NO EYESORE FROM MYSORE 
WELL-BRED BANYAN 
Many years ago at an age when | had 
very little interest in horticulture, | visited 
in company of a shipmate, the resplendent 
palace of the Maharajah of Mysore. Al- 
though | was not aware of it at the time 
| have since learned that the enormous 
trees under which we passed on the trip 
from Singapore were a species of banyan 
named, oddly enough, Ficus mysorensis. 
This handsome evergreen tree is: quite 
comfortable here in Southern California. 
It grows rapidly to a suitable shade tree 
proportion, is well clothed in large round 
leaves, in the young stage bright green 
and fuzzy, in maturity dark and leathery. 
One local specimen has reached an age 
ot about thirty-five years in the course of 
which it has weathered several ‘unusual’ 
winters as testimony to its cold resistance, 
a rather surprising circumstance consider- 
ing its origin. 
Ficus mysorensis had never been avail- 
able until a few years ago when we suc- 
ceeded in rooting about two dozen plants. 
Those few plants quickly found a place in 
local gardens but we are happy to an- 
nounce that we can now offer a good sup- 
ply of this banyan in several sizes, thanks 
to a seed source established in 1948. Inci- 
dentally, don't be alarmed at the poten- 
tial size of this tree suggested by its 
heritage. The reverse emphasis on ‘'My- 
sore was never like this'’ which our banyan 
feels in California is just enough to limit 
its growth to a reasonable size! Specimens 
in 20 gallon cans (illustrated) are $17.50; 
five gallon cans, $7.50. 
IT’S TIME FOR... O 
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group of deciduous flowering ornamentals 
— the ORIENTAL MAGNOLIAS, best 
planted at this time of the year. Actually 
sensational is Magnolia Campbelli, a slow- 
growing tree eventually of considerable size, 
from the Himalayas, leaves to one foot 
long, great saucer-like flowers to 14 inches 
across, pink outside, pink and white inside. 
We have choice balled specimens which 
should bloom in two to three years, $17.50 
and $20. Another rare Magnolia we ofter 
you is Dawsoniana, a similar but smaller 
tree with flowers ten to I5 inches across, 
rose-violet outside, snow-white inside. Beau- 
tiful less rare species are soulangeana, 
stellata and liliflora in varying forms. (From 
$7.50.} 
Easily the favorite of deciduous FLOW- 
ERING VINES is Wisteria sinensis, a heavy 
twiner of easy culture for large fences, 
walls, or on big trees. From late February 
to early April the grape-shaped racemes 
of fragrant pea flowers present a specta- 
cle of lilac, shell pink or white. Two-year- 
old blooming-size plants four feet tall are 
$4.50. 
Unusual SUB-TROPICAL FRUITS appro- 
priate to sections of lighter frost are the 
Cherimoya, and the white Sapote. The 
former is usually deciduous and a little 
tender but its products are delectable. 
The latter is relatively frost hardy, an even 
more abundant bearer, and is, in addi- 
tion, one of our most ornamental practical 
shade trees for lawn or patio, usually to 
LET’S RESOLVE! ... 
(Continued from front page) 
happily acclimated here, which produces 
two-inch heads of fragrant pale pink flow- 
ers on two year old plants. 
Let us tell you of yet another Philoden- 
dron, newer and more sensational than P. 
selloum. A parent of this new seedling 
boasted leaves five feet long and more 
than two feet wide. 
Or there is our new Thevetia: A small 
tree which blooms freely in our coastal 
area, the flowers of which are formed like 
exquisitely molded pale golden goblets, 
exceeding in beauty the lovely Allamanda 
blossoms which you perhaps have admired 
in warmer climes. This is for late spring 
planting. 
These are just a few of a number of 
special offerings you should ask to see. 
They are different! 
re SC ————— 
