204 
The Garden Magazine, December, 1923 
THE BEAUTY OF A CANARY ISLAND PALM 
“In wealth of Palms alone no other portion of the country can equal California, and 
none but Florida, perhaps, approach it." Phoenix canariensis in an Oakland garden 
The framework of the design will, then, be composed of trees, 
including the Palms, Bananas, Rubber-trees, Grevilleas, Jacar- 
andas, Poincianas, Catalpas, and Magnolias. Of the Palms one 
will choose the Washingtonias for the tallest background purpose, 
placing the Cocos plumosa perhaps next in front of these, then 
the Fan and Date Palms with such dwarfs as the Rhapis and 
Chamaerops humilis nearest the front. 
With a large place given over to the purpose, the planter will 
follow the recognized landscaping principle of not planting in 
straight lines but in groups with the ground line varying from 
deep bays to extensive promontories. Among the forward 
Palms other trees will begin to suggest themselves, to be re¬ 
peated farther along the margin of the grounds in groups of their 
own. Against the background of taller growth the lowlier 
plants may commence to find space, the name of these being 
legion. The following list will suggest a few: Century-plant, 
Cactuses of the Cereus and other larger growing types', Aloe 
ciliaris, Castor-bean—a perennial in California, Poinsettias, 
Matilija Poppy, Yuccas, the lesser Bamboos, Escallonias, and 
Aralias. Such climbers as Passiflora, Bougainvillea, Aristolo- 
chia and Bignonias in variety will be allowed to clamber about 
at will. 
The herbaceous plants employed with all of these will be, for 
the most part, of the broad-leaved types as well as those with 
the more gorgeous inflorescence. The newcomer to the West 
will think at once of Cannas, Elephant’s ears, Egyptian Papyrus 
and, perhaps, of Veratrums and Colocasias. To these the Cali¬ 
fornian will add Cynaras, Funkias, Calochortus, Begonias, 
Woodwardia radicans, Bocconias, and Fuchsias. 
From the wide variety of tropical succulents he will be apt 
to choose from among the following: Agave mexicana, Opuntia, 
Ficus indica and related species, Aloe purpurascens, Yucca 
Whipplei—an interesting mass of radiating sword-like leaves— 
Yucca arborescens, and such lower-growing ones as the Sedums, 
Aloe striata and Aloe distans. 
A typical rock garden collection might be that used in the 
botanical gardens at Berkeley, which includes Sedum hetero- 
phyllum, Cotyledons, Chionophila nutans, Opuntia niodesta 
and frutescens, Echeveria elegans and others, Stylophium 
Hassei, Cereus grandiflorus. Aloe distans and Aloe Shawii. 
I N CUFTURAF requirements these plants differ not at all from 
their relatives resident in other parts of the country. Prac¬ 
tically all of the Palms do well in a common garden soil, though 
they prefer it should tend somewhat toward the sandy type and 
be mildly enriched. They demand well-drained sites and some 
irrigation during the dry seasons. The succulents, including the 
Cactuses, Aloes, Agaves, and others, are the least fastidious of 
all. Choose for them the dryest, sandiest, rockiest, least prom¬ 
ising portions of the garden and water them not at all unless, 
at the heart of the rainless season, they show signs of distress. 
The Bamboos and Grasses, on the other hand, are best pleased 
when they have a deep, rather light soil, heavily enriched, and 
are kept tolerably moist through all of the summer. 
With such a cosmopolitan company as inhabits California it 
was to be expected that every type of garden would find favor 
and flourish, especially when natural conditions so assisted. As 
a result, formal and informal gardens, Japanese gardens, old- 
fashioned gardens, wild gardens, iris and heath and rose gardens, 
all sorts in fact that exist under the sun, here have been brought 
together. But the local possibilities of landscaping after the 
jungle model are as unlimited as for these, and very peculiarly 
California’s own. Tropical re-creation already has, therefore, 
become more or less typical, and in the future may be expected 
to achieve an ever widening regard. The readiness with which 
dwellers in the state have chosen these unusual plants has estab¬ 
lished a vogue as charming in itself as it is worthy of wider ad¬ 
hesion. There is little reason why it may not in time be added 
to the many things one thinks of particularly when one thinks 
particularly of California. 
