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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



unfortunately, do not long retain their beauty if the weather is wet or 

 windy. 



The crabs and cherries form two groups of outstanding importance, 

 and it would be difficult to place too high an estimate upon their value 

 in the creation of garden scenery. Chief among the apples are the varieties 

 of Pyrus floribunda, for they possess an elegant habit and are remarkable 

 for the freedom with which they bloom. The type has flowers that are 

 bright crimson in the bud state and pale pink when fully expanded. 

 The finest of the varieties are atrosanguinea, Halleana, and Schei- 

 deckeri, the last being especially meritorious. P. spectabilis has a more 

 erect habit and forms a tree of considerable size. The flowers are large 

 and of a rich pink hue. The Siberian Crab (P. baccata) is a handsome 

 tree with rcundish head and produces a profusion of pure white flowers. 

 The White Beam tree (P. Aria) is pyramidal in growth and has greyish 

 leaves, white on the under side, and produces clusters of white flowers 

 that are followed by brilliant scarlet fruits. 



Not less beautiful in their way are the double-flowered cherries. The 

 single -flowered forms present a charming appearance when en wreathed 

 in their snowy blossom, but the flowers soon shed their petals. There 

 are two cherries of exceptional merit : one is Cerasus Avium fl. pi. (fig. 2), 

 which has pure white double flowers of large size and is most profuse 

 in flowering ; the other is C. pseudo- cerasus 'J. H. Veitch,' a form 

 bearing large double flowers of a pale lilac-rose, and so handsome when 

 in bloom that it would be difficult to overestimate its merits for garden 

 planting. C. pseudo-cerasus is less elegant in growth than the Bird 

 Cherries and others of similar habit, but the wide-spreading branches give 

 it a distinct character and the attractive flowers render it of considerable 

 value. C. pseudo-cerasus Watereri is a handsome form, but not quite so 

 effective in colour as ' J. H. Veitch ' ; but as Watereri blooms a fortnight 

 or so earlier there is no occasion to institute comparisons between them. 

 Planters will do well to take advantage of both. Another cherry that 

 can be recommended for a suitable position in pleasure-grounds is C. 

 Mahaleb pendula, which is, .perhaps, of greater value for its elegant 

 habit than for its flowers. 



The brooms and other trees and shrubs belonging to the same natural 

 order form a valuable group, because of the distinct shade of colour 

 they afford. One of the first to bloom is the free- flowering Cytisus 

 yraecox, with sulphur- white flowers, and this in due course is followed by 

 C. scoparius Andreanus, one of the most attractively coloured of the 

 brooms, and C. albus, a white-flowered species of elegant growth. Of 

 special value for spreading over banks and bold rockwork is C. keicensis, 

 a hybrid obtained by crossing C. albus and C. Ardoinii, bearing large soft- 

 yellow flowers. Genista hispanica fl. pi. is a dense-growing shrub useful 

 on bold rockeries and in the margin of shrubbery borders, bearing a pro- 

 fusion of rich yellow flowers, where also G. cinerea may be used with 

 advantage. The Spanish broom (Spartium junceum) is of bold growth, 

 has bright-yellow flowers, is highly effective when in bloom, and of value 

 for the long period over which its flower-production extends. Seedlings 

 of the Laburnum should not be planted in the garden until they have 

 flowered and have been found of high quality. The best course is to plant 



