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ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS. 
Editors of the Cultivator— I propose to give you 
a .list of some of our most common ornamental trees and 
shrubs, suitable for the plan I gave in the last No. of the 
Cultivator. I freely confess that my knowledge of them 
and their culture is too limited to do the subject justice, 
but an imperfect attempt may be useful. 
The object, of course, of ornamental planting, is to 
render home delightful; and whatever contributes to 
this object the most effectually, more especially during 
this dreary season, stands first in importance. 
Shrubs and trees are rendered ornamental in winter, 
by their branches or bark, by their berries, and by ever¬ 
green leaves. Among the first, may be named. 
The red dogwood, (Comm alba,) sometimes called red 
willow, which has bright red stems and branches, and 
which, if they grow densely, are quite showy in winter 
and early spring. They vary much, however, in bright¬ 
ness, and the very best only should be selected for trans¬ 
planting. Though growing naturally in swamps, this 
shrub succeeds well on common rich soil,when removed. 
It is seven or eight feet high. 
The striped maple is admired for its beautifully striated 
bark; ten to twenty feet high. 
The golden ash is rendered ornamental by its fine yel¬ 
low bark. It grows thirty feet high. 
The white birch is distinguished by the silvery color 
of its trunk and larger branches, and attains the height 
of thirty or forty feet. 
In planting these, they should as far as practicable be 
so placed as to be rendered conspicuous by objects be¬ 
yond ; as, for instance, the red dogwood and golden ash 
should be relieved by a white building when seen from 
the walk, and the birch by a dark colored building, (as 
brick,) or by dark evergreens. 
Among some of the finest ornamental berry-bearing 
trees and shrubs, are, 
The mountain ash, rendered elegant and remarkably 
beautiful in winter, by its large, pendant clusters of or¬ 
ange scarlet berries. The large fruited American species 
is decidedly the finest for richness of appearance. 
The bush cranberry, (Viburnum oxycocus,) which is 
common in swamps, is much improved by removal and 
culture, and succeeds well, if placed in a dug bed, filled 
with muck, where it often bears red 'clusters of fruit, six 
inches in diameter, which retain all their brightness till 
spring. 
The barberry is eminently beautiful, from its delicate 
racemes of red fruit. 
Several species of thorn are quite showy, from the 
scarlet color of their berries. Some varieties of the 
most common native, (Crataegus punctata,) and the large 
scarlet, (C. coccinea,) are most conspicuous. The ever¬ 
green pyracantha, if well sheltered and trained low, re¬ 
tains its fruit and foliage through winter. If planted 
beneath the shelter of taller evergreens, it would doubt¬ 
less succeed best, and would add much in appearance to 
the shrubbery. All these are either small trees or 
shrubs. 
The finest situation for the above, is near dark ever¬ 
greens, where the bright crimson and scarlet clusters 
will most strikingly contrast with the dark rich green of 
the trees behind. - 
None of our deciduous trees, (except such as the 
above, and a few early flowering,) are a source of much 
beauty, unless in foliage; this is rarely the case for more 
than five months in the whole twelve. It is in this re¬ 
spect that evergreens possess such eminent superiority. 
Where a dwelling is surrounded by them, and the view 
at a distance is shut out—except when that distant view 
may be worth preserving,—and especially where they 
enter largely into the formation of the outer border of 
the surrounding grounds, their cheering effect, during 
the bleak winter months, is indescribable. Spring flow¬ 
ers, planted beneath their shelter, would bloom much 
earlier; and many plants,otherwise too tender for the open 
air, would thus survive the winter unhurt. Plantations 
of evergreens would also greatly diminish the severity 
of cold winds in bleak situations. It is familiar to many 
that a house, well sheltered by woods, requires the con¬ 
sumption of scarcely one-half the fuel for warming it, 
as one much exposed. Evergreens would produce the 
same effect, and in this point of view be highly econo¬ 
mical. 
The white pine, (Pinus strobus,) is decidedly the finest 
tree of the genus indigenous to the northern States. 
The lively green of its rich,‘silky plumes, renders it strik¬ 
ingly ornamental. The pitch pine, (P. rigida,) though 
less graceful and of stiffer appearance, when its growth 
is dense, is exceedingly fine and beautiful, and is well 
worthy of a place in every plantation of trees. 
The balsam fir, (P. balsamea,) 'although like most of 
the sub-genus Abies, of more symmetrical regularity 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
than picturesque expression, is scarcely inferior in beau¬ 
ty to any evergreen, except the silver fir. The silvery 
white surface of its leaves below, and the clear green 
above, give a liveliness to its appearance which few oth¬ 
ers possess. 
The European silver fir, (P. picea,) strongly resembles 
the balsam fir, but is a larger tree, and has much larger 
foliage, which, superadded to the fine qualities of the 
latter, render it eminently Worthy of a place in all orna¬ 
mental grounds. 
