THE GARDENS OF NEM^PORT. 



387 



mingled with the green, giving it a spotted appearance. 



The R. pluinosa is one of the most desirable of the 

 smaller conifers in use. It forms a perfect little tree, at 

 its best fifteen to twenty feet high, but is here seldom 

 seen above eight or ten feet. The stem and branches 

 are thickly clothed with small, delicate light green, awl- 

 shaped leaves, giving the tree something of a feathery 

 spray in the form of a waving plume, whence comes 

 its name. The golden variety, R. ajirca, is much the 

 same in all respects, except that its foliage is bright yel- 

 low. Some of the branches also partake of the same 

 color, while others are green. This variety is planted 

 more freely here than any other, and is one of the best 

 for massing or for enlivening the border. The colors 



The R. filifera, or thread-branched species, has 

 numerous long, slender, drooping branches falling grace- 

 fully on every side and constituting a well-rounded 

 pyramidal head. It is one of the most curious and 

 interesting of plants, and can be used to advantage 

 singly, in masses, or for borders and hedges with the best 

 results, A golden variety, the branches of which are 

 bright yellow, more recently been introduced and 

 still rare, proves a great acquisition. There is also a 

 silvery tinted variety with equally pendulous branches, 

 but not so effective as the golden. The filifera is among 

 the most hardy of the Japanese evergreens. 



The R. ericoides is of dwarf habit, seldom growing 

 more than two to four feet high. The small heath-like 



Lodge and GROur dk Conii-iirs on Lotus L. Lorillard's place at Newport. R, I. 



are permanent, and as brilliant in winter as in summer. 

 Such a tree or shrub cannot fail to be of great service 

 everywhere, singly or in combination, and its use is 

 steadily increasing. 



The silver variety, A', argentca, has its leaves, includ- 

 ing nearly all the season's growth, tipped with white, 

 affording a beautiful contrast with the back ground of 

 bright green. This silver-tipped cypress, when it has 

 reached a medium size, is very effective, and no more 

 beautiful plant is seen in the gardens of Newport. Well 

 rounded specimens are found here eight to ten feet high 

 and six to seven feet in diameter. It proves hardy, and 

 to many is the most beautiful of the retinosporas. 



leaves, which are thickly crowded along the numerous 

 branches, are pointed and somewhat rigid ; green in sum- 

 mer but turning to a violet red in winter. Though 

 small, each plant is in the form of a perfect tree with a 

 compact, cylindrical head. It is especially adapted to 

 borders of groups or walks, the color in winter affording 

 a most pleasing contrast when grown among other ever- 

 greens. 



The R . sqiiarrosn grows four to six feet and has slender 

 branches with a dense, silvery-green foliage of great 

 beauty. It is one of the most graceful forms in use, but 

 does not prove perfectly hardy in exposed localities. 



The R. olilusa, nana is a dwarf not more than two or 



