Chapter XLI: Some Hardy Flowering Trees and Shrubs (7)

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| COUNTRY OR | COLOUR |
NAME | ORIGIN AND | AND | GENERAL REMARKS.
| NATURAL ORDER. | SEASON. |
-------------------+----------------+----------+---------------------------
| | |
Syringa (lilac) |Eastern Europe |Various |A lovely family. Mr. Bean
|and Northern | |in _The Garden_, April 2,
|Asia; | |1898, writes: "As now
|Oleaceae | |constituted, the genus
| | |consists of two groups:
| | |First, the true Lilacs,
| | |represented by S. vulgaris;
| | |and second, the Privet-like
| | |Lilacs, of which some
| | |authorities have made a
| | |separate genus under the
| | |name Ligustrina. The
| | |species in this latter
| | |group are distinguished
| | |from the true Lilacs by
| | |flowering later in the
| | |summer, and by having large
| | |panicles of smaller
| | |Privet-like flowers, the
| | |corolla of which is white
| | |and much shorter than in
| | |the other group. There are
| | |three of them in
| | |cultivation--S. amurensis,
| | |S. japonica, S.
| | |pekinensis--which, however,
| | |some botanists have
| | |considered to be merely
| | |geographical forms of one
| | |species existing in
| | |Manchuria, Japan, and
| | |China. The following is
| | |a complete list of the
| | |species in gardens, with
| | |some of the commoner
| | |synonyms: S. Emodi, var.
| | |rosea (S. Bretschneideri),
| | |S. Josikaea, S. oblata (S.
| | |chinensis), S. persica,
| | |var. laciniata (S.
| | |filicifolia, S. pinnata),
| | |S. villosa (S. pubescens),
| | |S. vulgaris, S. chinensis
| | |(S. dubia, S.
| | |rothomagensis) hybrid.
| | |_Ligustrina Group._--S.
| | |amurensis (Ligustrina
| | |amurensis), S. japonica
| | |(Ligustrina amurensis
| | |var. japonica), S.
| | |pekinensis (Ligustrina
| | |pekinensis)."
| | |
S. amurensis |Manchuria; |Creamy |A sturdy bush with stout,
|discovered in |white |erect branches. The small
|1857 by a | |creamy white flowers are
|Russian botanist| |borne on large branching
|named Raffe | |racemes. It is a native of
| | |the valleys of the Ussuri
| | |and Amur Rivers. One of the
| | |earliest of hardy shrubs to
| | |break into leaf.
| | |
*S. chinensis |Probably raised |May |The flowers are in panicles
|in Rouen Botanic| |intermediate in size
|Garden by M. | |between those of its
|Varin over 100 | |parents, and are of the
|years ago from | |same colour. Very
|seed borne by | |free-flowering and pretty,
|S. persica. | |and might be recommended as
|Synonyms S. | |a substitute for the common
|correlata, S. | |Lilac in positions where
|dubia, S. | |the latter would be too
|rothomagensis | |large. To add to the
| | |confusion respecting its
| | |origin, it is still called
| | |in some nurserymen's
| | |catalogues the Siberian
| | |Lilac, Rouen Lilac, and
| | |Chinese Lilac. It lasts
| | |longer in flower than the
| | |common Lilac.
| | |
*S. Emodi |Dr. Aitchison |Pale |This is altogether of
(Himalayan Lilac) |found this on |purple |sturdier growth than the
|the Afghan | |ordinary Lilac, with large
|Mountains in | |leaves and terminal
|1879, 9000 feet | |panicles of flowers. Of
|to 10,000 feet | |greater ornamental value is
|elevation | |the variety rosea which was
| | |introduced a few years ago
| | |from the mountains about
| | |Pekin by Dr. Bretschneider,
| | |and in gardens (French
| | |chiefly) it is known as
| | |Syringa Bretschneideri. It
| | |is more robust than the
| | |type, and bears large
| | |panicles of rosy-tinted
| | |flowers in June or later.
| | |There is a
| | |variegated-leaved variety
| | |of S. Emodi, which is
| | |handsome when vigorously
| | |grown. Another form with
| | |more or less golden is
| | |_foliis aureis_. When the
| | |soil is rich the leaves
| | |measure 6 inches long and 4
| | |inches wide.
| | |
S. japonica |Japan |White |A large growing shrub, of
| | |bushy growth, and larger in
| | |foliage than S. vulgaris.
| | |It bears large branching
| | |panicles of small white
| | |flowers, reminding one of
| | |those of the Privet, hence
| | |the name of the group to
| | |which it belongs
| | |(Ligustrina). These
| | |panicles in Japan and the
| | |United States attain as
| | |much as 18 inches and even
| | |2 feet in length, but
| | |whether it will grow in
| | |this country in such a way
| | |remains to be seen.
