306 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



Canadian Poplar. In our own land, if one crosses the hills of Kent 

 or the bare downs of Wiltshire and then descends into a wet hollow 

 he may see the White Poplar growing some 80 feet high. The Black- 

 Poplar and its varieties give us stately trees, and some day they 

 may be found as useful here as they are in France. Among the 

 Poplars that have come of late years the Black Cottonwood, which 

 grows very freely here, is the finest. Our only really native Poplar, 

 the Aspen, comes freely of itself in many places. The Lombardy 

 Poplar is ofted badly placed on hilly and poor ground. To get its 

 highest beauty it should be grown in moist valleys or by the sides 

 of rivers. 



Oaks. Among the Oaks by far the best of the Americans is the 

 Red Oak (Q. rubra}. It is quite free here, handsome in leaf and 

 form, and does well under various conditions. Another fine tree is 

 the Pin Oak (Q. palustris). In marshy, wet hollows in woodland it is 

 free and stately. In the south, at least, our native Oak (Q. pedun- 

 culatd] is often happy on the waterside. The best Oaks in England 

 as to quality, not size, are those on the cool side of the hills between 

 Tunbridge Wells and Horsharn, and they grow in ground that is 

 often wet. The Evergreen Oak, a precious tree for the sea-shore 

 lands, no matter how wet or storm - tossed, may have a place 

 here. 



Birches. Seeing how well our native Birches grow in wet soils, 

 there should be Birches of other lands that do well too, as, for 

 example, Lyall's Birch, the Grey Birch (Betula populifolia), and the 

 River Birch (B. nigra). Seeds of these are in trade, and where 

 people fear the cost of plants it might be worth their while to scatter 

 seed about. I have done this with the Yellow Birch. 



Alders. The common Alder is everywhere by stream or pond, 

 but few enjoy the other kinds. The Grey Alder (Alnus incand} y 

 the Seaside Alder (A. maritimd], and the American Alder (A. 

 oregana} are worth planting. The varieties of our native Alder are 

 worth a place, growing as freely as the wild kind. 



Liquidambar. This, one of the loveliest of the North American 

 trees, is not usually classed as a marsh-lover, but it grows freely in 

 my cool soil. To do it full justice it should be in moist and also 

 rather deep soil in valleys and by rivers. It is hardy and splendid 

 in autumn colour, and there is no difficulty in getting a stock of it. 

 Usually planted in the specimen way, the best way is in groups, as 

 seeds and young plants are plentiful. 



Tupelo tree (Nyssa). This, the most brilliant of the North 

 American trees, happy in our country, is as fine in colour as in its own 

 land, but it is not easy to get a good supply of it in our nurseries. I 

 have never succeeded in getting other than very feeble and useless 



