112 



TH 



S 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE, 



February 10, 1912. 



help those who contemplate making a se- 



kx'tioji for next winter. 



Sahnon.— A&cott, Mrs. George Cadbury, 



and Ian McLaren. 



Blus-h.— Mavtreti 



Cevic, and Lady 



Rosooe. 



White.— SnoWiStorm, Venus, and Good- 

 wood. 



Pink and rose —Hatfield, Caronia^ Syd- 

 ney, and Mrs. Brown Potter. 



Purple. — Frogmore, Lusitania, and 



Royal Purple. 



Orange. — Prince of Orange, Olereden^ 



and Donald Beaton. 



Crimson.— Leonus, Maris, St. Louise, Sir 



Thomas Hanbury, and Aldenham. 



Scarlet.— Naples, New York, Chatsworth, 



and Lord Kitehener. 



All the aboA^e are singles, and for the 

 supply of cut flowei-s, the following semi- 

 doubles are iiseful: F. V. Raspail, Im- 

 proved Hermoine, King of Denmark, Lave, 



Pink Raspail, and Fire Dragon. 



T. Stevenson, 



TREES AND SHRUBS FOR 



CLIFF GARDENS. 



During the past thirty years I have had 

 oonsideraible expt^mencjs witli trees and 

 eihrubs in gardens near the sea, both in 

 thern and southern countries, and the 



sycamoire, thuiopsis, wych. eim, elder, Uu- 

 pressus macrocarpa, and Arbutus Une-do. 

 The taller-growing trees and shrubs must 

 not be planted too closely together, as over- 

 crowding would mean, eventually, weaken- 

 ing of the belt ; each specimen must have 

 sufficient space to develop in. 



The under shrubs in the outer belt should 

 he mainly Aucuha japonica, escallonias, 

 berberises, hollies^ privets, veronicas, sea 

 buckthorn, and Olearia Haasti. 



Inside, in the most exposed positions, 

 plant the mountain ash, beech, Buddleia 

 globosa, Garrya elliptica. Genista hispanica, 

 Choisya ternata , euonymuses, Mahonia 

 japonica, laurestinus, laburnum, Guelder 

 rose, pernettyas, Skimmia japonica, snow- 

 Wry, white and pink thorns, single and 



double flowered. 



Rhododendrons, lilacs, mock oranges, 

 flowering currants, pyracanthas, Jasminum 

 nudiflorum, cleutzias, almonds, sweet 

 briars (Lord Penzance's hybrid briars), 

 honeysuckles, and mollis azaleas may all be 

 planted in the sheltered garden by the sea. 

 It is much more satisfactory to have such 

 subjfH'ts thriving and healthy than very 

 choice ones in poor condition. 



Geo. Garner. 



AMONG THE 



following notes may he of use to inexperi- 

 enced cultivators, especially those who are 

 now contemplating the planting of such 

 subjects. 



I am referring to gardens placed close to 

 the sea, and particularly those on rather 

 high cliffs. The latter position is much 

 sought after fi;r a dwelling-house, but very 

 often nuuli troiibU^ is experienced in induc- 

 ing many kinds of shrubs a.nd trees to 

 floui-ish there; indeed, it is absolutely 

 necessary to have a protecting band of trees 

 in many cases. 



A gentleman recently said to me, ''Those 

 trees are badly bruised by the south-west 

 winds; it is a' wonder the owners do not 

 plant fresh ones." I pointed out to him 

 how unwise it would be to interfere with 

 the protecting trees, as they had grown up 

 with those in the pleasure grounds sur- 

 rounding the dwelling-house, and that the 

 lawn and border trees and shrubs were 

 very beaxxtiful and very fresh and healthy; 

 also that, if the protecting band was re- 

 moved, the trees inside would suffer very 

 considerable damage before another wind- 

 break could be obtained by planting young, 

 hardy subjects, and even then, the new, 

 outer bank of trees would be as bad as the 

 existing ones. Then he at once realised 

 the true position. 



Before any trees or shrubs are planted 

 the soil must be deeply trenched, whether 

 it be light, gravelly, and poor, or loamy 

 and rich. But I have found it advivsable not 

 to make any soil very rich by the addition 

 of much manure. When the trees make a 

 very luxuriant growth in such exposed posi- 

 tions, they suffer all the more when severe 

 weather or strong gales from the sea 

 -oome. A moderate growth well matured is 

 the most satisfactory in every way. I have 

 seen both trees and hedge plants a mile in- 

 land, and for many miles along the coast, 

 seared as if with fire, by the salt spray 

 blown from the sea when gales have been 

 strong, and tenderer shruhs close to it, 

 duly protectefl. almost untouched. 



The shape of both trees and shrubs is 

 better and more uniform where the annual 



growth i.s moderately strong, than where 



ifc is very luxviriant. 



Good trees and shruhs for protection are 

 Pinus insignis, P. austriaca, P. maritima, 

 evergreen oak, Lombardy and white-leaved 

 poplar, silver fir, sweet bay, tamarisk, 



ALPINE FLOWERS. 



" While the daffodils stHl waver, 

 Ere the jonquil gets its savour, 

 While the linnets yet but pair. 

 You are fledged, and everywhere. 

 Nought can daunt you, nought distress, 

 Neither cold nor sunlessness." 



