HOUSE AND GARDEN 
August, i 
qii 
107 
arouses no enthusiasm but it brings about an undeserved dis¬ 
repute. Undoubtedly the hemlock spruce has failed in hun¬ 
dreds of gardens because it was merely stuck in the ground, not 
planted intelligently with due consideration for its needs. A 
tapering pyramid of dense, luxurious yet graceful leafage such as 
it displays must have the wherewithal to grow from and be sus¬ 
tained and this is to be found in a liberal apportionment of good 
moisture-holding soil. Given this, no matter what the site and ex¬ 
posure, the tree will 
not dry up and die, for 
in the forest and on 
the exposed mountain 
side we find noble 
specimens braving all 
vicissitudes because 
the fundamental root 
needs are right. 
Great forests of 
hemlock spruce once 
covered our hills 
where now not a tree 
of the species re¬ 
mains. In our gar¬ 
dens and about our 
homes we should, as 
far as we can, en¬ 
deavor to restore the 
lost beauty of this 
tree whose native 
primal beauty has 
been so sacrificed to 
commercial need that 
one has to go far 
from the haunts of 
men to see it in na- 
t i v e surroundings. 
The world can offer 
us no better ever¬ 
green tree — no substi¬ 
tute ; in fact none half 
so good for Ameri¬ 
can gardens. It is 
worthy of our best 
efforts to establish it 
permanently as a trib¬ 
ute to its merit; not 
alone for the assured 
self satisfaction, but 
for the future perma¬ 
nency that those who 
succeed us will right¬ 
fully appreciate. It 
has one other good 
point wherein it re¬ 
sembles the yew of 
Europe and that is its 
adaptability to restricted growth. Given right conditions at the 
root, the hemlock spruce is certainly our best evergreen hedge 
plant and can be grown into a dense and most effectual screen. 
Juniperus Virginiana, the red cedar, is coming into its own at 
last, as we have come to realize its distinctiveness and adapta¬ 
bility for special use. In some respects it occupies a unique po¬ 
sition among evergreens as by and with it we can reproduce 
effects that have made us envious of some of the gardens of Italy 
with their tall columnar cypresses. Our native red cedar is truly 
the hardy counterpart of the south European cypress and a most 
dependable tree if properly transplanted. This operation, how¬ 
ever, is one not to be lightly undertaken and carelessly performed 
or the percentage of success will be very small. The density of 
our cedar, the amount of leafage and consequent transpiration 
seem so excessively disproportionate to its root system that trans¬ 
planting this tree needs to be done with special regard to its 
peculiarities. It was thought to be a difficult and intractable tree 
because collectors dug up wild trees in a more or less haphazard 
manner and met with scant success. Now with proper appliances 
one can go to the wild 
cedar groves and suc¬ 
cessfully remove trees 
of any age and height. 
It is strange that for 
years we seemed 
blind to the merit and 
varied uses of a tree 
so widely distributed 
unless it was con¬ 
tempt born of the fact 
of its commonness. 
All kinds of exotic 
evergreens have been 
tried in gardens for 
creating certain form¬ 
al or architectural ef¬ 
fects but the very 
best tree for this spe¬ 
cial work in Ameri¬ 
can gardens is the red 
cedar. Its variable 
form too, gives it a 
wide range of useful¬ 
ness. There are col¬ 
umnar types advis¬ 
able for formal plant¬ 
ing or to give a pic¬ 
turesque skyline and 
break up the flatness 
of other planting. 
Some types grow 
broad and dense and 
make a perfect screen 
planting. In every re¬ 
spect where it can be 
suitably planted the 
cedar is an important 
tree and nothing that 
we can import from 
other countries excels 
it in character and 
endurance. 
Pinus Strobus, the 
white pine, is certain¬ 
ly the one best pine 
for gardens and 
grounds in the east¬ 
ern states. It is also the largest of our evergreen trees, which 
should be borne in mind when planting it so that it may have 
room to develop and throw far and wide its spreading branches. 
It is a rapid grower too, but if allowed plenty of room will retain 
its lower branches for many years. It can if so desired be kept 
as a dense compact lawn specimen by taking off the tips of the 
young growing shoots in June, but a group or grove of white- 
pines in free, unrestricted growth is a telling feature in all stages 
of its growth. Its long flexible branches and long silvery leaves 
combine to make it exceedingly graceful; a feature the more ap- 
(Continued on page 127) 
The white pine, the largest of our native evergreens, has an added attraction in that it 
grows well even in thin, shallow soils 
