Gardening for Amateurs 



921 



Deciduous (LeaMosing) Trees 



THIS group naturally includes all trees 

 which lose their leaves in autumn, but 

 the few deciduous conifers are dealt 

 with in the chapter on " Conifers." As a rule 

 such trees may be transplanted safely any 

 time between the beginning of October and 

 the middle of March, but it is usually ad- 

 visable to plant early rather than late. 

 The following are large -growing woodland 

 and park trees. 



Acer Pseudo-platanus (Sycamore) is 

 an accommodating tree, for, originally intro- 

 duced from Central Europe and Western 

 Asia, it has naturalised itself in this country 

 and readily reproduces itself under many 

 diverse conditions. Mature trees may be 

 between 40 and 70 feet in height, with 

 trunks 2 to 4 feet in diameter. There 

 are several useful varieties, of which 

 atropurpureum, with purple leaves ; flavo- 

 margmatum, the Corstorphine Plane of 

 Scottish gardens, which is recognised by 

 its golden-variegated foliage ; Nizeti, with 

 golden and purple variegation ; Prinz Hand- 

 jery, with golden leaves ; and purpureum, are 

 some of the best. A. campestre (the Common 

 Maple) is at home in coppice or plantation, 

 while for decorative planting, rubrum, dasy- 

 carpum, macrophyllum, insigne, pennsyl- 

 vanicum. platanoides and Van Volxemii may 

 all be requisitioned. A word or two may be 

 allowed in favour of Acers macrophyllum 

 and pennsylvanicum, for the former is 

 remarkable for its large leaves, inflorescences 

 and showy fruit, whilst the latter is con- 

 spicuous by reason of its silver-lined bark. 



Ailantus glandulosa (Tree of Heaven) 

 is a native of China. It grows into a large, 

 shapely tree with long pinnate leaves, and 

 forms a good isolated specimen. 



Alnus glutinosa (Common Alder), with 

 A. oregona, incana, firma and orientalis, are 

 suitable trees for planting on wet ground, 

 although they are not decorative enough for 

 general garden use. 



Betula alba (Common Birch) is another 

 pleasing tree for the woodland. This species 

 is divided into two sub-species, pubescens 

 and verrucosa, the former having hairy and 



the latter warty branches. The principal 

 characteristics of Betula alba are its silvery 

 bark and light, graceful branches. Of its 

 many varieties, those with pendulous 

 branches are most beautiful. B. alba, pen- 

 dula and pendula Youngii should be selected 

 for garden planting. Other useful Birches 

 for garden, park or woodland are the North 

 American Paper Birch (papyrifera), nigra, 

 lenta and Maximowiczii. The latter is a 

 particularly handsome tree from Japan, 

 with greyish bark and large oval leaves. 



Carpinus Betulus (Hornbeam) grows to 

 a good size where the ground is moderately 

 heavy. Attaining a height of 40 or 50 feet, 

 it is considered well developed if the trunk 

 is 2 feet in diameter. The greyish, netted, 

 but smooth bark is a well-known character, 

 whilst its dense round head of branches ia 

 distinct from other trees. It possesses several 

 well-marked varieties, of which asplenifolia, 

 with prettily-cut leaves ; pendula, with 

 weeping branches ; and pyramidalis, with 

 upright habit, are the most distinct. 



Carya alba (Shell-Bark Hickory), of 

 North America, represents another decora- 

 tive and interesting group of trees closely 

 allied to the Walnuts. The leaves are large 

 and pinnate, and usually turn to a bright 

 yellow shade previous to falling in autumn. 

 There are several other species, notably 

 amara, olivaeformis, porcina, sulcata and 

 tomentosa. They form highly ornamental 

 trees when planted in well-drained, deep, 

 loamy soil in the warmer parts of the country, 

 but are unsuitable for cold parts. 



Gastanea sativa (Sweet Chestnut) 

 grows well in the open or in dense woodland, 

 and forms a very large tree, although its 

 habit is rather too stiff to be beautiful. A 

 peculiarity of the deeply furrowed bark is 

 that it often assumes a spiral character. It 

 is a native of Southern Europe, Northern 

 Africa and the Orient, and is thought to 

 have been introduced to this country by the 

 Romans. There are many named varieties, 

 but they call for no special notice. 



Corylus Colurna (Constantinople 

 Hazel) grows 30 to 50 feet high, with a 



