April IC, 1868. ) 



JOOBNAL OF HORTIOOLTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



289 



TREES FOR SINGLE SPECIMEN IN EXPOSED 

 PLACES. 



LTHOUGH general lists of shrubs and trees, 

 as well as of other plants, are plentiful enougli, 

 yet selections available for special purposes 

 are by no means so frequently given as they 

 ought to be. True there is a long array 

 of ornamental shrubs and trees, and hardy 

 cUmbers are numerous enough, and not al- 

 ways easy to select fi-oin, but there is one 

 class of trees aud slirubs not over-numerous 

 — namely, those well adapted to withstand 

 the storms incidental to a liigh and exposed situation, or to 

 stand out singly as individual objects, and such of them as 

 we have are not always of the description we want. 



If shelter or appearance be the aim of the planter, it is 

 better at once to choose something likely to insure the 

 desired result, however common the plant may be, than to 

 employ an exotic, but improper plant, that is thouglit to be 

 rare and choice, with the certainty of seeing it drag on a 

 wretched existence. 



Could we but be led to think it, our own country pos- 

 sesses trees of extraordinary beauty and utUity, our blufi's 

 and hcacjlands being, perhaps, as well clothed naturally as 

 those of any other, and in these cases Nature selects the 

 best and most suitable for each of her works. The .Vlder 

 and Sallow occupy the marsh, the sides of brooks, and 

 similar places, but are not often met with on the crests of 

 hills 3110 or 400 feet above the level of the adjoining coun- 

 try. On such elevations a class of plants especially adapted 

 to high grounds is met with, and some of them are of 

 especial beauty and merit. As it is often desirable to plant 

 a solitary tree in such a position, the class best suited for 

 that piu-pose deserves to have special consideration. 



Assuming, therefore, that it is advisable to plant only a 

 very small number of trees in such a situation, or it may 

 be_ only single specunens at particular places, the list 

 suitable for the purpose is a very limited one, and the 

 trees constituting it will most conveniently be dealt with 

 separately in the remarks which I purjiose ofiering. 



Yew. — This unquestionably stands first for the purposes 

 referred to, not only from its great hardiness and its with- 

 standing all the storms to wliich our island is subject, but 

 also on account of its beauty and the associations connected 

 with the tree. Yew trees frowning over chalk clifl's or 

 precipitous rocks form a most important feature in the 

 landscape of many districts, and the period for which the 

 tree has done duty may often be computed by centuries. 

 Its sturdy limbs seem to bid defiance to the violence of 

 any gale, and, what is equally important, the growth on 

 the wmdward side is scarcely less than that on the sheltered 

 one. A slight inclination in one tUrection may be given to 

 the steni or bole, if the tree has one : but even this is not 

 always in the direction of the wind, and the Yew stands 

 out boldly to tlie blast, presenting that unchanging appear- 

 ance wliich possibly may have had mucli to do with secur- 

 ing it a place in our churchyards, where so many noble 

 specimens of it exist. The Yew is also more accommo- 

 dating than most trees, for, although it is often met with 

 No. 368.- Vol. XIV., New Series, 



in the most exposed positions, it is also not unfroquently 

 seen luxuriating beneath the shade of other trees, where 

 many plants would fail to live, and still exhibiting that 

 sombre dark green appearance wliich is peculiarly its own. 

 It is, however, mostly where it stands out in bold relief to 

 the landscape that this fine tree appears in all its glory ; 

 its wide-spread limbs tliickly clothed mth a foliage whichr 

 braves aU weathers, and the strength and elasticity of its 

 timber setting at defiance, or nearly so, all the vicissi- 

 tudes of our climate. Even to time the Yew only jaelds 

 after everything else has done so, it being about our 

 longest-lived tree. Possibly when our collectors have 

 exhausted both hemispheres of their arboreal treasures we 

 shall then discover that we have some of the noblest o£ 

 Natui-e's productions at home; for the Yew, the Scotclr 

 Fir, and the Beech, the Oak, and several other deciduous 

 trees, together with the Holly as an evergreen, are not 

 easily excelled. 



The Yew will grow in most situations, but it delights in 

 a dry stony soil, tliough it wUl make greater progress for a 

 time in rich garden soil. It has also the good quality of 

 transplanting well, if it has been transplanted before ; but 

 plants from seed self-sown in a shady wood, if 3 or 4 feet 

 high, do badly when at once removed to an exposed place, 

 and, indeed, are apt to die. Those, however, which have 

 been inured to transplantation are but little aii'ected by the 

 operation. Staking, which is generally needed by newly- 

 planted trees, is but rarely requu-ed by the Yew, and 

 whether planted singly or "in a group it may with perfect; 

 safety be placed to the wmdward of almost everytliing else 

 with a fair prospect of its doing well. AVhen planted in 

 situations to which cattle have access, means must be takeit 

 to prevent theu- approaching it, as it is highly poisonous 

 to them. Rabbits seem to be endowed with a greater per- 

 ception of what is good for them than larger annuals, foe 

 they do not meddle much with poisonous plants, but where 

 they are numerous the Yew does not escape ; at least, small 

 plants suffer ; but ilief are not so fond of this tree as of 

 many others. In most cases, however, where this plant 

 exists near a gateway leading to some pastiu-e field it 13 

 advisable to make sure of that gate being always shut, or. 

 by some slight protection to keep cattle and horses fronr 

 partaking of it. 



The Yew is of easy culture, and adapts itself weU toi 

 most situations, except where the ground is either a stiff 

 clay or very moist, but it grows best in the soils and situa- 

 tions where it is usually found wild. 



Oak.— Like the Yew, this noble tree succeeds in th« 

 dense forest as well as when growing singly in an expose* 

 position, but if the elevation is very considerable the tree 

 in this case is more stunted in its growth than when other- 

 wise situated. Planted singly in a favourable spot its 

 powers of resistmg the elements are very remarkable, and 

 the country can boast of many fine old Oaks standing m. 

 such a position, and evidently capable of enduring foe 

 many years yet. I remember seeing in a hedgerow^ iK 

 Buckinghamshire an Oak that was very nearly 28 leet 

 in cu-cumference at about :! feet from the groimd, and that 

 I appeared likely to last for a century or more without 



No. 1020.-VOL. XXXIX., Ou) Series. 