| | |
S. Josikaea |Hungarian |Lilac; |An old shrub of moderate
(Hungarian Lilac) |Mountains |May |growth, but is not of great
| | |value, as it happens to
| | |flower when we have a
| | |wealth of bloom from the
| | |commoner kinds. It is,
| | |however, interesting and
| | |worth growing, if only for
| | |the sake of the pretty
| | |sentiment that attaches to
| | |its origin, having been
| | |found by Baroness Von
| | |Josika in her wanderings
| | |about the Hungarian
| | |mountains in 1835. It may
| | |be best described as a
| | |small form of S. Emodi. It
| | |was first grown in Britain
| | |at Edinburgh, in the year
| | |mentioned. Its height is 6
| | |feet to 10 feet, with the
| | |young twigs of a purplish
| | |colour; the panicles are
| | |terminal, erect, and small
| | |compared with those of the
| | |more showy Lilacs, and
| | |usually about 4 inches
| | |long, rarely as much as 6
| | |inches to 9 inches.
| | |
S. pekinensis |Mountains of |White |One of the three
|North China | |Privet-like Syringas,
| | |and one of the last
| | |introduced. It is the
| | |Chinese representative of
| | |the Ligustrina group. From
| | |its two allies (S.
| | |amurensis and S. japonica)
| | |it is to be distinguished
| | |by its long and much more
| | |slender branches, which in
| | |one form are distinctly
| | |pendulous (var. pendula).
| | |
*S. persica |Found by Dr. |Deep |This old favourite is often
(Persian Lilac) |Aitchison in |purplish; |confused with the Rouen
|1879. |May |Lilac, but it is quite
|Afghanistan. | |different, being smaller in
|7000 feet to | |stature, with much smaller
|8000 feet | |leaves, and with an elegant
|elevation | |spreading habit of growth.
| | |In the type the flower
| | |clusters are nearly as
| | |large as those of S.
| | |chinensis, deep purple in
| | |colour, varying to almost a
| | |pure white in the variety
| | |alba. In the variety
| | |laciniata, known also as S.
| | |ficifolia, pinnata, and
| | |other names, the leaves
| | |are cut or coarsely
| | |toothed. It is a beautiful
| | |little shrub, and suits
| | |a place where the tall
| | |growing kinds would be too
| | |large. Like the common and
| | |the Rouen Lilacs, it may be
| | |forced into flower at
| | |Christmas time, and, unlike
| | |the others, its small size
| | |enables it to be grown in
| | |pots for room decoration.
| | |The exact length of time
| | |the Persian Lilac has been
| | |in cultivation is not
| | |known. It had long been
| | |cultivated in the country
| | |to which it owes its
| | |name--since the year 1200,
| | |say some authorities--but
| | |it has never been found
| | |truly wild in Persia. It
| | |was not until 1879 that its
| | |real native habitat was
| | |revealed.
| | |
S. villosa (Syn. |Introduced from |Rose |This interesting species
pubescens) |the Chihli |Lilac; May|first flowered in 1888. It
|province of | |is very fragrant, and the
|China in 1880 | |panicle is from 3 inches to
| | |4 inches long.
| | |
*S. vulgaris |A native of |Lilac; |See below for remarks.
(Common Lilac) |Eastern Europe, |May |
|and although it | |
|appears to have | |
|been originally | |
|introduced from | |
|Persia about, or| |
|previous to the | |
|year 1597, it | |
|was found to be | |
|a native of | |
|Southern | |
|Hungary, in the | |
|region of the | |
|Danube | |
|especially on | |
|the chalky | |
|precipices of | |
|the Cverna | |
|Valley and on | |
|Mount Domoglet. | |
|It is not found | |
|truly indigenous| |
|further west | |
|than these | |
|localities, and | |
|it is not, as | |
|has been stated,| |
|a native of | |
|Italy, although,| |
|no doubt it has | |
|become | |
|neutralised | |
|there and | |
|elsewhere | |
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The common Lilac has been the glory of English gardens since the days of Gerard and Parkinson of the sixteenth century. From the time that Parkinson grew it in a pot, with no doubt as much care and anxiety as is bestowed nowadays on a hundred-guinea Orchid, the Lilac has, on account of its extreme hardiness and easy culture, become almost naturalised in these islands, as now we see it in copse and hedgerow, besides gardens large and small, and even in the town forecourt. To every place where the Englishman goes to make a home he likes to have about him Lilacs and Roses. As in the case of several other beautiful shrubs, the improvement of the Lilac by the raising of new varieties is of comparatively recent date. Gerard and Parkinson write of the blue Pipe and the white Pipe (the Lilac being then called the Pipe tree, on account of pipes being made from its wood), besides the ordinary lilac-coloured sort, and Loudon, writing fifty years ago, only enumerates the blue (caerulea), violet (violacea), the white (alba), and alba major, and one double called alba plena, seven in all. He just mentions, however, a fine variety, Caroli (or Charles X., as we know it), which about that time had been raised in France. This still is one of the choicest sorts, and particularly valuable for forcing into early bloom in winter. Since that time there has been great activity in raising new kinds in France, till now the list of named single sorts