THE GARDEN BEAUTIFUL, 



5* 



tree for all the southern parts of Britain at least and 

 good in everyway. Plant small ; two-year-old plants 

 do best. 



The White Pine (P. strobus). — One of the noblest 

 orest trees of the northern world, sometimes reach- 

 ing a height of over 170 feet, with a girth of trunk 

 of 30 feet. Owing to the cutting of the woods in 

 Canada and Northern America, it is seldom seen 

 in its native dignity in the settled parts. It forms 

 dense forests in Newfoundland and Canada, and 

 westwards and southwards along the mountains, 

 and in our country thriving best in gritty and free 

 soils. I find it often perishes when growing on wet 

 clays, but this is not owing to any want of hardi- 

 ness, as it is as hardy as any northern tree. 



The Cluster Pine (P. pinaster). — A rapid-growing 

 Pine of pleasant colour, 70 feet or more high, native 

 of the Mediterranean region, often by the seashore, 

 and useful in our country near the sea, but often 

 thriving in inland places, best in free and sandy soils. 

 It is used much in France to aid in fixing sand 

 dunes. 



The Scotch Pine. — Our native Pine, and, when 

 old, one of the most beautiful. It is of very wide 

 distribution in Northern, Arctic, and mountain re- 

 gions, and also on the mountains of Italy and 

 Greece. The Riga variety is considered a more 

 erect and stronger grower. A great number of 

 varieties are mentioned in books and catalogues, 

 and some hybrids, compact and dwarf varieties, in- 

 cluding variegated ones, none of any consequence 

 compared to the wild tree. This Pine sows itself in 

 rough heaths, and is rapidly spreading in that way 

 in some districts. 



The Monterey Pine (P. insignis). — A grass-green 

 Pine of California, often thriving in the southern 

 and western parts of our country, but in inland 

 places occasionally suffering in hard winters, and 

 therefore not good for general planting, except on 

 high ground. The tree is so distinct and beauti- 

 ful that it should not be forgotten in the southern 

 and home counties. 



The Swiss Pine (P.cembra). — A noble alpine Pine 

 of distinct, close-growing form, and a slow grower 

 in our country, as well as in its native land on the 

 mountains of Central Europe or in Siberia, where 

 it attains a maximum height of 100 feet. This is a 

 tree of rare beauty and fine quality, its slow growth 

 at first does not lessen its great value. 



The Austrian Pine. — One of the hardiest Pines ; 

 distinct in form and colour, attaining a maximum 

 height of nearly 100 feet, of close, dense growth when 

 young, thriving on calcareous, poor, stony or rocky 

 ground and on clay soils (but not on poor sands). 

 Owing to its close " covert " and habit it nourishes 

 the ground beneath it so well with its fallen leaves 



that it is self-supporting and gives precious shelter. 

 It is often planted in Britain, but generally set out in 

 the usual specimen way, so that it is slower in taking 

 its true form than when grouped as trees should be. 

 The final form of the tree — which, so far, we hardly 

 ever see in our grounds — is very picturesque, with 

 a free open head, but, being a free grower and giving 

 valuable wood, however grouped or massed it should 

 be freely thinned so as to allow of its full develop- 

 ment. In books this Pine is sometimes classed as a 

 variety of the Corsican Pine, but, from a planter's 

 point of view, the trees are as distinct as any other 

 Pines in colour and form. I went last year to see this 

 tree in Lower Austria, and thought it picturesque, 

 but came away with my love for the Corsican Pine 

 increased. 



The Cedar of Lebanon. — Noble trees of the 

 mountains of Asia Minor and India ; some hardy. 

 Planters should not forget that it is to the Cedars 

 of the northern mountains they must look — the 

 Lebanon and Atlas Cedars, which have been proved 

 so hardy and so well fitted for our country. In books 

 a form called Cedrus atlantica is considered distinct 

 enough to merit a separate name, but, having seen 

 the trees on their native mountains, I think the 

 Atlas Cedar is the same species as the Lebanon Cedar 

 (C. Lebani). The seed of the tree is plentiful in 

 Asia Minor and North Africa, and it ought to be 

 grown in forest nurseries and offered among the 

 other forest trees. The seed being as easy to raise 

 as that of any other conifer, we should not buy the 

 tree in the " specimen" state but in the smaller state, 

 a much safer way. I feel strongly that the Lebanon 

 and Atlas Cedars should be grown as woodland and 

 forest trees, and place them very high in the ranks 

 of such. 



The Common Tew (Taxus). — Our best native 

 evergreen, though neglected by gardeners as a tree, 

 must not be left out in forest work, as it is such a 

 welcome shelter for game, and when old and grown 

 as a forest tree should be very beautiful with its 

 finely-coloured stem, everlasting verdure and life. 

 In woods, too, we have the best chance of grow- 

 ing it out of harm's way, as no asp of tropic jungle 

 is more deadly, and thousands of precious living 

 creatures have been killed by Yew. 



Lawsons Cypress {Cupressus Lawsoniana). — A 

 tall and beautiful tree of the Pacific coast of North 

 America, 100 feet high, and very free in our climate. 

 Unfortunately, owing to propagation from cuttings 

 instead of in the natural way from seed, the tree 

 often breaks into a number of stems, which inter- 

 feres with its natural habit and beauty. It varies 

 very much into what is called " sports." There are 

 a number of fastigiate forms, but they are malfor- 

 mations, and only the natural wild form raised from 

 seed should be planted. 



