Gardening for Amateurs 



917 



Berberis stenophylla transplant badly after 

 they have attained 5 or 6 feet in height, 

 unless special precautions are taken, and as 

 a rule better results are obtained with quite 

 small plants. Trees and shrubs have, of 

 course, a better chance of success if planted 

 at the proper time, but this matter is referred 

 to elsewhere. 



Keeping the ground clear about the roots 

 of trees and shrubs assists their growth, 

 while there is as much need to keep the sur- 

 face of a shrubbery stirred with the hoe as 

 there is in the case of beds in a kitchen or 

 flower garden. 



Overcrowding of trees and shrubs, whether 

 on lawns or in shrubberies, is to be avoided, 

 and in those instances where dense planting 

 has been encouraged for the sake of im- 

 mediate effect, care must be taken to thin 

 the plants out subsequently, otherwise instead 

 of obtaining well-developed specimens the 

 great majority will be badly furnished with 

 branches. 



The trees here mentioned are given as far 

 as possible in their order of flowering, com- 

 mencing with early spring. Except where 

 otherwise stated, they may be regarded as 

 being suitable for general cultivation. 



FLOWERING IN FEBRUARY, MARCH 

 AND APRIL 



The Almond (Primus Amygdalus) 



usually blooms in the neighbourhood of 

 London about the end of March and the 

 early part of April ; further north the flowers 

 open a week or two later. It is, however, 

 better suited to southern than to northern 

 gardens. Forming a tree 18 to 35 feet high, 

 it flowers with remarkable freedom, the rose- 

 coloured flowers being much admired. A 

 variety named persicoides blossoms a fort- 

 night in advance of the type. An allied 

 tree, the Chinese Prunus davidiana, often 

 flowers in February ; there are varieties 

 with pink and white flowers, both of which 

 are very beautiful. 



Cherry Plum. Towards the end of 

 March the white-flowered P. cerasifera (the 

 Myrobalan, or Cherry Plum) is covered with 

 blossom. It is a small tree, 15 to 20 feet 

 high, with a wide-spreading head. P. sub- 

 hirtella is a very pretty pale pink-flowering 

 tree, which blooms during early April. Its 



small stature fits it well for small gardens. 

 An allied tree with weeping branches is 

 found in P. pendula (the Rosebud Cherry), 

 also a native of Japan. This blossoms about 

 the same time. 



Double -flowered Peach. The 

 middle of April finds the double-flowered 

 Peaches in full bloom. These are remark- 

 ably handsome trees for the midland and 

 southern counties, and wonderfully fine 

 displays are made by the various crimson, 

 pink, rose and white kinds. A good selection 

 consists of camelliaeflora, red ; dianthiflora 

 pleno, red ; flore albo pleno, white ; flore 

 roseo pleno, rose ; flore rubro pleno, red ; 

 magnifica, crimson ; Clara Meyer, rose. 

 As little pruning as possible should be given 

 to the various Prunus. 



Italian Maple. Although not often used 

 as a flowering tree, Acer opulifolium (the 

 Italian Maple) is very attractive when 

 covered with its yellow flowers in April. It 

 grows 25 to 40 feet high and forms a large, 

 rounded head. The red-flowered A. rubrum 

 is also attractive when in bloom. 



Catkin-bearing trees such as Poplar, 

 Willow and Alder are showy during these 

 months, but they are rarely used as flower- 

 ing trees. About the end of April we have 

 a handsome small tree or large bush in Pyrus 

 floribunda, a free-flowering Japanese crab 

 with rose-coloured blooms ; the variety 

 atrosanguinea has darker coloured flowers 

 and is preferred to the type by some people. 



Magnolia. Magnolia conspicua and M. 

 soulangeana are excellent free-flowering trees 

 for the southern counties. They bear hand- 

 some, tubular, fragrant blossoms during 

 April. The former has white flowers and is 

 a native of China ; the latter is a hybrid 

 between M. conspicua and a bushy, purple- 

 flowered kind, M. obovata. They are met 

 with between 12 and 30 feet in height. (For 

 further particulars see " Flowering Shrubs.") 



FLOWERING IN MAY 

 Flowering Cherry. A number of the 

 showiest trees blossom during this month. 

 In the early days of May we have a wonderful 

 display of Prunus and Pyrus. Of the former 

 the Cherries are the most conspicuous. 

 Prunus Avium, the common Cherry of our 

 woodlands, is, in itself, a very showy tree, 



