The Garden Magazine, September, 1920 
37 
FOR BEAUTY OF FORM AND PLIANT GRACE OF HABIT THE PENDULOUS DWARF HEMLOCK IS UNIQUE 
The peculiar softness and graciousness that distinguishes Tsuga canadensis is refined to its very essence in the variety 
pendula, the Sargent’s Hemlock which Gen. Howland discovered and named for his friend Henry Winthrop Sargent 
of their outdoor culture; so, too, are certain Maples. But in 
general the dwarfs of the broad-leaf trees of the north have very 
little garden value. Among the Conifers and Yews the story is 
different; and in passing it may be mentioned that these frequent 
alpine regions more generally than do their broad-leaf kin. 
And so it comes to pass that the Arborvitaes, Junipers, Pines, 
Spruces, Firs, Hemlocks and Yews supply nearly all the 
decorative dwarf forms of tree-growth that our gardens 
possess. 
One of the best known and most widely used of these dwarf 
evergreens is the Mugho Pine (Pinus montana var. Mughus, bet- 
ter known as P. mughus or P. pumilio). This is a native of the 
mountains of central and southern Europe. On the Pyrenees it 
occurs both as a shrub and as atreeof moderate size; on theTyro- 
leseAlps it is everywhere a low, densely branched bush. In culti- 
vation it is a broad shrub with many erect stems, occasionally 
reaching the height of 1 5 feet, and covered with dark green leaves. 
On the higher mountains of eastern Asia and north Japan, 
and reaching sea-level in Saghalien, grows Pinus pumila, in 
many ways the counterpart of the Mugho but belonging to 
another section of the genus. This oriental dwarf Pine is 
creeping in habit and forms an impenetrable tangle from less 
than a yard to full 10 feet in height. Unfortunately it has not 
taken kindly to cultivation — yet why it should be intractible 
it is impossible to explain. 
Of the noble White Pine of eastern North America (P. Strobus) 
there are several dwarf forms of pleasing appearance. The best 
is var. nana, a compact bushy shrub with short slender branches 
and numerous branchlets clothed with short leaves that are 
densely clustered at the extremities of the branchlets. Others 
are vars. compacta and pumila, sufficiently described by their 
names, and rare in cultivation. 
The Scots Pine (P. sylvestris), widely distributed in northern 
Europe and northern Asia, has given rise to many varieties, 
among them two or three pigmies. The best are var. nana and 
var. Watereri which are pyramidal in outline and, with their 
gray-green, stiff foliage, quite attractive little shrubs. A 
stunted form of the Japanese White Pine (P. parviflora) is com- 
mon in the gardens of this country and Europe often under the 
name of P. pentaphvlla. This form is produced by grafting on 
the Black Pine (P. Thunbergii), which is an uncongenial stock 
that causes very slow growth and stunted development. 
Of the Japanese Red Pine there are many forms and the 
Tanyo-sho (var. umbraculifera) and Bandai-sho (var. globosa) 
are among the most useful of all dwarf Pines. The Tanyo-sho 
or Table Pine grows from 5 to 12 feet tall and has a dense, 
rounded, umbrella-like crown and gray-green leaves. The 
Bandai-sho is more diminutive, being seldom 6 feet high and 
has grass-green foliage. 
The Norway Spruce (Picea Abies) has been extraordinarily 
prolific in abnormal forms of many kinds and among them 
half-a-dozen dwarfs. The var. Clanbrassiliana is seldom seen 
taller than from 5 to 6 feet; it is globose or rounded in habit and 
has much shortened and close set branches, branchlets and 
leaves. It originated on the Moira estate near Belfast about 
the end of the eighteenth century, and was introduced to 
England by Lord Clanbrassil, hence its name. A diminutive 
variety is Gregoryana which seldom grows higher than 2 feet. 
The branches and branchlets of this are very numerous, short 
and spreading, and are thickly clothed with short, stiff leaves 
spreading obliquely from all sides. The var. pygmaea is equally 
small and its branches and branchlets are excessively shortened; 
the leaves are very small, prickly and close set. Of dense conical 
habit is var. pumila and its leaves, which spread from all sides 
of the branchlets, are dark green and glaucescent. Lastly, 
mention may be made of var. dumosa in which the branches are 
quite prostrate and furnished with many slender branchlets 
clothed with rather distant, short leaves. For general purpose 
the varieties Clanbrassiliana and Gregoryana are the best, and 
they rank among the most useful of dwarf conifers. 
Of the native Black Spruce (P. mariana) there is a variety 
(Doumettii) which is compact and pyramidal in habit and 
seldom more than 10 feet high, and of bluish color. There is 
also an interesting dwarf form of the Blue Spruce (P. pungens). 
This originated several years ago in the nurseries of the Arnold 
Arboretum and promises to be of value as a decorative plant. 
