THE MINNESOTA 



HORTICULTURIST. 



VOL. 35. NOVEMBER, 1907. No. 11. 



GROWING HARDY ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS 



E. M. SHERMAN, CHARLES CITY, IOWA. 



The growing of hardy trees and shrubs is a subject in which 

 I am deeply interested, and I want to say right here that we must 

 look to our native trees and shrubs for the things which are to 

 do us the most good. We as nurserymen and horticulturists 

 search the world for things of beauty and usefulness to orna- 

 ment and improve our homes, and many times we neglect in our 

 own back yards things that are more valuable. 



Now. taking the native ornamental trees, we have a long list 

 that possess great value. Among our deciduous trees we have 

 the linden, or basswood. It is a tree that to me is of great in- 

 terest. When planted alone it makes a strong, upright tree with 

 very dense foliage. The leaf stalks are of different color from the 

 ■leaves, and the flowers and fruit it bears are very interesting. 

 The tree when in bloom is a thing that is a delight to the whole 

 neighborhood. 



Our white elm, much more generally planted, I think can 

 hardly be surpassed as a street tree ; the red elm is seldom plant- 

 ed, and the cork bark, or rock, elm still less frequently, but 

 I think both of these trees are worthy of attention. In some 

 cases they exceed in value the white elm. The red elm is 

 larger in foliage, and the bud is quite distinct. The cork bark 

 elm grows with a round top, and the foliage is very dense. 



In some sections of the state the shellbark hickory grows 

 very well, and where it does thrive I think it is a most beautiful 

 tree. The opening of the buds on the shellbark hickory is 

 something which once seen will never be forgotten. The buds 

 are very large, and the bud scales when they break open have 

 the efifect of a large flower. In most cases they are yellow, a 

 yellowish brown shaded with green, but their color is variable, 

 and we frequently find them in shades of rose and red. It is 

 something which should be more widely planted, but it will only 

 stand in the southeastern part of your state. 



