THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



October i£t5, 1912. 

 i ^ ^ 



i FLOWERING TREES AND 

 f SHRUBS FOR SPECIMENS. 



Self-e^^dent though it may be, there can 



hardly be any question as to the desirability 



of stating, by way of reminder from time 



to time, that one of the chief essentials to 

 success in furnishing gardens with trees 

 and shrubs is to select the kinds with 

 special reference to their suitability for the 

 positions they are to occupy. Whether 

 they are remarkable for the beauty of their 

 flowers or foliage, or for their elegant or 

 otherwise distinctive habit, this fact should 

 be constantly kept in mind when making 

 selections. The size of the several kinds 

 should, as far as possible, be proportionate 

 i6 the area they will occupy, for w^hen 

 trees or shrubs that attain to large dimen- 

 sions are planted in relatively small spaces, 

 a considerable amoxmt of pruning of roots 



but in no case are the dimensions such as to 

 render them unsuitable for the garden. 



^sculus. 



The most beautiful of all the chestnuts 

 is ^Esculus hippocastanum, or the horse 

 chestnut, but it is too large for gardens 

 other than those of the largest size. The 

 scariest chesnut {M, rubicunda fl. pi) is, on 

 the other hand, of medium size when full 

 grown, and one of the most valuable of 

 trees suitable for lawn specimens, even 

 where the garden is of quite modest dimen- 

 sions. Somewhat brighter in colour than 

 the type is the variety known as Binoti, 

 and it should have the i)r(»fer(^nce in pre- 

 paring a selection of the finest kinds. 

 (Pavia) macrostachya is a liandsom<v tree 

 of small size, and very attractive when 

 bearing a profusion of its pale \^ellow 

 flowers. It is suital)le both for bor<ler8 

 and lawns, but it requires a rather warm 

 soil for its full development. 



817 



Buddleias. 



Of the buddleias now in cultivation, the 

 most valuable, both for lawn specimens 

 and shrubbery borders are the varieties of 

 B. variabilis, w^iich have been introducin] 

 to this cH)untry within rr<>ent years. As 

 these are dealt with in another part of this 

 issue, I shall not r<^fer to them further than 

 to say that they make ex<'elient lawji sntH'i- 

 mens, of which a <onsi<lerable numlKT liavo 

 come under my notic<' in English an<l S<H)t- 

 tish gardens. B. gloliotsa, with its orange- 

 colouroil, globular flowers, forms a hand- 

 some bush with (X)mparatively little atten- 

 tion, and is so distinct in <'haracter and 

 <x)lour as to d<\serve to b<* more g<»iierally 

 ])lant<Hl ll»an has yet ilie v\\s\^. 



Cerasiis. 



The ornamental < li»M i u s hh Imlr sunn- of 

 the finest of the trees suitnl»le for the 



PHILADELPHUS IXSIGXIS. 



A distinct hybrid, robust in growth, free in flowermi, and of exceptional merit for specimen^ of large size. Tin- pur. wliil. 



flowers are borne in comparatively long racemes. 



or branches have to be done to keep them 

 ^'itnm bounds. This involves considerable 

 time and lal>our, and unless the pruning is 

 Performed with considerable skill, the trees 

 or shrubs operated upon -will present a 

 nuich less satisfactory appearance than 

 k m ds which can be alio w ed to g r o w 

 imchecked, or not pruned beyond what may 

 >e necessary to maintain a proper balance 

 hetween the several parts. On the other 

 uand, where there are spacious borders to 

 |»e filled and great breadths of lawn to be 

 beautified, a considerable proportion of the 

 kmds selecteil should 'attain to a com- 

 paratively large size, and possess some 

 degree of boldness when full grown. Those 

 ^vhioh will l>e referrcnl to in these 

 notes grow to a rather large size, and make 

 ^^^iJy effective specimens when allowed 

 sufficient room for their full development, 



Berberis. 



There are a considerable number of ber- 

 beris that are most attractive when placed 

 under conditions favourable to their full 

 development, but the finest of all for grow- 

 ing as specimens on the lawn and in bold 

 groups in spacious borders is llerbens 

 stenophylla. Most desirable also is its 

 handsome double variety. Both are ex- 

 tremely elegant in growth, and the rich 

 orange-coloure<l flowers are borne m ^re;it 

 profusion along the slender, gracrlully- 

 arching branches. B. Darwini possesses 

 merit for the formation of Iwrder groups, 

 but it is not equal to the former for lawn 

 specimens. In growing B. stenophylla on 

 the lawn a go<Kl effect is quickly obtani«;d 

 fnrminfr small beds three feet or so ui 



garden, and should l)e iiK-lufltMl in the 



smallest seU*ction. Those that can he the 

 most strongly recommended ar*^ ( t i umi.s 

 avium fl. pi., a comparatively lai^io titf, 

 }>earing in great profusion large pure white 

 double flowers. C. jiseudo-cerasus, a hand- 

 some trr<*, with i-oiiijiact. s])r«'^iding lirnd, 

 and l>eai ing in great profusion laige <Iouble 

 flow<'is (»f a ]>al<s rose <olour. Its variety, 

 J. H. Vi'itc'li. is still more beautiful; the 

 fl()w<^rs ;uo not less profuse, but ^ire 

 largor and aro of ;i brilliant rosc- 



liiu\ As iIh'V l)l()()iii at Witi*'n'nt 



Is. iMitli should ho planted. C 

 n s* n nlata is vorv fror in Mooni- 

 m^, an'! lias lar^o ^loMltlo-^^ liitt' flowers. It 

 is^lisMnrt in growth, llio main branches 

 a ling out niort* or loss horizontally, 



pink 



[K'r io< 



<,ian,eler, and arranging thr« plant. ,n ^^^^^^^^ T^^i:':^::^. 



eacn. ^ 



