PARK AND CEMBTERY 
486 
Hydrang^ea Panicvilata Grandiflora 
The hardy hydrangea is generally nnderstood as be- 
ing the H. paniculata grandiflora, though there are 
many other hardy species. But this one is a sort every- 
one wants, and almost every one has, just as for tub 
culture in the North the H. Hortensea is so often 
grown. On every large place this hardy one H. pani- 
culata grandiflora is to be met with ; and the illustration 
is not given expecting to present something new, but to 
show what a fine bush it makes when well managed, 
and how nicely it fits certain positions, such as the one 
in which this plant is placed. It is evidently well sit- 
uated, as the surroundings proclaim. This specimen 
is a good one, as its vigorous shoots and large flow- 
ers show. It is an example of good pruning. ATry 
often bushes of it are let go unpruned. This results 
in a great lot of small flowers, which present a very 
unsatisfactory appearance. This one has been skil- 
fully pruned. Some time before coming into leaf it 
was cut back to within a few inches of the old wood ; 
that is, an inch or two of the last season’s growth 
was left to every shoot. This is what gives the large 
flowers. There is such a thing as too close pruning. 
Should an old bush be cut back severely, leaving but 
few Shoots of any kind, the flowers produced are so 
large and heavy that they drag the shoots over almost 
to the ground. As already stated, the specimen il- 
lustrated well shows good pruning and good placing. 
Anyone possessing two bushes of the hydrangea, 
and desirous that one should flower later than the 
other, can have success by pinching off the top of the 
shoots of one plant when about half grown. Side 
shoots are formed which bloom later, but have smaller 
HYUKANCiEA PANICULATA OKANDIFLORA. 
flower heads. Florists sometimes adopt this plan to 
give them flowers late, as they find the blossoms of 
much use to them in their business. 
Joseph Meehan. 
Notes on Tree Planting. 
Mr. J. Woodward Manning struck a keynote when 
he said in one of his lectures on improvement work 
that “the planting, nourishment, preservation, sym- 
metry and, on occasion, the destruction, of trees is an 
important part of town improvement.” 
The Improvement Society of Stonington, 'Conn., 
last year, through its Tree Comi|iittee, reported the 
planting of eighty trees, some at the expense of the 
society and others at the expense of residents. The 
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Com- 
pany alsO' set out ten trees at its own expense at a 
point where the society had solicited permission to 
plant trees ; and two residents are reported to have 
set a large number without solicitation from the com- 
mittee. 
This reminds one to say that planting trees along 
country roads, while highly desirable in itself, should 
be done with regard to the principles of landscape 
gardening if the results are to be satisfactory. The 
current number of Country Life in America contains 
a severe and no doubt merited criticism of the cele- 
brated Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, Cal. The writer 
says that driving through it is “about as cheerful as 
driving through a tunnel. I wished to see the land- 
scape, the river and the flat bottom-land, with the hills 
beyond ; but it was all cut off. The ornamentation of 
the wayside should be the work of an artist.” He 
goes on to suggest that rows of trees placed at regular 
intervals are suitable where they will not shut off good 
scenery ; that groups should be used at some points, 
some of them extending over on to adjoining prop- 
erty ; that some of these plantations should contain a 
variety of species, and that others should be all of one 
kind, giving the effect of a natural thicket or colony — 
as one invariably sees the beautiful wild crabs grow- 
ing; and that open spaces at commanding points 
should give glimpses or wide views of the landscape. 
He adds that rolling country offers the best opportu- 
nities for effective grouping and for distant views. 
This stricture of one of the most famous avenues 
in the country should cause us to readjust our think- 
ing cap when it comes to planting trees, even if they 
are for the purpose of shading a drive. In fact, there 
is no better place to be sure you’re right before going 
ahead than in the matter of tree planting. 
Frances Copley Seavey. 
