388 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



HORSE CHESTNUTS IN A PARK. 



being carried out, as with fruit trees, in the spring, and 

 budding in T uly . 

 JE. flava is a small sparsely-branched tree with light green 

 leaves and yellow flowers. It is not particularly showy, 

 but interesting. 



JE. Hippoeastanum. — The common Horse Chestnut is 

 by far the best known of all, and one of the most 

 • ornamental of our large trees, both in foliage and flowers. 

 There are many noble avenues of them in the country, one 

 of the best known being in Bushey Park, and during the 

 flowering-time of the trees it is visited by thousands. The 

 double-flowered variety (flore-pleno), though seldom seen, 

 is distinct from this type. Of other forms of the Horse 

 Chestnut a very important acquisition is the scarlet- 

 flowered JE. Brioti, which continues long in beauty and 

 is very bright and free, unlike many forms. 



JE. parviflora. — This is also known as Pavia macro- 

 stachya, and is, unlike the preceding, quite a bush ; but it 

 pushes up suckers so freely that when not more than 6ft. 

 to 8ft. high it is often quite twice that distance across. The 

 Horse Chestnut-like leaves are very dark green, while the 

 long spikes of bottle brush-like flowers are borne towards 

 the end of July, when few other shrubs are in bloom. 



JE. Pavia, known also as Pavia rubra. The remarks con- 

 cerning AL. flava will apply equally here, except that the 

 flowers are red. 



JE. rilbieunda. — This is really a form of JE. Hippo- 

 eastanum, and under the popular name of the 

 scarlet Horse Chestnut is well known. It does not 

 attain the size of the common kind, yet it forms 

 a well-balanced specimen from 20ft. to 30ft. high, 

 densely clothed with deep green leaves, and when 

 studded with its pretty red flowered spikes it is very 

 welcome upon the lawn or in the pleasure grounds. Rosea, 

 which flowers during May or June, has flowers of a 

 pronounced rosy tint. 



AilantUS glandtllosa [Tree of Heaven). — This is a very 



quick-growing tree, clothed with pinnate leaves, from 2ft. 

 In 3ft. long, and occasionally furnished with pendulous 

 clusters of reddish seed-vessels, something like the keys 

 of the Ash. This does well in towns, and can be readily 

 increased by cutting the roots up into lengthsof Sin. to I ft. 

 and inserting them firmly in a bed of good sandy soil, the 

 upper portion of the root being about 2in. below the 

 surface. 



Allspice {American). — See Calycanthus. 



AlnilS {Alder). — The Alders are closely allied to the 

 Pirch, but succeed best in damp spots, under much the 

 same conditions as the Poplars. They are propagated 

 readily by seeds, which ripen freely, and in the case of 

 large quantities are sown outside in prepared beds, and 

 very lightly covered with soil, a few Spruce branches 

 being laid over afterwards to check evaporation. The 

 choicer kinds are increased by cuttings, put in the open 

 ground in winter, and by grafting, which is performed 

 in the spring, the stocks being seedling plants of the 

 common Alder. This, which is known as Alnus 

 glutinosa, is a free-growing tree, that reaches a height 

 of 50ft. to 60ft. A prominent feature is furnished by 

 the pendulous male catkins, which are borne in great 

 profusion in early spring. The leaves are roundish, an 

 from lin. to 2in. long. Besides the ordinary form there 

 are some well-marked varieties, notably A. glutinosa 

 aurea, with golden leaves ; A. g. impericulis laciniata, 

 leaves finely cut, a charming tree, forming quite a picture 

 of grace and elegance ; and A. g. quercifolia, with Oak- 

 shaped leaves. There are several other species natives of 

 North America and of Japan, but our native Alder is equal 

 to any of them. A. barbata, or cordata as it is also 

 called, is a good kind, but there is a great host of 

 Alders, chiefly varieties and synonyms. The leading 

 species are A. barbata, A. cordifolia, A. firma, 



