PARK AND CEMETERY 
and Landscape Gardening. 
VOL. XIII CHICAGO, JUNE, 1903 No. 4 
Cultivation of Coniferous Evergreens 
By John Dunbar. 
The hardy coniferous evergreens form an important 
part in all extensive oranamental planting, and their 
cultivation should never be omitted under any circum- 
stances, where they can be successfully grown. The 
cheerful appearance they present at all seasons of the 
year, . and particularly during the fall and winter 
months ; their handsome, comely forms, with central 
straight shaft, like the pines, spruces and firs, or dense 
successful cultivation. With few exceptions a light 
porous, well-drained, moist soil, with gravelly subsoil 
is adapted to most of the evergreens. It must not, of 
course, be understood we recommend a thin, poor soil, 
hut a good mellow surface, not too rich in organic ma- 
nures. A rich, heavy soil retentive of moisture, so that 
a rampant growth is maintained late in the season, is 
in the case of those at all tender, very liable to be in- 
VIEW IN THE PINETUM, HIGHLAND PARK, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 
spreading heads, like the yews and many junipers; or 
compact regular forms like the Chinese and American 
Arbor Vibes, render them all variously striking, beau- 
tiful and attractive. Among people of refined tastes, 
and who are interested in the cultivation of plants, the 
coniferous evergreens are always held in high esteem, 
and many strenuous efforts are made to develop the 
characteristic beauty of some of the choicest of those 
interesting plants. 
Fortunately with most of the coniferous evergreens 
of North America, there is no serious difficulty in their 
jurecl by the cold of winter. This is particularly ap- 
plicable to the Cryptomerias, Cedars, Lawson’s Cy- 
press, etc., in all localities where they are known to be 
at all tender. 
It is well known, however, to most careful cultiva- 
tors of evergreens, that some of our native conifers 
are quite tender, and are almost useless for planting in 
bleak, unprotected situations. For example, the Hem- 
lock Spruce, Tsuga Canadensis, one of the gems of 
American conifers, if planted fully exposed to the blasts 
of the northwest winds, will present a forlorn and un- 
