns purgans 

 is not so much gi'own, but il is well worth 

 allention. 



Perhaps no llowering shrubs aie better know n 

 in ordinar\ I^nglish gai'i-lens, and none are more 

 appreciated, than the lilacs. They con-inience 

 llowering about the niitklle ol .May, anil last well 

 into June. They i'lilly illustrate the changes and 

 advances which are taking jilace in garden 

 plants. Some lliirt) to forty years ago there 

 were about hall'-a-do/en well-know n old \arieties 

 those known as red, \iolel, purple, blue, and 

 white, ami llie double lornis. Now we ha\e 

 hall-a-clo/en do/en named xarieties ol g'reat 

 nieiit. The double white .Mad. Casimir Periere, 

 for instance, and the large single white alba 

 granditlora, persica, and japonica illustrate this 

 point. Growers should be particular when 

 purchasing- lilacs to get a g"uarantee that the} 

 are on their own roots. 



More striking than the lilacs, and not so 

 generally seen in g'-ardens, are the magnolias. 

 The deciduous species and varieties of magnolia 

 from China and Japan would probably be greater 

 favourites if they were not so liable to injury 

 from spring frost and hail. The petals are thick 

 and tlesh}-, and easil}- broken and damaged. 

 One night's frost in end oi' .April or early May 

 will ruin all the flowers open. .A delightful 

 little species, .VI. stellata, also known as M. 

 Halleana, is the first to open. It is followed 

 later on by AT conspicua, M. oboxata, and the 

 hybrids of these, of w-hich Norberti, .Soidangeana, 

 and superba are the best. 



It is hardly necessary to dilate to British 

 readers on the merits of the hawthorns, so 

 well know n and appreciated b_\- all. The many 

 varieties are not so generally known as they 

 deserve to be. The single scarlet, double scarlet, 

 double pink, double white, the upright form, 

 and the weeping \ariet\- are all worth any 



