The Garden Magazine, September, 1923 
39 
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“OUR SPRING-FLOWERING MAGNOLIAS ARE ALL CHINESE IN ORIGIN” 
For more than a thousand years a favorite tree in Chinese gardens, the Magnolia was first introduced into England in 1789; variety soulangeana shown above 
breeders of new Lilacs. All so far introduced, and there are a dozen 
and more, have proved perfectly hardy in the Arnold Arboretum, where 
in the early summer of each year they may be seen in flower. An older 
species is Syringa villosa of neat, rounded habit and erect masses of flesh- 
pink flowers. Among the newcomers I shall only mention S.reflexa which 
has the flower-trusses hanging after the manner of those of the Wistaria. 
Different kinds of shrubs and trees bearing ornamental fruits are 
plentiful in China, and many of these have conspicuous flowers and gay 
autumnal foliage. Bush Honeysuckles, Barberries, Viburnums and 
Cotoneasters in scores of species there are, worthy of a place in any 
garden. The deciduous-leafed Cotoneasters are a particularly valuable 
gift to the gardens of New England, where they have proved them¬ 
selves most adaptable. Of all the species none is finer than C. multi- 
flora var. soongarica which has a profusion of relatively large pure white 
flowers and bright coral red fruits. This is a perfectly hardy shrub 
with rigid, zigzag branches and grows from 5 to 8 feet tall and twice 
as much in diameter. For clothing banks nothing is better than 
C. bori^ontalis and its forms. In milder climates such evergreen Coton¬ 
easters as C. pannosa, C. salicifolia, C. Henryana, and C. Francbetii, 
either for hedges or as specimens, are valuable plants, having bright 
red fruit in autumn. In China Cotoneasters are a feature of scrub- 
clad mountain slopes and valleys where they enjoy full exposure to sun 
and winds and they do best when given the same conditions in gardens. 
Earlier it has been mentioned that IVistaria sinensis came to us from 
China, but this plant is less often seen in gardens than its Japanese rela¬ 
tive, of which more anon. A group of hardy climbers which our gar¬ 
dens are justly pioud of is Clematis and from the Orient came the 
parents of the familiar large-flowered race of hybrids much grown 
to-day. Among climbing plants of recent advent none is more beauti¬ 
ful than Clematis moniana var. rubens which is native of the margins of 
the woods and thickets of central China. There are fifty and more 
other species of Clematis native of China including the handsome C. 
tangutica, with bright green foliage and top-shaped, rich yellow flowers. 
In the matter of herbs China has also been most generous. The 
Chrysanthemum has already been mentioned and so, too, has Primula 
sinensis, but the well-known Primula obconica and the Baby-primroses, 
P. malacoides and P. Forbesii, are also natives of China as are Anemone 
japonica. Dicentra spectabilis, Incarvillea Delavayi, Rehmannia angulata, 
Liliurn Brownii, L. concolor, L. Sargentiae and many others, including 
the magnificent Regal Lily (L. regale), many Peonies, Aconitums, 
Delphiniums, Poppvworts, Senecio Clivorum, Artemisia lactiflora and 
the China Aster ( Callistephus cbinensis). The alpine regions of the 
China-Thibetan borderland are gardens of vivid colors in the summer 
where Gentians and Primroses and hosts of other pretty things carpet 
square miles upon square miles from the tree-limit to the edge of per¬ 
petual snows. In woodland glades grow many tall herbs and on cliffs 
and steep mountain slopes Lilies in variety luxuriate. 
In China many fruits are grown, and most of them have during cen¬ 
turies of effort been evolved from native plants. Such is the history 
of the Apple, the Pear, the Cherry, and the Plum grown in China and 
they have not common origin with ours which are of Eurasian birth. 
The Apricot, the Peach, the Orange, the Lemon, the Pomeloe, including 
the Grapefruit, are natives of China. The Walnut and Grape-vine 
(Vitis vinifera) have been introduced into China from the Caspian and 
central regions of Asia, but her other fruit ’and nut trees are her own. 
To China we owe of fruits our various Citrus and the Peach, among 
economic vegetable products Tea, Vegetable-tallow, and Wood-oil, and 
the medicine Rhubarb. 
There is not a season of the year when flowers are open in the hardy 
garden but what some jewel from China calls forth admiration from the 
first blossoms of the Forsythias in early spring to those of the Chrysan¬ 
themums in the late fall. Whether it be among trees or shrubs, climb¬ 
ers or herbs, whether they be grown for the beauty of their flowers, their 
fruit ,or their foliage, or for all three, the plants native of China are to be 
found in the gardens of temperate regions of both these hemispheres. 
They have been won to us by all sorts of agencies and by all sorts and 
conditions of men. To no part of the world do gardens owe more than 
to China—the Kingdom of Flowers. 
