538 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  11,  1902. 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
“Here  awa’,  There  awa’.” 
The  firm  of  Messrs.  Robert  Veitch  and  Son,  of  Exeter,  Devon, 
command  a  wide  respect  and  clientele,  throughout  the  southern¬ 
most  counties  of  England  especially.  A  visit  to  their  several 
nurseries  reveals  the  fact  that,  though  trees,  shrubs  and  hardy 
plants  demand  and  receive  the  greater  part  of  the  firm’s  atten¬ 
tion,  yet  all  branches  of  the  nursery  trade  is  fostered,  and  the 
patron  of  Orchid  collections,  equally  with  the  purchaser  of  orna¬ 
mental  stove  and  greenhouse  plants,  may  discover  the  object 
of  his  quest  at  the  chief  department  of  this  firm,  in  Exeter  town. 
The  nurseries  on  the  New  North  Road  are  both  beautifully  and 
healthfully  situated  on  rising  ground,  that  gently  slopes  to  the 
southern  sun,  and  on  the  higher  divisions  of  this  ground  are  the 
glass  houses.  The  occupants  of  these  need  not  detain  us  until 
the  outdoor  department,  with  its  trees  and  shrubs,  have  been 
discussed. 
Trees  and  Shrubs  at  Exeter. 
If,  after  the  many  earnest  pleadings  that  have  unintermit- 
tently  been  made  for  the  more  extensive  planting  of  choicer 
shrubs,  and  if,  after  the  capable  and  lucid  instructions 
that.  have  voluminously  poured  from  the  gardening 
press,  there  is  not  a  great  renaissance  soon  to  be 
recorded  along  this  line,  then  British  horticulture  is  erro¬ 
neously  eulogised.  But  the  renaissance  has  undoubtedly  begun  ; 
the  keen  observer  has  many  proofs,  and  it  will  certainly  expand. 
There  is  a  delightful  representation  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
handsome  shrubs  in  English  nurseries  waiting  to  be  ordered; 
why,  then,  is  a  use  not  found  for  them  ? 
The  highly  developed  colour  of  the  shrubs  at  Exeter  could  not 
be  overlooked,  and  some  beautifully  feathered  pyramidal  bushes 
of  Cryptomeria  elegans  had  assumed  quite  a  purple-chocolate 
hue.  Conifers,  more  livid  green  than  Cupressus  erecta  viridis, 
covering  whole  brakes,  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  or  find. 
Messrs.  R.  Veitch  and  Son  have  nearly  all  of  the  ne-west  Japanese 
shrubs,  and,  naturally,  where  the  climate  is  so  moderate  even 
in  the  winter,  the  Bamboo  element  forms  a  somewhat  conspicuous 
part,.  The  beautiful  Phyllostachys  flexuosa,  which  is  also  one  of 
the  best  in  the  Bamboo  garden  at  Kew,  was  pointed  to  with  pride, 
and  this  graceful  representation  of  leaf  and  stem — one  hardly 
cares  to  call  Bamboos  “  shrubs” — is,  we  are  told,  becoming  more 
largely  planted  each  year.  The  robust  growing  P.  viridi-glauc- 
escens,  and  which  is  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  hardiest  and 
least  exacting  in  its  requirements,  together  with  P.  Henonis, 
another  rampant  grower  when  established,  require  abundance  of 
space  in  which  to  develop.  They  are  beautiful  subjects  for  a 
sheltered  dell.  Then  there  are  Phyllostachys  aurea,  with  slender, 
brownish-yellow  stems,  a  most  delightful  shrub  when  it  gets  to 
10ft  or  12ft  in  height,  and  as  much  or  more  through.  P.  nigra 
has  long,  narrow  leaves  and  black  stems,  and  is  also  quite  hardy. 
Some  of  the  Arundinarias  were  also  seen  in  a  state  of  rude  health, 
such  as  the  noble  A.  Simoni,  with  plume-like  drooping  clusters 
of  twiggy  growths,  and  leaves  attached  on  comparatively  slender 
rod-like  stems;  A.  nitida,  a  fine  growing  form;  A.  japonica 
(Bambusa  Metake),  the  best  known  of  all  the  hardy  Bamboos, 
and  one  of  the  boldest  and  handsomest;  with  Bambusa  palmata, 
and  B.  tessellata,  both  broad-leaved  species,  and  dwarf  in  growth, 
are  undoubtedly  amongst  the  most  commendable  foliage  subjects 
the  planter  could  utilise.  A  Bamboo  garden  may  become  a  feature 
of  many  more  estates  as  time  wears  on.  This  section  of  outdoor 
vegetation  is  best  grouped  together  in  the  manner  of  Rhododen¬ 
dron  or  Rose  dells,  though,  in  association  with  them,  it  is  quite 
admittable  to  employ  Yuccas,  Pampas  Grass,  Miscanthus,  and 
certain  trailers  or  lowly-growing  things — Smilax  rotundifolia, 
Japanese  golden  reticulated  Honeysuckle,  Gaultherias,  and 
Funkias. 
