The Best Conifers South and North, II.—By P. J. Berckmans, «=: 
CONTAINING AN ILLUMINATING ACCOUNT OF THE SHOWIEST EVERGREENS FOR DECORATING FORMAL 
GARDENS, TOGETHER WITH THE TRUE STORY OF THE BEST GOLDEN CONIFER EVER INTRODUCED 
[Eprtor’s Nove.—This series of memoirs by the Dean of American Pomology and of Southern Tloriculture has aroused enthusiastic admiration in all parts of the country. 
The first article was “The Lest Hedge Plants South and North,’ which appeared in November, 1907. 
In May, he will describe “Broad-Leaved Evergreen Trees.’’| 
the pine, spruce, fir, yew and cedar types. 
A MONG the most interesting conifers 
i South, North, and on the Pacific Coast 
are the cypresses, arborvites and araucarias. 
TE IGCYPRESS DYPir 
The true cypresses belong to the genus 
Cupressus, and the most famous of them is 
the classical cypress (C. sempervirens var. 
jastigiata) which is a vegetable exclamation 
mark — like the Lombardy poplar, only 
evergreen. It is also called the “Roman” 
or “Italian” cypress, as it has been a promi- 
nent feature of formal gardens in Italy from 
ancient times. This stiff tree, with its erect 
branches, was derived from the Oriental 
cypress which is pyramidal and has horizon- 
tal branches. The Italian cypress is “beaten 
at its own game” by the variety Royalli or 
WVhitleyana, of which I have a specimen 
thirty feet high and only two feet wide. It 
forms a main stem from which radiate small 
twigs — they can hardly be called branches. 
It is sometimes called cereijormis, which 
describes it well. This variety does not 
reproduce identically from seed as stated 
by foreign writers. All three forms have 
dark green foliage and thrive best in the 
South and California, though hardy to 
Philadelphia. The columnar form is much 
used in cemeteries and for arches. 
The other famous cypress with dark green 
foliage is the Monterey cypress (C. macro- 
car pa) which is more extensively planted than 
any other thing for hedges and wincbreaks 
from California to Vanccuver. Everyone 
has seen pictures of the wildly picturesque 
originals on the rocks at Monterey, but few 
The compact obtuse leaved cypress, Chamaecyparis 
obtusa var. compacta, the Retinispora obtusa of the trade 
The Italian cypress, one of the most characteristic 
plants in the Old World formal gardens 
Easterners realize that the tree is symmetrical 
in cultivation and makes a handsome lawn 
specimen. Though the foliage is dark green, 
it is shining. It succeeds well South. 
One might imagine from its name that 
the funeral cypress (C. junebris) would 
have sombre foliage, but it is yellowish 
green. The name doubtless comes from 
the weeping habit, which makes it a favorite 
for cemetery planting. It is a native of 
China and it is said that it was originally 
associated with the “‘Vale of Tombs”’ in 
the northern part of that country. Unlike 
the two preceding species, its branches are 
wide spreading and their pendulous habit 
is most beautiful. It is hardy to Philadel- 
phia, but best in the South. 
The most famous of the bluish green 
cypresses is the cypress of Goa (C. Lusita- 
nica) Which is naturalized in Portugal, but of 
uncertain origin. It is common along the 
Mediterranean but will not grow in England 
except along the seashore and in the mildest 
districts. The branches spread but the 
branchlets are more or less pendulous. 
Knight’s cypress (C. Benthami var. 
Knightiana) is unique by reason of the violet 
color of its younger branches. It is also the 
most reliable of the Mexican cypresses. 
The branchlets are drooping, fern-like, 
glaucous. 
The twisted cypress (C. forulosa) resembles 
the cypress of Goa in having horizontal 
branches and drooping branchlets, but the 
76 
In Fanuary, 1908, Mr. Berckmans gave a wonderfully lucid account of 
foliage is grayish green. It has been com- 
mended as a windbreak for Florida because 
of its exceptionally rapid growth. This is one 
of the tallest.species, attaining 150 feet in the 
Himalayas. Unfortunately, it starts growing 
very early in the spring and is liable to be 
injured by a freeze at that time. 
I have been growing cypresses from seed 
for over thirty years and have formed a beau- 
tiful collection of garden forms. Many are of 
surpassing elegance, and some are of very 
rapid growth. Some of these seedlings have 
the high cclor of the cypress of Goa, while 
others have the rapid growth of the Hima- 
Jayan cypress. Only once in thirty years 
have I suffered severe losses) AN ineeze 
in late February killed a great many mag- 
nificent specimens from thirty to thirty-five 
feet high. These had the blood of the 
Himalayan species in them, and such varie- 
ties should always be transplanted when 
young and during February or early March. 
We now come to the dwarf cypresses 
which comprise the bulk of the showy con- 
ifers that are used for bedding. The most 
popular of these are the Japan cypresses, 
which the nurserymen call retinisporas 
though practically all of them belong to the 
genus Chamecyparis, which means ‘dwarf 
cypress.”” Nothing is easier to sell to a 
homebuilder than retinisporas because begin- 
ners nearly always want something as differ- 
ent as possible from the native vegetation 
around them, and these retinisporas, have 
varieties suggesting ferns, heaths, ground 
pine, arborvite, threads and plumes. More- 
over, many of these forms can be secured 
in either green, blue-green or yellow. And 
to cap the climax, they have a great range 
re 
The thread-branched Chinese azborvitae (Bjota orien- 
talis filiformis of the trade), a handsome plant South 