So sings the Poet Laureate of the prim- 

 roses, which, in cosy nooks, attest the truth 

 of the picture of their hardiness he pre- 

 sents. Beautiful indeed are they, although 

 tlie weather is unkind enough even for 

 them. One day they are silvered by the 

 hoar frost or are shrouded in snow ; the 

 next they are bathing in a clear, sun-lit 

 air ; and the next again they may be soaked 

 and beaten to the ground with drenching 

 rains or driving sleet. Many of these 

 primroses must, however, ^'die unmarried, 

 ere they can behold Phoebus in his 

 strength,^" and we have a feeling that they 

 are unhappy at present in this climate of 

 ours, natives though they be. Yet they 

 flower away in the sheltered parts of the 

 rock garden. Some are true representa- 

 tives of this pale primrose " of the bard ; 

 orders are pure white, lightened, it may 

 be, by a little yellow eye ; others are warm 

 red, pale pink, or pale or deep blue. 

 Lovely flowers are they, though not yet in 

 the full beauty of their true flowering time. 

 Among them Harbinger is the first of the 

 whites to come with any free^lom, and it 

 charms us as we look upon this flower of 

 the season. 



Snowdrops. 



Still more truly might Alf re<l Austin have 

 applied the above lines to the snowdrop, 

 whichever comes soon after the dawning 

 of the year, and to which we miy;ht say, 



Nought can daunt you, nought distress." 

 A little poetic license is always allowed, 

 and is required as well, as sometimes even 

 the primrose or the snowdrop is distressed 

 and daunted by the weather of the time. 

 Do we not see the primrose reduced almost 

 to pulp ? Do we not observe the snowdrop 

 bowing towards Mother Earth in keen frost 

 as if to supplicate her to take it to her 

 bosom again P Yet, in the main, it is true, 

 for these flowers reck but little of weather 

 which would destroy many of the sister 

 flowers of the garden. 



And now these galanthuses abound. They 

 are in masses, they are in clumps, and here 

 and there a few of the choicer snow<lrop6 

 droop their flowers of white, decked with 

 green, to tempt us to compare their beauty 



with that of their more common sisters. 

 Here are the common snowdrops, modest 

 as ever, less opulent in their charms than 

 some of their kinswomen , but hardly 

 eclipsed in point of real beauty. Here are 

 forms of Galanthus plicatus, the Crimean 

 snowdrop ; over there are plants of the 

 Nikarian species, Galanthus Icarise, with 

 its broad, green, arching leaves and beau- 

 tiful flowers. Elwes s snowdrop is here in 

 several forms, and many of the scarcer and 

 most beautiful of the named snowdrops 

 show their virgin flowiers in nook, on 

 mound, and on rocky terrace. 



Crocus hyemalis Foxi. 



Here, too, are a few flowers of Fox's 

 winter-flowering crocus, C. hyemalis Foxi. 

 It isn't a showy flower ; it lacks the size 

 and brilliancy of those wonderful forms of 

 C, vernus we get from Holland, and which 

 glow and almost seem to palpitate with 

 colour in the sunshine of the later days. 

 But Fox's crocus is more modest in its 

 charms, and appeals^ in the main, to those 

 who love to observe the more minute points 

 of beauty. The little cones of whit^ suf- 

 fused in part with light purple outside, 

 please us as we lovingly study their form 

 and their colouring. Svmmetrical and 

 beautiful are these flowiers in that state, but 

 it is when the pallid sun of the winter days 

 musters all his little strength and shines 

 on these flowers that we fully realise their 

 beauties. The cone exnands. the flower 



of white, 



cone expands, 



opens into a charming cup 

 touched with yellow at the throat, with 

 gold wire-like stigmata, and anthers of 

 deep black. A combination of colour as this 

 w^e hardly expect at this season — and a 

 very charming one it is, worthy of our an- 

 allioyed praise. Yet, truth to tell, this 

 little crocus is not quite happy in our 

 northern land, and longs for a happier 

 home. Our winters are too unkindly, and 

 it frequently seeks in vain to unfold its 

 blooms, although it will live for years in 

 our gardens. And so we will do well to 

 shield it a little from our rough weather, 

 and shelter it by glass, even on the rock- 

 ery, from the inclemency of the time. 



Crocus vitellinus. 



Worthy of this also is Crocus vitellinus, 

 whose beauty is of another degree. I*^ 

 seems to afford us, though Avith hardly such 

 lavish benison, the brilliance of the golden 

 yellow crocus of the later months. A 

 bright little thing it is, and we are charmed 

 with its yellow flowers as they meet our 

 eyes on the rockery. They also are grate- 

 ful for a little shelter from the inclemency 

 of the time, and we may well grant theu 

 petition, knowing full well that they wiH 

 reward us more than fidlj^ for our care. 



Other Plants. 



As this is written, frost holds a 

 apparent sway, and the flowers are at 

 standstill. Yet there are a few to greet 

 us as we w ander through the pathways 

 and see what we have in bloom. There 

 are other crocuses, there are winter aco^" 

 ites, snowflakes peering amid their inci- 

 pient leaves, a few viola glooms give bits 

 of colour, though one has seen more indi- 

 vidual blooms to dare the season than tm 

 year. Christmas roses are yet snowy, 

 their sisters of Lent show bits of colour 

 on the wav. There are many evergreen 

 plants to tell us that even greenery alon 

 has countless beauties. Little shrubs^ 

 mounds, and carpets of blue-green, deep 

 green ^ emerald green, pea-green, 

 unlimited range of colours, through whue^ 

 and silvers, some w ith red and V^^K 



briel 

 a 



an 



tones, abound. 



And amid all are to 



..... ........ ^ )r shooting bulbous pla"^ 



all on the way to respond to the ]<iy 



call of the spring. 



S. Aknott 



4 



