P A R K A N D 
CEMETERY. 
103 
SPIllAEA PllUNIFOLlA, OR BRIDAL WREATH, IN FORE- 
GROUND; KERRIA AND EXOCHORDIA BACK OF THESE; 
FIRITHER BACK GROUPING OF WILD ROSES; 
FLOWERING CRAB ON THE HILL. 
AQITLEGIA AXn FOXGLOVES AT HIGHLAND PARK: 
BLACK WILLOW IN DISTANCE; GROUPING OF WEIGELA 
BACK OF THE PERENNIAL PLANTING. 
the principal genera are : pines, 67 ; spruces, 
60; firs, 30; junipers, 46; arbor-vitaes, 40; 
yews, 23 ; larches, 9. 
Amongst deciduous trees, shrubs and 
vines some of the principal genera are: 
willows, 77 : poplars, 34 ; walnuts, 8 ; 
hickories, 19; birches, 48; oaks, 42; elms, 
27; blackberries, 10; basswoods, 26; maples, 
73 ; ashes, 34 ; magnolias, 32 ; crab-apples, 
45; pears, 19; cherries and plums, 114; 
hawthorns in Genesee Valley Park, 530; 
loniceras, lo2: rhododendrons, 142; aza- 
leas, 130 ; lilacs, 297 ; deutzias, 51 ; phila- 
delphus, 50; viburnums, 54; dogwoods, 40: 
sumachs, 22 ; spiraeas, 68 ; roses, 225 ; ruhus, 
66: ribes, 03; euonymus, 21 ; barberries, 74; 
buckthorns, 18. 
In the autumn of 1890 Ellwanger & Bar- 
ry presented to the Park Commission a 
complete collection of all the hardy orna- 
mental shrubs in their nurseries which 
formed an important nucleus for the ar- 
boretum in Highland Park. In the spring 
of 1802 the park commissioners made ex- 
tensive purchases of trees and shrubs in 
numerous nurseries throughout the United 
States, England, France and Germany, and 
it was at this period that the Highland 
Park Arboretum was really established. 
One hundred varieties of lilacs were se- 
cured at this time. 
In the spring of 1896 when the lilacs first 
began to bloom, and it was publicly an- 
nounced in the press that 100 varieties of 
lilacs were to be seen in flower in High- 
land Park, crowds went immediately to 
see them, and for the past nineteen years 
the lilac exhibition has been one of the im- 
portant events of tlie year in Rochester. 
As told elsewhere, the collection contains 
297 species and varieties. 
In the spring of 1890 the nucleus of the 
interesting collection of coniferous ever- 
greens was established on the slopes of the 
rax’ine that runs east and west on the north 
side of Highland Park. Many of the pines, 
spruces and firs have become a highly edu- 
cational feature at all times of the year 
and have attracted the attention of horti- 
cultural experts from all parts of the world. 
The planting of rhododendrons was com- 
menced in 1900. It was demonstrated by 
experiments previous to this in Highland 
Park that rhododendrons would not thrive 
in the limestone soil of the region. The 
soil was removed to a depth of from two 
to two and one-half feet and replaced by 
pure humus free from lime, and all the 
areas and beds filled with rhododendrons 
and azaleas have all been constructed on 
this plan. What appeared to be an insur- 
mountable obstacle was overcome, and the 
display of rhododendrons and azaleas is 
noted throughout the country. 
In 1889 Dr. Charles Sprague Sargent, 
director of the Arnold Arboretum, first 
visited Highland Park. His interest was 
immediately aroused by the large collec- 
tion of trees and shrubs he saw and he has 
been an annual visitor since that time. Dr. 
Sargent interested the park commissioners 
and officials in more extensive botanical 
research, and recpiested them to make a 
systematic examination of the native haw- 
thorns and other trees in the Genesee Val- 
ley and adjacent regions. This was done 
thoroughly and the material was submitted 
to Dr Sargent for examination. Many 
new species of trees and shrubs were dis- 
covered in this collaboration with Dr. Sar- 
gent. The large majority of the new spe- 
cies discovered were hawthorns. 
In 1902 Dr. Sargent sent his first pres- 
entation of trees and shrubs to the Park 
Board, and with a few exceptions annual 
consignments have been given to the park 
commissioners since that time by him. 
Many of the species of trees and shrubs 
discovered in western China by E. H. Wil- 
son, who collected in China for Dr. Sar- 
gent, have been included in these donations 
by Dr. Sargent. Since Dr. Sargent’s ac- 
quaintance with the parks, the number of 
species and varieties of trees and shrubs 
has probably doubled. 
In 1906 a beginning was made in estab- 
lishing large peony collections at the west 
end of Highland Park. The number of 
varieties of herbaceous and tree peonies is 
now about 408. 
The roadway in Genesee Valley Park 
adjacent to the boundary line at the south 
end of the land given to the city by Miss 
Baker is planted on both sides with 530 
species of American hawthorns. This is a 
unique collection, as it is unquestionably 
the largest aggregation of American haw- 
thorns in the world outside of the Arnold 
Arboretum. They are all growing rapidly, 
and in a few years, when they begin to 
flower and fruit freely, they' will attract a 
great deal of attention. 
Duplicate or supplementary collections of 
elms, crab-apples, oaks, hickories, ashes 