Nandina  domestica  has  been  more  frequently  brought  to 
notice  through  the  pages  of  this  Journal  than  of  any  of  its  con¬ 
temporaries,  and  it  is,  therefore,  unnecessary  now  to  repeat  the 
story  of  its  graces.  “  Down  south  ”  it  is  perfectly  hardy,  and  I 
have  even  seen  it  flourishing  out  of  doors  near  the  Haddington¬ 
shire  coast.  Its  chief  merit  is  a  light  elegance  of  growth.  At 
Exeter,  Messrs.  Veitch  have  some  plants  of  it  in  pots,  so  that 
these  can  be  planted  at  any  season  of  the  year.  Then  there  are 
the  different  Arbutus,  which,  though  not  graceful  by  any  means, 
are  exceedingly  interesting  shrubs.  On  light,  dry  banks  in  the 
North  Countree  they  seem  to  succeed,  but  they  like  comparative 
shelter  and  a  cool  soil,  inclined  to  be  fibrous  or  peaty.  The  red- 
flowered  Arbutus  (A.  Fnedo  rubra)  furnishes  a  splendid  addition 
to  the  grounds  in  those  parts,  where  it  flowers  abundantly.  The 
red-brown  bark  of  the  Strawberry  tree,  which  name  is  applied 
to  A.  Unedo,  peels  off  in  the  same  manner  as  that  of  the  London 
Plane,  showing  a  pretty  greenish-yellow  under-bark.  Besides 
the  two  already  mentioned,  there  are  others  worthy  of  notice, 
particularly  A.  Andrachne,  A.  I  .  Croombi,  and  A.  U.  micropliyUa. 
Carpenteria  californica  is  a  shrub  of  recent  introduction, 
having  large  snow-white  single  flowers,  with  a  central  mass  of 
yellow  stamens.  The  flowers  are  much  like  those  of  the  Japanese 
Anemone.  It  is  a  robust  grower  in  the  southern  counties,  having 
dark  green  leaves  of  moderate  size.  It  is  also  hardy  when 
given  a  little  shelter  on  the  cold,  wind-swept  east  coast  of  Scot¬ 
land.  Romneya  Coulteri,  the  Californian  Poppy,  has  flowers  not 
unlike  the  foregoing  but  the  habit  of  growth  is  entirely  different. 
It  is  an  erect  plant,  with  wiry  shoots  and  glaucous  foliage,  but 
is  not  so  hardy  as  the  Carpenteria.  It  requires  a  sheltered  spot 
even  in  Devon,  though  at  Kew  this  plant  takes  its  chance  with 
other  subjects. 
Hypericum  patulum  was  figured  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture 
for  October  31,  1901,  page  405,  and  the  comments  there  made 
in  reference  to  this  pretty  dwarf  shrub  may  still  be  in  the  minds 
of  those  interested.  It  was  flowering  in  this  Exeter  nursery  on 
November  15.  The  rosy-pink-fruited  Euonymus  europaeus  is 
indeed  another  invaluable  shrub,  and  one  regrets  that  so  few 
gardeners  seem  to  appreciate  this  native  representative.  In. 
suitable  quarters  it  attains  to  20ft  high,  and  being  a  native  tree 
it  is  found  flourishing  almost  everywhere.  I  am  not  sure  that 
it  fruits  freely  in  any  county,  but  at  Exeter  and  various  places 
in  the  Midlands  I  have  noted  its  richly  attractive  display  of 
bright  pink  fruits  wfith  their  orange-coloured  aril  showing  from 
within.  This,  the  Common  Spindle  tree,  is  much  used  as  a  stock 
for  grafting  the  choicer  varieties.  For  its  decorative  qualities 
when  in  fruit  it  is  well  worth  growing.  E.  e.  latifolius  has  rich 
crimson  fruit®. 
The  hybrid  Escallonia.  exoniensis,  for  which  there  is  a  grow¬ 
ing  demand,  is  peculiar  to  the  Exmouth  and  Exeter  neighbour¬ 
hood,  and  though  known  by  name  to  many,  its  merits  have  yet 
to  be  tried  by  the  great  majority  of  growers,  and  to  those  who 
are  planting,  or  about,  to  do  so,  it  might  be  given  consideration. 
Those  fine  shrubs,  E.  macrantha,  with  crimson  flowers;  E. 
