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THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



October, 1907 



The Best Twelve Flowering Trees 



THE ideal flowering tree should have: (i) large individual flowers, or large clusters, or a great profusion of medium-sized flowers; 

 (2) conspicuously colored flowers; (3) flowers borne well above a good background of its own foliage; (4) and should bloom every 

 year — not at long intervals. The tulip tree is ruled out of this class although it has large flowers, because they are not brilliant and are 

 hidden under the foliage. To this list should be added the following, which cannot be safely planted in the fall: Magnolia, flowering 

 almond, early flowering peach (Prunus Davidiana) and Japanese cherries. Flowering trees should not be planted near the street or 

 where people will be tempted to break off branches. Those that bloom before the leaves should have an evergreen background. 



COMMON NAME 



Bechtel's crab 



Laburnum 



English hawthorn 



Horse chestnut 



Empress tree 



Fringe tree 



Yellow wood 



Catalpa 



Locust (False acacia) 

 Japan pagoda tree. . 



STANDARD NAME 



PyrusIoensis,var. fl.pl 



Laburnum vulgare 



Crataegus Oxyacantha 



JEsculus Hippocasla- 



num 

 PauJownia imperialis. 



Chionanthus Virginica 



Cladrastis iinctoria 



{Virgilia luted) . 



Catalpa speciosa 



Robinia Pseud-acacia. 

 Sophora Japonica... 



ULTIMATE 

 HEIGHT 



(feet) 



3° 

 20 

 3° 

 90 

 IOO 

 3° 



5° 

 So. 

 80. 

 60. 



SEASON AND 

 COLOR 



May 



pink 



May 



yellow. . . . 

 June 



white, red 

 June 



white 



June 



violet 



June - 



white 



June 



white 



June 



white 



June 



white 



August 



whitish... 



Best of double-flowered ornamental apples; flowers two 

 inches across. A double form of the common crab. 



Flowers in June, like a yellow wistaria. Clean smooth bark. 

 Equally good on all sorts of soil including limestone. 



Perfectly hardy, thrives on dry soil. Stands severe trimming. 

 Many varieties, single and double, white to red. Red berries. 



Covered with pyramids of flowers in June. Big var- 

 nished winter buds; tent-like leaves. 



Unique coloring of gloxinia-like flowers and with their fra- 

 grance. Rapid grower. Lvs. a ft. across. Sprouts from roots. 



Slender thread-like flowers in June, after most other trees 

 have flowered. Pretty blue berries all winter. 



Fragrant flowers, like a white wistaria, lasting several days, 

 sought by bees. Hardy into Canada. Gray beech-like bark. 



Quick growing, with clean furrowed bark. Hardy where- 

 ever apples will grow. Flowers after the horse chestnut. 



Fragrant pea-like flowers in May, June. Quick growing 

 when young. Makes a moderate spread, irregular outline. 



Particularly suited to the South. Covered with pea-like 

 flowers in July. 



LIMITATIONS 



When out of flower looks like an ordinary crab. Needs as 



much spraying as fruit trees. 

 Poisonous in all parts, especially young fruits. Not quite 



hardy north of New York. Seedlings crop up all around. 

 Clothed with sharp thorns. Very slow growing after ten ft. 



high. Sparrows very fond of it for nesting and for food. 

 Always dropping scales, flowers, fruit or leaves. Subject 



to tussock moth; shade too dense for streets. 

 Flower buds killed by severe winters North. Seed vessels 



look ragged; flowers have no background. 

 Prefers a moist soil and must be sheltered in latitude 



of New England. 

 Shy and intermittent bloomer. Fruits hang on all winter, 



making rather untidy appearance. 

 The long seed pods, looking like peanuts, scatter seeds 



in winter. Not so showy as C. bignonioides. 

 Attacked by a borer, spreads freely by seeds, and suckers 



badly. Very many similar forms in catalogues. 

 Injured by frost in Massachusetts where it flowers in Sep- 

 tember. 



