THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



25 



43. Compare this specimen of the Oriental spruce 

 (Picea Orienialis) with the tree shown in figure 45. 

 The habit of this tree is more compact because of 

 summer pruning. Most of the tall-growing conifers 

 can be treated thus 



is not unique, as beginners think. It is 

 merely an intensification of the glaucous 

 hue or silvery lining that dozens of other 

 conifers possess in some degree. Moreover, 

 even in the Colorado blue spruce, there is 

 such a big range of color that it will pay 

 anyone who wants to put ten dollars or more 

 into a perfect specimen to visit the nursery 

 and pick out what he wants. In fact, it is 

 possible to overdo the matter of blueness. 

 It is a question whether a Colorado blue 

 spruce planted against a black conifer, like 

 the Norway, does not make too strong a 

 contrast. On the other hand, the typical 

 or green form (Picea pungens) is worth 

 growing for its own sake. Both forms have 

 stout, stiffly horizontal branches which are 

 almost never broken out by windstorms, but 

 it must be confessed that the oldest specimens 

 in cultivation are beginning to get ragged. 

 However, this will never affect the popu- 

 larity of the Colorado blue spruce, for in the 



course of twenty or thirty years of daily 

 enjoyment a man gets his money's worth 

 many times over. 



THE MATE TO THE COLORADO BLUE 



A tree that is often sold under the name of 

 the Colorado blue spruce is Engelmann's 

 spruce {Picea Engelmanni), another splendid 

 tree from the Rockies. Being commoner 

 than Picea pungens, its seeds are more easily 

 secured in quantity. I doubt if there is any 

 large item in favor of either species. Every 

 country gentleman wants both species, and 

 each can be had in green, white and blue- 

 leaved varieties. You cannot distinguish the 

 two species unless you see them together, 

 when it becomes clear that a young Engel- 

 mann's spruce makes a narrower pyramid 

 and the branches are more slender and 

 crowded into denser whorls. If you grasp 

 the foliage quickly it will not sting you as 

 pungens does, and when you crush the needles 

 they have a strong odor. 



A SPRUCE WITH BRILLIANT RED FLOWERS 



It is impossible to praise too highly the 

 oriental spruce {Picea orientalis). I believe 

 it is the most refined of all spruces. The 

 combination of ascending branches and 

 pendulous branchlets gives it an indescrib- 

 able air of elegance, which in the case of 

 large specimens is simply captivating. And 

 when the tree is old enough to bear cones it 

 has a unique beauty, for the staminate 

 flowers are a brilliant carmine and stand up 

 like so many red candles on a Christmas tree. 

 The oriental spruce is a rather slow grower, 

 and the new growth sometimes gets dis- 

 colored by spring frosts, but it is otherwise 

 quite hardy. 



SPRUCES TOR THE CONNOISSEUR 



The preceding species are the best for 

 general planting. The following lack the 

 combination of cheapness, quick growth and 

 adaptability to a wide range of conditions 

 which a popular favorite must have. 



A UNIQUE JAPANESE SPECIES 



There is a Japanese spruce named Picea 

 polita which can be told at once from all 



other spruces from the fact that its leaves 

 are spreading, instead of pointing forward. 

 These leaves are very rigid and sharply 

 pointed, dark green and shining, and are 

 borne on all sides of the branches, like a fir. 

 It also resembles a fir in having stout, stiff 

 branches. This tree is notable for the pro- 

 nounced yellowish brown color of its bark, 

 and in spring and early summer it is ex- 

 ceptionally beautiful by reason of the large 

 and conspicuous buds which are protected by 

 exceptionally lustrous scales. 



THE WORTHLESS BLACK AND PROMISING RED 



Just a word about our native red and 

 black spruces. The former gets its name 

 from the color of the bark; the latter from 



44. Mass planting of spruces on a genileman's estate. White spruce back; Colorado blue in front (Picea 

 alba and P. pungens, var. glauca). White spruce is one of the best for windbreaks 



45. The oriental spruce (Picea orienialis), slower 

 growing than the Norway and therefore not so popular, 

 but more refined. It has carmine flowers likeChristmas- 

 tree candles. Sometimes scorched by spring frosts 



the total effect of its foliage as compared 

 with that of the white spruce. The black 

 spruce {Picea nigra) is not worth cultivating, 

 being much disfigured by its cones, which are 

 borne at an early age and hang on for years. 

 It is also too slow growing. 



The red spruce {Picea rubra), which was 

 long considered a variety of the black, is a 

 much better tree, although it is said to be 

 short lived in the 'West. Of all the many 

 native trees that have been neglected by our 

 nurserymen in favor of European species, 

 which are quicker, cheaper and easier for 

 them to handle, the red spruce is one of the 

 most promising. It is included by Professor 

 Sargent in his famous list, published some 



