Dwarf Evergreen Collection where the visitor may get acquainted with and compare these 



pygmies 



In the Shrub Garden the duplicate specimens are arranged "ordinally," for convenience of study 



c (Hydrangeas) 



Seen in the Arnold Arboretum 



T. A. HAVEMEYER 



[Editor's Note: The story of the foundation and general purpose of this splendid institution, located on the outskirts of Boston, was told in a recent issue 

 of The Garden Magazine by the Director. As a centre of introduction and distribution of many notable hardy trees and shrubs that now adorn our best 

 public and private gardens the Arboretum has been long recognized as the Mecca for the progressive horticulturist traveling near it. Growing as it does every 

 tree and shrub hardy in its climate, the Arboretum is full of living and continuous interest. But, unfortunately, not everybody can visit it at all times, and 

 in order to interpret in some degree to the plant lovers of America what the Institution offers, Mr. Havemeyer has undertaken to present in these pages 

 a series of notes on the conspicuously attractive plants in season. The present article, is but introductory. Subsequent articles will deal with special plants 

 or particular groups as they appeal to the horticulturist. Mr. Havemeyer is not only an appreciative onlooker, but he is also a keen and skilful gardener 

 and grows at his Long Island home one of the most remarkable collections of hardy trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants to be found in the country. His 

 appraisals are based on both observation and practical trials.] 



I NEVER can visit the Arnold Arboretum, 

 at Jamaica Plain, Boston, without being 

 lost in wonderment and admiration. Do 

 you love trees and shrubs and yet do not 

 journey thither you have something to live for. 



In this wonderful museum of woody 

 plants you will find practically every 

 hardy tree and shrub from every corner 

 of the globe, not only arranged as a col- 

 lection for intimate study but set out in 

 acres of beautiful park — ■ trees and 

 shrubs planted as nature intended in 

 their natural settings. Dr. Charles S. 

 Sargent, who planted them has proved 

 himself to be one of the greatest of land- 

 scape gardeners for he has so used his 

 material that really it does not matter 

 at what season of the year we visit 

 the Arboretum there is always some- 

 thing of interest, even in the depths of 

 winter with the snow on the ground. 

 What is more beautiful than the winter 

 scene of Hemlock Hill with the Kalmias 

 and Rhododendrons growing at its base 

 and in the distance the grays and deep 

 greens of the Spruces, Pines, and Firs. 



My visits to the Arboretum are many, 

 but every time I go there I am im- 

 pressed by its beauty and charm and 

 always find something new to interest 

 me. Perhaps the time that most ap- 

 peals to me is in May when the Crab- 

 apples, Cherries, and Flowering Pears 

 are in bloom. Have you really ever 

 seen them in their glory? If you have 

 not, it does not make any difference 

 what part of the United States, or I 

 might even say what part of the world 

 you live in, a trip to Boston would well 

 repay you for the trouble and expense. 

 Indeed, it is a great pity the Arnold 

 Arboretum is not better known, for it 

 is doing a national work in its benefits 

 to landscape gardeners and nurserymen 

 of the country. Here new discoveries 

 are tested for hardiness with the ac- 

 knowledged " hardy " things of the 

 world and as I wander around the de- to F whose 



lightful roads and paths I wonder why the park is 

 not crowded with those who love the beautiful 

 that God has created to fill this sad but wonder- 

 ful world. 



The purpose of the Arnold Arboretum is to 



Charles Sprague Sargent, Creator and Director of the Arnold Arboretum, 

 foresight, ability, and untiring energy horticulture owes an untiring debt 



138 



collect and test every tree or shrub as to its 

 hardiness and value for America. Trees and 

 shrubs are often tested here that come from much 

 warmer climates and it is interesting to note that 

 many things from southern localities prove hardy. 

 Large sums of money have been ex- 

 pended in the work of exploration and 

 research, sending out plant collectors to 

 every part of the world where there is 

 any chance of procuring new material. 

 At the present moment Mr. E. H. Wil- 

 son, one of the most renowned and best 

 informed of plant explorers, whose name 

 is not unfamiliar to Garden Magazine 

 readers, is in Korea, collecting seeds and 

 material fi>^ the museum, and he will 

 doubtless bring back many interesting 

 things, up to the present time unknown. 

 In 1914 Mr. Wilson spent nearly a year 

 in Japan mak* ig a collection of the won- 

 derful Flowering Cherries for which that 

 country is justly famed, and brought 

 back more than seventy varieties of this 

 beautiful tree, that have been added to 

 the collections of the Arboretum, and 

 may be seen growing there. 



Here can be studied with intelligence 

 the habit and growth of every hardy tree 

 and shrub. Many of the specimens now 

 more than forty years old were grown 

 from seed sown on the spot, so it is com- 

 paratively easy to determine the actual 

 merits of the species as to the habit of 

 growth, position in which it will flourish, 

 and its value from every standpoint. 



One point that impresses me on my 

 many visits is the quantity of beautiful 

 and valuable shrubs and trees growing 

 here that are practically unknown in 

 private gardens and which for lack of the 

 nurserymen's initiative can be found in 

 hardly any nurseries. Perhaps one day 

 horticultural America will awake. I 

 hope so indeed. 



In future articles I will try to tell 

 something about many of the more at- 

 tractive and interesting plants judged 

 from a garden view point. 