Pliilippiana,  usually  smothered  in  white;  and  E.  rubra,  with 
deep  red  flowers,  were  noticed  along  with  others.  The  Magnolias 
are  too  numerous  to  individualise,  but  attention  may  be  called 
to  the  true  Exmouth  variety  of  M.  grandiflora,  which  was  pointed 
out  to  me,  and  has  the  reputation  of  being  an  improved  form  of 
the  type.  That  finest  of  all  spring  flowering  shrubs,  Magnolia 
stellata  (Halleana),  with  spotless  white  flowers  of  star-like  shape, 
and  which  is  a  suitable  dwarf  shrub  for  forcing  in  pots  or  for 
beds  on  lawns,  is  “well  done”  at  Robert  Veitch’s,  and  M. 
Watsoni,  and  glauca,  and  Lennei,  and  Soulangeana  nigra,  all 
amongst  the  very  best,  are  included. 
More  might  certainly  be  made  of  the  various  Elseagnus,  parti¬ 
cularly  the  variegated  pungens  maculatus  and  reflexus  variegatus, 
both  of  which  are  shapely  evergreen  sorts.  There  is  a  goodly 
list  to  choose  from,  however,  and  most  of  them  can  be  made  to 
serve  a  useful  purpose,  being  hardy.  The  Desfontainia,  men¬ 
tioned  in  the  Killerton  notes  as  having  flowered  resplendentiy 
there,  was  seen  to  equal  advantage  here;  whilst  the  Emboth- 
rium,  or  Fire  Bush,  of  course  was  quite  at  home. 
In  dealing  with  the  whole  array  of  treps  and  shrubs  (which 
amount  to  hundreds  of  genera  and  thousands  of  species  and 
varieties)  in  a  nursery  such  as  this,  the  constant  difficulty  arises 
in  what  to  name  and  what  to  omit.  It  has  been  already  stated 
that  most  of  the  choicest  introductions  of  later  years  are  grown 
by  the  firm,  and  there  are,  too,  plentiful  quantities'  of  many 
shrubs  and  trees  which  nurserymen  further  north  cannot  under¬ 
take  to  cultivate  on  anything  but  a  very  minor  scale  on  account 
of  possible  loss  by  frost ;  and  the  trees  and  shrubs  most  generally 
in  demand  find  the  congenial  Devonshire  climate  very  much  to 
their  liking,  and  they  thus  assume  a  well  developed  character 
and  rich  colour.  The  ornamental  Coniferse  were  especially  satis¬ 
factory  on  the  latter  point,  and  of  them  one  may  name  Thuyopsis 
dolobrata,  which  forms  straight  leader  shoots,  and  grows  many 
feet-  high  ;  Cupressus  Lawsoniana  aurea,  in  beautiful  pyramids, 
10ft  high ;  Cupressus  macrocarpa,  seen  here  in  such  beauty  as  is 
not  equalled  elsewhere;  Pinus  insignis,  densely  clothed  with  rich 
green  slender  needles;  while  Picea  Pinsapo,  Pinus  Laricio,  Abies 
cserulea,  Thuia  Lobbi,  Taxodium  distichum  (superb  young  trees), 
Retinospora  pisifera  aurea,  Wellingtonia.  gigantea,  Retinospora 
Lobbi  gigantea,  Taxus  argenteus  variegatus,  and  Juniperus 
chinensis  aureis,  as  typical  and  well-known  Conifers,  were  each 
represented  in  large  brakes,  and  every  subject  perfect  in  contour, 
development,  vigour,  and  shade  of  colour. 
One  feels  compelled  to  name  certain  flowering  subjects  in 
addition  to  those  already  named  whose  unusual  luxuriance  could 
not  pass  the  eyes  of  anyone  interested  in  this  class  of  nursery 
stock.  Among  these  are  the  golden-amber  bushes  of  Diploppus 
chrysophyllus,  less  known  perhaps  under  the  name  of  Cassinia 
fulvida.  This  is  a  dwarf,  close-growing  pretty  shrub,  of  much 
value.  Choisya  temata,  too,  with  its  white  clustered  flowers 
and  glossy  green  leaves,  is  worth  its  place  everywhere.  The 
same  may  be  said  for  the  Spanish  Broom  (Spartium  junceum)  and 
for  Genista,  aetnensis,  prsecox,  liispanica,  and  capitata ;  while 
the  many  fine  Cerasus.  Crataegi ,  Cotoneasters,  and  Ceanothi 
include  a  host  of  indisputably  beautiful  subjects.  The  fruit 
and  Rose  nursery  is  situated  at  Howell  Road,  but  both  the  fruit, 
trees  and  the  Roses,  in  the  middle  of  November,  were  assuming 
their  winter  condition  of  leaflessness. — Wandering  Willie. 
