SS4 



TAXODIUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



forked stems, which rise a few inches from 

 the surface. The bright yellow flowers 

 have a good effect on the silvery foil. 

 Similar in height and effect is T. argcnf- 

 etim, which makes a shrubby mass of 

 silver rosettes and golden flowers. Divi- 

 sion. 



'SA.'K.O'DlUM.i^Summer-leaJifig Cypress). 

 — T. disticJium is a beautiful and 

 stately tree, attaining in its own country, 

 Eastern America, Delaware to Florida, a 

 maximum height of 1 50 ft. In our country 

 it is of proved hardiness and excellence, 

 though neglected since the advent of 

 Californian and other half hardy conifers. 



*^'^ 



Taxodiura distichum. 



.\ native of swampy places, it is best 

 planted in like situations in our country. 

 From the roots of old trees in such situa- 

 tions curious excrescences arise in the 

 shape of great growing knobs sometimes 

 3 or 4 ft. high and a foot through. A 

 tree of such beauty and distinction should 

 be grouped and massed wherever water 

 enters into the home landscape, the fresh 

 green of the leaves being a welcome gain. 

 There is a pendulous form, but any other 

 so-called varieties are better left alone. 

 When planting, care should be taken to 

 secure healthy young plants from seed 

 only. 



TAXUS {Common Yew). — This, one of 

 the most beautiful of evergreen trees, has 

 long been used in our flower-gardens, 

 clipped and distorted in what is called 

 " topiary " work. Evelyn is said to have 

 introduced the practice with the Yew, but 

 probably it originated with very old gar- 

 dens, in which the Yew tree stood by the 

 door or gate and had to be clipped if it 

 was not to overshadow the house or gar- 

 den. In such a case clipping was neces- 

 sary, but in modern gardens clipping of a 

 less profitable kind is often resorted to, 

 so that the Yew is seldom seen in its 

 stately grace. As a hedge its use in 

 gardens is frequent and often good, but 

 its misuse is evident in many of the great 



gardens of the world, such as Versailles, 

 where nothing is more ugly than the 

 Yews cut hard against the sky-line, many 

 of them distorted, diseased, and ugly from 

 constant clipping for years. Their effect 

 at Versailles is bad, either against the 

 palace, the landscape, or the trees around. 

 .Although intimately connected with the 

 garden, the Yew, being a gross feeder, 

 should be kept as far as possible from 

 the flower borders ; indeed, in many cases 

 hedges are used where walls would be 

 better, for at least these do not rob the 

 good soil near. It is more as shelter, 

 and as a fine evergreen tree for distant 

 groups, that the Yew is precious. As a 

 shelter-belt there is perhaps no other tree 

 so good in all stages of its life, being 

 seldom injured, even when old, by wind 

 and snow — as many evergreens are. A 

 precious shelter from the north and east 

 may be created round the choice garden 

 in this way, but such lines should never 

 be formed without good reason, and the 

 trees should be allowed to grow naturally 

 and not planted too thick. Delightful 

 shaded bowers may be formed under old 

 Yew trees, and alcoves and arches for 

 seats under clipped Yews. 



The Golden and variegated Yews form 

 striking groups of colour, but are better 

 held together in bold picturesque groups 

 than dotted at regular intervals — a prac- 

 tice fatal to artistic effect. The Irish Yew, 

 a plant of striking form, has been over- 

 used by those who do not consider the 

 effect of things on the landscape. I have 

 seen houses with Irish Yews in all direc- 

 tions, destroying the good effect of other 

 and far more beautiful trees, and the 

 variety that should exist in every English 

 garden. The variegated and other forms 

 often come true from seed, but of these 

 not one is half so precious as the wild or 

 common Yew. The following is from a 

 classification by the late Mr. William 

 Paul :— 



Varieties of Spreading Habit. — 

 T. baccaia, common Yew. T. b. fructu- 

 liifeo (yellow-berried Yew) is one of the 

 most elegant ; the fruit yellow instead of 

 red ; growth vigorous. T. b. nigra is a 

 striking plant of bold upright growth ; 

 leaves bluish-green. It is effective in the 

 landscape, forming a somewhat sombre, 

 but massive tree. T. b. prociii)ibe7is forms 

 a spreading bush with bright green leaves, 

 the plant having a reddish tint. 



Varieties of Erect Habit. — T. b. 

 fastigiata (Irish Yew) is a plant of rigid 

 growth, columnar in form ; leaves dark 

 green. Seeds of this variety produce for 

 the most part the common Yew, but some 



