3H 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



September, 19 13 



The Hemlock Spruce 



To the list of Abies can be added the varieties Balsamea 

 Cephalonica and Concolor, one of the hardiest and most 

 beautiful of the family. 



Douglasi is a tree of graceful habit and with the addition 



of Veitchi Brachyphylla and Umbellicata, you have a range 

 of varieties that cannot be surpassed. The two last-named 

 Abies will be in great demand as they become more gener- 

 ally known. Both are very desirable trees and have stood 

 the test of six years with me without showing any signs of 

 Winter effects. 



Many residences are built on high, exposed situations to 

 get the benefit of Summer breezes which means more than 

 ordinary exposure in Winter. What I want to emphasize 

 is the fact that it is not the frost that injures our Ever- 

 greens, it is the severe winds that cause the damage. We 

 have taken care of the protection; now for the general 

 planting. 



For individual planting any of the foregoing can be used. 

 The Austrian White and Scotch Pines should be planted at 

 some distance from the residence, which will allow the plant- 

 ing of the Blue Spruce. Abies Concolor and the more 

 compact varieties nearer the house. The Pines are fine 

 trees in the early stages — say for ten years after planting, 

 being of rapid growth — but they lose their symmetrical 

 form in a shorter time, hence the advisability of planting 

 in the distance and utilizing them as windbreaks and to 

 screen unsightly objects. 



For color effects and beauty of form the Retinosporas 

 play a leading part. The varieties Filifera, Pisifera — 

 Plumosa and Obtusa, are the best known — each has its 

 golden form. Magnificent groups can be made of these 

 alone; when allied with Spruce or Austrian Pines, their 

 beauty is greatly enhanced. 



Retinospora Squarrosa with its many forms and various 

 shades adds greatly to the color scheme, but should be given 

 the benefit of the inner part of the group. 



An ideal setting for the immediate vicinity of the dwelling 

 can be procured by the planting of a selection of Retinos- 

 poras, Thuyas, Biotus, the dwarfed growing Pines and 

 Taxus. 



These are generally used as a mass planting. This method 

 is alright, where immediate effect is wanted and expense no 

 object, but the drawback to this is, that many of the trees 



Taxus (Deccatta Aurea) 



