918 



Gardening for Amateurs 



40 to 60 feet high, but for gardens its double- 

 flowered variety, flore pleno, is to be pre- 

 ferred. The flowers appear from short, 

 spur-like growths from all parts of the 

 branches and are borne with such freedom 

 as almost to hide the branches. P. serrulata 

 is a handsome Japanese kind, best known by 

 reason of its double-flowered varieties. A 

 form with double white flowers is very beauti- 

 ful, but the finest kinds are those with pink 

 and reddish blooms. Watereri is one of the 

 best pink kinds, James H. Veitch the best 

 red, and flore luteo pleno bears yellowish 

 blooms. The flowers of these varieties often 

 measure 2 inches in diameter. Prunus acida, 

 quite a miniature European tree, flowers 

 about the same time. It and its varieties 

 dumosa, humilis, Marasea and umbraculifera 

 all bear single white flowers and are excellent 

 for small gardens. The variety semper- 

 florens has the peculiarity of producing its 

 flowers in loose racemes from the points of 

 short axillary growths during June and 

 sometimes later. 



Bird Cherry. About the middle of 

 May Prunus Padus (the Bird Cherry) opens 

 its racemes of pure white flowers. It is a 

 British tree, grows 20 to 35 feet high, and 

 blooms freely. The varieties flore pleno and 

 Alberta are preferable to the type for garden 

 planting. The former has long racemes of 

 semi-double flowers and the latter bears 

 dense racemes of blossoms with extraordinary 

 freedom. Prunus Mahaleb is another very 

 free-flowering tree, but is surpassed in beauty 

 by its pendulous variety. Both have white 

 flowers. 



Grab Apple. Pyrus spectabilis flore 

 pleno is one of the best of the Crab Apples. 

 Growing to the size of an ordinary apple 

 tree, it blossoms with great freedom, the 

 flowers being pink and 1| to 2 inches across. 

 P. baccata (the Siberian Crab) is another 

 showy tree, the flowers in this case are white, 

 flushed with rose. P. floribunda is an allied 

 species as also is P. Ringo. P. halliana is a 

 very bright coloured kind, while P. neid- 

 wetzkyana is an Apple-like tree from the 

 Caucasus with flowers of a peculiar shade of 

 red, a colour which is found in the wood, 

 bark, fruits and roots also. P. Scheideckeri 

 is a double -flowered kind, a hybrid between 

 P. prunifolia and P. floribunda. It forms a 



small bushy tree and blossoms freely. 

 Amongst the Pears it is possible that none 

 is more showy than our common Pyrus 

 communis, although P. sinensis, P. salici- 

 folia, P. auricularis and P. am^gdaliformis 

 are worth growing. 



White Beam Tree (Pyrus Aria) is 

 another British tree of considerable beauty. 

 It grows from 12 to 45 feet high, and bears 

 large flattened heads of flowers in May. P. 

 pinnatifida and P. rotundifolia are allied 

 species. These trees thrive well in towns. 

 P. vestita is an Indian tree which belongs 

 to the same group. Its silvery leaves, 

 white flowers and red fruits are its chief 

 attractions. 



Mountain Ash. P. Aucuparia (the 

 Rowan or Mountain Ash) is desirable as a 

 flowering tree and also as an ornamental 

 fruiting tree. It has many varieties, and 

 an allied kind is found in P. americana. 



Horse Chestnut. The Horse Chestnut, 

 Aesculus Hippocastanum, is the finest of 

 all large flowering trees. Suitable alike for 

 isolated specimens, groups and avenues, it 

 is widely planted, and well developed trees 

 are wonderfully ornamental. There is a 

 variety with double flowers. The Horse 

 Chestnut is not, however, a suitable tree for 

 planting in smoky towns. Aesculus carnea, 

 the Red Horse Chestnut, is another excellent 

 tree, and as it does not grow so large as the 

 ordinary Horse Chestnut, it is more suitable 

 for small gardens. When out of flower it 

 may be distinguished by its dark-coloured 

 leaves, being made up of five leaflets, or two 

 less than the white-flowered tree. A variety 

 of this, named Briotii, is an improvement on 

 the type, the flowers being a richer shade of 

 red. Aesculus flava is another attractive 

 tree. It is a native of North America, and 

 bears yellow flowers. 



In southern gardens an ornamental tree 

 may be noted in flower towards the end of 

 the month in Paulownia imperialis. This 

 is a native of Japan and bears terminal 

 corymbs of large purple flowers. The tree 

 is tender and unsuitable for general cul- 

 tivation. 



Flowering Thorn. The various kinds 

 of Crataegus, or flowering Thorns as they 

 are popularly called, are amongst the most 

 popular of all trees for small gardens and 