The white spruce, (P. alba,) and black spruce, (P. 
nigra,) are handsome trees. The former is much im¬ 
proved by thrifty growth in rich soil, and its light green 
color contrasts finely with the dark hue of the latter. 
The hemlock, (P. canadensis,) from its great abun¬ 
dance, is much underrated as an ornamental tree, but the 
color, denseness, and graceful freedom of its foliage, 
when growing well in open grounds, and not oversha¬ 
dowed by other trees, place it conspicuously among our 
spruces. Of course this will not be admitted by those 
whose prejudices impel them to denounce whatever is 
common; but the intrinsic beauty of the works of crea¬ 
tion is not affected by prejudice. 
The Norway fir, (P. communis,) though of less lively 
color in its foliage than most others, excels them in the 
graceful pendant sweep of its branches, and as a fine 
evergreen is scarcely inferior to any, and superior to 
most. Its growth is perfectly straight, and its form sym¬ 
metrical, and as a single tree, to stand alone, is exceed¬ 
ingly beautiful. 
The American arbor vitce, or white cedar, (Thuja occ'i- 
dentalis,) is a handsome tree in winter, and being, wh en 
thrifty, of very dense growth, and also easy to transplant, 
it is well fitted to form ranges or hedges, for screens 
from severe winds. The brown hue of its foliage dur ing 
winter, though an objection, may be used to advantage 
by mixing it with trees of livelier color, to increase the 
variety of expression, and avoid the uniformity too apt 
to appear in large plantations of evergreens. Downing 
says that the stem rarely measures more than ten or 
twelve inches in diameter, but I have frequently mea¬ 
sured stumps of this tree three feet high, that were three 
feet, and some four feet in diameter. 
The red cedar, (Juniperus canadensis,) is a fine ever¬ 
green. Though not of handsome form, the appearance 
of its dense masses of purple berries, partly concealed 
among the dark branches, give it a peculiar wildness and 
beauty, hard to describe; Its growth is very close and 
dense, and it is consequently admirably adapted for 
hedges. 
The common Juniper, (J. communis,) retains a much 
livelier color through winter, but is of smaller size. 
The tree box, the English yew, the Chinese arbor vitce, 
the savin, and several others of low growth, are also de¬ 
serving of attention. —- 
Most of the preceding trees and shrubs, it will be 
observed, are more or less common as natives of the 
United States, and they may be procured and transplant¬ 
ed with little difficulty. Nearly all, which are deciduous, 
are of very easy removal; those from swamps and wet 
grounds, if transplanted into a dug bed of swamp muck, 
mostly succeed well; and if situated where they may 
receive the washings from higher grounds, (which will 
be retained by deep beds of muck throug-h a long season 
of drouth,) scarcely any will fail. Many trees from 
swamps live, and soon become accustomed to dryer soil, 
if carefully removed, without this precaution. 
It must be obvious to every one, that trees taken from 
the open ground or the outskirts of W'oods, are better and 
more easily transplanted than those growing in the midst 
of thick forests,where they are slender,with few branch¬ 
es and few roots. In the humid climate of Scotland, 
trees of great size have been successfully removed; but 
in this country, the attempt should not be made on any 
much more than 20 feet high at the extreme. It is often 
exceedingly desirable to produce an immediate effect in 
grounds by trees of considerable size; but the check 
which they receive in their growth by transplanting, is 
more than compensated by the increased vigor of 
smaller ones, when the work is done in the best man¬ 
ner. 
Every tree whose diameter is two inches, should have 
the earth carefully removed from the roots to a distance 
of at least two and a half feet on each side, when it is 
taken up, and all the small roots should be carefully 
preserved. When set out, the hole should be of full 
size to receive all these roots without bending, and they 
should be well and carefully bedded as nearly in their 
natural position as possible, in finely pulverized, rich 
earth. I was much amused to hear a person, in pointing 
out the reason of the great want of success in trans¬ 
planting trees in this country, describe his own mode, 
which he considered decidedly a superior one. He 
first dug a number of holes two feet across, then went 
into the woods, bent the trees over, (such as were about 
two inches in diameter,) hitched his oxen to the top, 
and cutting off two or three of the largest roots, drew the 
trees up, and afterwards set them out. If this was a 
careful mode, what must be the general practice 1 
Trees of larger size may be prepared for removal by 
digging the earth away from the roots, cutting these all 
off at a proper distance from the trunk, and again filling 
in the earth. If the soil thus removed were replaced 
with richer or manured soil, the effect would be better. 
A large number of new roots are thrown out to supply 
the place of those cut off, and when after a year or two 
the tree is removed, these roots are scarcely injured, and 
success rendered nearly certain. 
Doing the work well, is always the most economical, 
37 
as it is cheaper to dig up ten trees, remove them, and set 
them out well, than to transplant thirty in a hasty manner, 
and lose twenty of them, though the time employed on 
each tree may be only one-third. 
