ORCHARD AND GARDEN. 
VOL. XIII. 
MAY, 1891. 
NO. 5. 
Evergreens for the Lawn. 
Evergreen trees are necessary to complete 
the planting of a lawn. Aside from orna- 
mentation, they have a certain value in 
winter in affording shelter and protection 
against storms and high winds, and give a 
little needed color and warmth to the land- 
scape when deciduous trees have drop- 
ped their foliage. We can add only 
a brief 1st here; but among others, 
we will describe a few which are not 
yet so generally known as they should 
be, but are valuable for the lawn. 
When large trees are admissible, the 
Hemlock (Abies Canadensis) must 
take the first place. There is no ever- 
green tree whatever that combines so 
much grandeur, grace, and beauty. 
It should stand by itself, with plenty 
of space all around it. The Hemlock 
makes the most beautiful of all ever- 
green hedges. A. Canadensis var. 
densatn is a handsome dwarf variety 
of the Hemlock Spruce, suitable for a 
small lawn. A. Canadensis var. Sar- 
gentii pendula is a very beautiful va- 
riety with drooping branches. This 
is entitled to a choice place by itself. 
A. pungens, the Colorado Blue Spruce, 
is a compact, pyramidal tree with 
rich blue foliage, the best of the blue- 
tinted Spruces, and altogether a most 
beautiful tree. Only small tress can 
as yet be bought, and these not al- 
ways the best marked. This Spruce 
also known as Picea pungens, Abies 
Engelmanii, and by several other 
names. Abies alba, our native White 
Spruce, is a useful tree of pyramidal 
form, w T ith silvery gray foliage. A. 
alba var. ccerulea, Glaucous Spruce, is 
a fine variety of the preceding with bluish 
green foliage. The new growth is very 
beautiful. A. Alcocquiana, Alcock’s Spruce, 
is a handsome tree of compact growth, with 
light green foliage, silvery underneath. A. 
excelsa is the common Norway Spruce, well 
known and generally planted. The trees 
vary a little from seed, and one may, in the 
nursery, pick out some forms better than 
others. A. excelsa var. Ellwangeri is an ex- 
cellent variety for a small lawn. It bears a 
general resemblance to the parent form, 
only it is dwarf and compact. A. excelsa 
var. pumila is another dwarf form of com- 
pact and symmetrical habit. A. excelsa 
var. conica, a dwarf tree of pyramidal 
habit, is also a good subject for a small 
lawn. 
anywhere. It is a native of Great Britain. 
It is a rapid grower, with bluish green 
leaves. 
The Yews are splendid evergreen lawn 
plants, and are very useful for small lawns 
and door yards. They are all desirable, but 
a few of the best are named. Taxus ad- 
pressa, Japan Yew, is alow-growing, bushy 
shrub, with dark green leaves. The flowers 
are followed by pretty pink berries. F cus- 
pidata, also from Japan, is a low, spreading 
shrub, with light green foliage. T. baccata 
is the English Yew. It is a compact grow- 
er, with dark, dull green foliage. It grows 
in time to be a tree thirty or forty feet high. 
T. baccata var. elegantissima is one of the 
Golden Yews, and one of the most 
beautiful of the family. T. baccata 
var. aurea is another of the Golden 
Yews, resembling the last, but of 
brighter color. It is very beautiful. 
T. baccata var. erecta is a fine upright, 
compact groving variety. There are 
other fine kinds. The Yews are very 
slow growers. 
The Retinospora, or Japan Cypress, 
is a very interesting genus of small 
or medium-sized evergreen trees. 
There are quite a number of species 
and varieties, and together they form 
a beautiful group. R. piumosa is a 
handsome tree of dense growth with 
drooping, plume-like branches. R. 
piumosa var. aurea is a variety of the 
preceding with bright yellow-tipped 
foliage, and is very beautiful, winter 
or summer. It makes a fine orna- 
mental hedge. R. filifera is a beau- 
tiful tree of pyramidal form with 
bright green foliage, the branches 
drooping in a graceful way, giving 
the tree a very handsome and attrac- 
tive appearance. R.filijera var. aurea 
is a variety of the last, and has the 
additional charm of golden yellow to 
enhance its beauty. This should be- 
come a favorite. 
Some Desirable Ornamental 
Shrubs. 
Of the more or less recently introduced 
shrubs, Berberis Thunbergii is entitled to a 
front place. The common name for this 
plant is to be Japan Berberry. It does not 
grow so large as the common Berberry, 
and is rather more compact. It is a decided- 
ly handsome plant for the lawn or shrub- 
bery, and is even a better hedge plant than 
the common Berberry. The yellow flowers 
are produced in small pendulous racemes. It 
is very beautiful in the autumn when its 
foliage turns to a dark red, and its berries 
are ornamental during the winter. A fine 
effect may be produced by grouping it in a 
small way . All the Berberries are esteemed 
for making a nice jelly. 
A pretty companion for the last is the 
Of the Firs, Picea pichta, Siberian Silver 
Fir, is one of the most useful. It is a hand- 
some tree of medium size, compact growth, 
dark green foliage and pyramidal form. P. 
Nordmanniana, Nordmann’s Silver Fir, is a 
noble tree from the Crimean Mountains, of 
slow growth, but untimately attaining a 
large size. The new growth is very hand- 
some, and the glossy, dark green foliage 
makes it a conspicuous object in winter. It 
should be generally planted. P. Cilicica, 
Cilician Silver Fir, is one of the finest of the 
Silver Firs. It is a compact grower with 
dark green foliage, the new growth being 
particularly attractive. 
The Pines, with few exceptions, are only 
The Colorado Blue Spruce. Fig. 175. 
adapted for large places. Planted singly, 
some of them make noble specimens in time. 
Pinus ponderosa is one of the best of the 
Pines, and a grand tree for a large lawn. 
It is a rapid grower, with branches not so 
spreading as some others. The leaves are 
silvery green and eight or nine inches long. 
It is a native of California. P. Strobus, 
White Pine or Weymouth Pine, a native 
species, is a very handsome tree, and the 
most cheerful looking of the pines. The 
leaves are slender, bluish green, and about 
four inches long. It grows to be a large 
tree. P. Austriaca, Austrian or Black Pine, 
is one of the best of the dark-colored Pines. 
It is a strong grower, with long, stiff, dark 
green leaves. P. sylvestris, Scotch Pine or 
| Fir, is well known, and will grow almost 