The Best Ten Street Trees 



The ideal street tree should: (1) grow quickly the first few years; (2) be long-lived; (3) be free from insects and diseases; (4) should 

 not litter the ground for a long period; (5) should give a play of light and shadow — not too dense shade; (6) must carry its limbs high above 

 pedestrians, carriages and houses; (7) must be adapted to a variety of soils. There is no one tree that combines all these good points. For 

 example, No. 1 rules out most oaks; No. 2 ailanthus, birch and nearly all poplars; No. 3, soft maple because of the leopard moth and other 

 borers, and, unfortunately, the elm in regions affected by the elm-leaf beetle; No. 4, horse chestnut and cottonwood; No. 5, Norway maple 

 and horse chestnut; No. 6, conifers, catalpa and Norway maple; and No. 7, red maple and willows on upland soils. The requirements for 

 street planting are more exacting than for any other purpose; therefore, spend a lot of time in finding exactly the most appropriate species, 

 get large, perfect specimens, and spend more time and money in preparing the soil than for any other planting. 



COMMON NAME 



White elm 



Black walnut 



Russian mulberry 



Sugar maple 



Red maple 



Live oak 



Carolina poplar... 



Pin oak 



Blue gum 



Linden 



STANDARD NAME 



Ulmus Americana 



Juglans nigra 



Morus alba, var. Ta- 



tarica 



Acer saccharum 



Acer rubrum 



Quercus Virginiana 



Populus Caroliniana.... 



Quercus paluslris 



Eucalyptus globulus. . . 



Tilia A mericana 



ULTIMATE 

 HEIGHT 



(feet) 



125- 

 40. 

 IOO. 

 IOO. 



6.1- 

 100. 



PREFERRED SOIL 



rich bottom land. 



fertile hillside and 

 bottom land... 



sandy or clay 

 with water... . 



moist 



lowlands.. 



wet 



dry 



shallow.. . 

 rich, wet. 



90 none. 



Arches high over street or house, leaving good space above 

 roofs for air and diffused light. 



Especially suited to the West and on alkali lands even. 

 Requires a wide space to develop. Makes a broken shade. 



Fastest growing long-lived tree for the West. Stands drought 

 well and also shade. Grows twenty feet in ten years. 



The best shade and street tree among the maples. Long en- 

 during; bright foliage in fall. Transplant when young. 



Scarlet flowers before leaves. Fruit also red. In fall foliage 

 is bright scarlet. Makes a tall, rather upright tree. 



Grandest evergreen oak for moist lands and near the 

 seashore in the South. 



Fastest growing of all street trees; best for most crowded 

 parts of largest cities. Good in arid states. 



The fastest growing oak. Roots in shallow soil and can 

 be transplanted in large sizes if severely pruned. 



One of the fastest growing trees in California. Helps 

 drain swampy lands. Stands protracted drought. 



Dense round head when young; rapid grower. Flowers at- 

 tract bees. Needs no attention after planting. 



LIMITATIONS 



Don't plant in regions devastated by gypsy moth or elm 

 beetle, which defoliates it in August. 



In the East, often disfigured by large webs of the web- 

 worm. Drops its leaves rather early in fall. 



Gets winter killed in the Dakotas and in Kansas. Needs 

 pruning as a shade tree. Edible fruits litter ground. 



In someregions attacked by the leopard moth and other borers 

 Makes numerous shoots when young that need thinning . 



Does not thrive on hillsides or other dry land, but is the only 

 maple for wet and swampy sites. 



Shedding of the old leaves in spring is what makes much 

 sweeping, if trees overhang gardens. Not hardy north of Va. 



The silky pappus shed in summer and driven by the wind 

 becomes a nuisance. Soft wood and easily broken. 



Like all oaks, the shed leaves do not rot easily. Other 

 plants will not grow close around it. 



Not hardy North. Seeds germinate where they fall in Cali- 

 fornia; suckers from stumps. 



Very variable and much confused with European species 

 T. peliolaris, which is smaller[and has leaves hairy beneath. 



Just compare these views of two neighboring streets in New Yorh City. The one on the left is the more attractive simply because of the trees 



