664 



PYRUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



QUERCUS. 



P. M. niedwet~kyana, known as the 

 Red Apple. Not only are the flowers 

 a deeper red than in any other kind, 

 but the fruits, the bark of the twigs, 

 and even the leaves, when coming 

 and dying away, all carry deep shades 

 of crimson and purple. The N. Ameri- 

 can Sweet-Scented Crab Apple (P. M. 

 coronaria) is a lovely little tree with 

 large pink deliriously scented flowers. 

 There are other ornamental Apples 

 in the section Malus, but the fore- 

 going include the finest. 



Of the one or two Pears that may 

 be planted for ornament one is P. 

 Bollwylleriana, from C. Europe, which 

 produces in spring an abundance 

 of small white blooms in clusters ; and 

 another is P. salicifolia (the Willow- 

 leaved Pear), which is well worthy of 

 planting on account of its distinct and 

 beautiful foliage, has leaves of silvery 

 whiteness. P. ol&agnifolia, or Oleaster- 

 leaved Pear, is another Eastern species 

 with hoary leaves. 



Of the Sorbus section the common 

 Mountain Ash (P. Aucuparia) is a 

 familiar example, but it is too common 

 to need description. There is a kind 

 with yellow berries, another kind with 

 weeping branches, and a third of 

 erect growth. The last is not very 

 ornamental, as the variegation is 

 seldom distinct. Other species worthy 

 of attention are P. S. americana, 

 the American Mountain Ash, which is a 

 good deal like our own Mountain Ash ; 

 and P. S. hybrida, a tree of very dis- 

 tinct growth, with a dense pyramidal 

 head, and leaves intermediate between 

 those of P. S. Aucuparia and "P. Aria 

 (the White Beam). The true Service 

 Tree, P. S. domestica, used to be more 

 frequently planted than now. It is a 

 handsome tree with elegant foliage. 

 Of the White Beam (P. Aria] there are 

 some very handsome kinds. Like 

 the Mountain Ash, it is also one of 

 the best trees for planting in exposed 

 places on poor soil, and no tree thrives 

 so well on chalk. Its broad silvery 

 foliage makes it show in the landscape, 

 and it is a valuable park tree. Its 

 allies and varieties include some beauti- 

 ful trees, such as latifolia, with leaves 

 Which are broader than the type and 

 quite as silvery. Hosti is a good 

 tree, both in foliage and flower. 

 Its leaves are large and silvery, 

 and its delicate rose-pink flowers are in 

 broad flat clusters. It is a Central 

 European tree, perfectly hardy, and 

 about 10 feet high. The Himalayan 

 Beam Tree, P. vestita is extremely 



fine, but is not hardy everywhere. Its 

 very large leaves are like those of the 

 Loquat, and are of silvery whiteness. 

 Where it thrives it is 20 to 30 feet 

 high. 



PYXIDANTHERA (Pine Barren 

 Beauty}. P. barbulata is a curious little 

 American evergreen shrub, smaller than 

 many Mosses, flowering in May, rose- 

 coloured in bud, white when open, the 

 effect of the rosy buds and the white 

 flowers on the dense dwarf cushions 

 being singularly pretty : it is plentiful 

 in the sandy dry " Pine barrens " be- 

 tween New Jersey and North Carolina, 

 and often found on little mounds in low 

 but not wet places. It is a charming 

 plant for the rock garden, planted in 

 pure sand and leaf-mould, and fully 

 exposed to the sun. Increase by care- 

 ful division of old plants, or seeds sown 

 in a cold frame as soon as ripe. 



QUAMOCLIT. Q. coccinea is a pretty 

 Convolvulus - like plant, with many 

 small scarlet flowers and slender stems 

 of rapid growth, attaining a height of 

 6 to 8 feet in a few weeks. It may be 

 treated either as a half-hardy annual, 

 and sown in February or March under 

 glass or in a hot-bed, but it requires a 

 warmer climate than ours to do well. 

 Q. hedercefolia is another pretty species. 

 It has scarlet flowers and lobed foliage, 

 and requires the same treatment. 

 Both are excellent plants for sheltered 

 trellises, as they give abundance of 

 flowers from July to September. 



QUERCUS (Oak}. Noble evergreen 

 and summer-leafing trees of northern 

 and temperate regions, of whose beauty 

 and value books can give but a feeble 

 impression. If we think of our own 

 stately Oak and its variety of form in 

 different situations, even within the 

 narrow area of our storm-tossed isle, 

 we may perhaps get some idea of the 

 value of the several hundred known 

 species of Oak. The evergreen Oaks, 

 though of vast importance in more 

 temperate countries (I have passed 

 through millions of acres of evergreen 

 Oak in N. Africa alone), are of less 

 value in our cold climate, but we have 

 one precious kind in the Ilex, and 

 other kinds may be grown in the mild 

 parts to a limited extent, especially 

 in seashore districts where evergreen 

 shelter is welcome. 



From the point of view of effect, the 

 most noble of the summer-leafing Oaks 

 are the American Oaks, with their fine 