Pines and other evergreens are generally regarded as 
•of exceedingly difficult removal, and many persons are 
th us entirely discouraged from the attempt. But if pro¬ 
perly managed, the difficulty vanishes. Those of smaller 
size, which are inured to open cultivated soil in nurse¬ 
ries, succeed well; but When taken from their native 
localities, they require peculiar treatment. As much 
earth as practicable should always be left on the roots, 
and to secure this end, it will be found that those from 
swamps and muck land, where the roots are more per¬ 
fectly matted with the soil, will always be best, even 
though removed to the dryest upland. When trans¬ 
planted, the roots should have a very shallow covering of 
rich earth, and be protected from the drying heat of the 
sun by a coating of leaves or other litter; and an occa¬ 
sional watering, in dry seasons, would be beneficial. 
This mode of treatment will apply to the white pine, 
the balsam fir, the white spruce, the hemlock, and many 
others. The arbor vitee, (or white cedar,) when grow¬ 
ing in swamps, usually has a dense mass of short roots 
near the surface, and by cutting round a single circle 
with a spade, it is taken up with the greatest ease, and 
if then set out according to the preceding mode, scarcely 
ever fails of success. But its removal from upland, I 
have found far more difficult. Some species of pine, 
which grow on barrens, or on sour soils,* will never 
grow when transplanted in land of a different quality. 
Success is only insured by carrying a large portion (as 
half a cart load,) of their own native earth with them to 
form a bed for their reception. J. J. T. 
SELECT LIST OF FINE ROSES. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —The annexed list of 
roses embraces a selection of good and distinct varieties, 
which may be depended on by those who are unac¬ 
quainted with them: 
MOSS ROSES. 
1. White Moss, a much admired but scarce variety. 
2. Perpetual White Moss, or White Mossy Four Sea¬ 
sons, flowers in clusters, very sweet scented, and flowers 
sometimes in September, but not always a second time. 
3. Pompon, or Mossy de Meux, or Button Moss, flow¬ 
ers small, early flowering, a very desirable variety. 
4. Common or Old Moss, a variety known to all. 
5. Crested or Crestata Moss, a singular variety, per¬ 
haps as much admired as any of the varieties of the Moss 
rose. 
6. Crimson or Scarlet Moss, wood and flowers darker 
than the Old Moss, but a freer grower, a better variety. 
7. Mossy Moss, leaves and wood mossy. 
8. Luxemburgh Moss, a new variety, grows very 
freely, the darkest flowered Moss rose we have. 
WHITE ROSES. 
9. Madam Hardy, said to be the finest White rose 
known; when first opened, a little tinged with blush. H. 
10. Black Superb, a pure white rose, fine. 
11. Brown’s Venus, pure white, small, a scarce vari¬ 
ety, very difficult to root. 
12. Hybrid White, a good rose. H. 
13. Unique, or White Unique, a well known old va¬ 
riety, and much admired. 
14. Striped Unique, much like the white, but often 
has a red stripe, and sometimes the one-half of the flower 
red; much admired variety. 
DARK ROSES. 
15. George the Fourth, or Black Cabbage rose, a free 
grower and bloomer, one of the finest of dark roses. H. 
16. Miralba, a superb dark rose, like the Tuscany in 
color, but much more double, and altogether a finer rose. 
17. African, a good dark rose. 
18. Black Iris, very dark and double, flowers small, 
wood slender; a dwarf grower. 
19. Roi de Nigres, a fine dark rose. 
MIXED COLORS. 
20. Cabbage, or Cabbage Provins, a rose that will be 
always admired. 
21. Leda, blush margined with pink. 
22. London Pride, fine light rose color. H. 
23. Village Maid, striped, the best striped we have. 
24. Royal Greatness, deep rose color, large and double. 
25. Violet Blue, a fine blueish purple. 
26. Favoricus, one of the best rose colored roses. 
27. La Turturelle, or Turtle Dove rose. H. 
28. Pallagi, one of the finest red roses. H. 
29. General Foy, or Red Cabbage rose, a fine variety. 
30. Ceresette, an abundant bloomer, light rose color. 
31. Belle Alliance, or Tri-color, a singular and beau¬ 
tiful variety, not a full double, but much admired. 
32. Purple Ravelle, a half running variety, small, but 
an abundant bloomer; color dark. 
33. Harrison rose, yellow, the best hardy yellow. 
34. Austren, a single variety, one side of the petals 
yellow or orange, the other red; a desirable variety. 
35. Double Detroit or Michigan rose, with flowers si¬ 
milar to the Cabbage rose, perhaps the best climbing rose. 
Those marked with H. are hybrids, mostly tall gr<»vers, none 
of which flower well on the wood of the former year; the wood 
ought to be two years old to have them flower well. To have 
a fine and abundant bloom, the shoots ought to be thinned out, 
but not cut down, as is the practice of some with their roses. 
It is well to bend them down in the fall, and cover them with a 
little earth or manure, to keep them from the alternations of 
freezing and thawing. __ James Wilson. 
* Indicated generally by the growth of sorrel or broom grass^ 
(Andropogon. 