numbers upwards of fifty, while the doubles are almost as numerous. There are far too many named sorts, in fact, as the differences between many of them are of the slightest, so that the selection of the best from catalogues, from the mere names and brief descriptions (not always accurate) is perplexing to an amateur. To no raiser do we owe more to the improvement of the Lilac of late years than to that famous veteran French hybridist, Victor Lemoine of Nancy, who has made the genus Syringa one of his special studies, and favoured as he is by a climate suitable for the free seeding of the Lilac, he has been highly successful. There are four more or less distinct shades of colour among the sorts, viz. whites, reds, pinks, and so-called blues. A selection of a dozen single sorts would include the following, placed in order of merit: _Whites_--Marie Le Gray, Alba grandiflora. _Blue or Bluish_--Caerulea or Delphine, Duchesse de Namours, Lindleyana or Dr. Lindley. _Reds or Purple-reds_--Souvenir de L. Spath, Philemon, Rubra insignis, Mme. Kreuter, Camille de Rohan, Ville de Troyes. _Pinks_--Lovanensis, Schneelavine. This selection comprises the finest sorts, having the largest flower clusters in their respective colours, and is representative of the whole of the sorts. Of the double flowered sorts there has of recent years been a great number sent from French nurseries, and only a few of the oldest sorts have developed into large specimens, and therefore one cannot judge of their merits, as in the case of the single sorts. The best varieties include the following dozen sorts: _Lavender and Blue_--Leon Simon, Renoncule, Alphonse Lavallee (pale blue). _Pinks_--President Carnot, M. de Dombasle. _Whites_--Mme. Abel Chatenay (the finest), Mme. Lemoine, Cassimir fils. _Reds_--President Grevy, Senateur Volland, Comte H. de Choiseul, Maxime Cornu. In the Lilacs there is material for the tasteful planter of gardens, yet how seldom does one see in ordinary gardens full advantage taken of them for producing beautiful effects! In the common way of planting they are dotted about shrubberies indiscriminately, and jumbled with trees and shrubs of a totally different character, so that the Lilacs cannot be seen to the fullest advantage. An isolated group of the choicest kinds, or even a simple hedge of the white or rich purple kinds is seldom seen, except in some old gardens, and still less seldom does one see any attempt at culture in the way of pruning and the cutting away of suckers. At Kew one may see bold examples of grouping Lilacs, as well as well-developed specimens standing alone on grass, while about London one sees in the market gardens fine hedges of Lilac planted for the twofold purpose of cutting from and providing shelter. Mr. Goldring writes in _The Garden_, "The most beautiful Lilac hedge I have seen was that I enjoyed recently at the White Farm, Crichel (an enclosure devoted to white animals), where there are glorious hedges of the pure white Lilac Marie Le Gray in abundant flower--quite appropriate to the white surroundings. The only culture the Lilacs require is occasional manuring in light, poor soils, occasional pruning so as to induce a bushy growth, as the growth is apt to become 'leggy,' and continuous attention in cutting away suckers, which are so plentiful as to rob the tops. Two or three suckers should be allowed to grow so as to keep up the supply of strong, vigorous flowering stems. Lilacs can be made to form standards by keeping the bush from the outset to one stem, and when seen rising out of a low hedge of Lilac, or a mass of the dwarf kinds, they have a pleasing effect, and is one of the various ways they can be arranged in planting."

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| COUNTRY OR | COLOUR |
NAME | ORIGIN AND | AND | GENERAL REMARKS.
| NATURAL ORDER. | SEASON. |
-------------------+----------------+----------+---------------------------
| | |
*Tamarix gallica |Northern portion|Pink; May |A charming shrub, not half
(the Tamarisk) |of the Old | |enough grown, owing, in
|World; | |some respects at least, to
|Tamariscineae | |a wide-spread idea that it
| | |will not flourish away from
| | |the sea-coast. True, it
| | |luxuriates there, but it
| | |may be depended upon to
| | |thrive anywhere unless the
| | |soil is a stiff clay,
| | |chalky, or too much parched
| | |up in the summer. It is
| | |deciduous, but during the
| | |Summer the foliage is as
| | |delicate as any of the
| | |Conifers, and in May, when
| | |the branches are terminated
| | |by the waving plume-like
| | |panicles of pink blossoms,
| | |it is delightful.
| | |As a plant for the
| | |waterside it is most
| | |useful, and forms a
| | |pleasing picture if a score
| | |or so of plants are grouped
| | |on a lawn or open stretch
| | |of grass. In such a
| | |situation the long
| | |straggling shoots must be
| | |shortened back occasionally
| | |to keep the plants within
| | |bounds, as growing
| | |unchecked they will reach a
| | |height of 10 to 15 feet.
| | |There are several forms of
| | |Tamarisk, by some
| | |considered distinct
| | |species, and by others as
| | |forms of T. gallica, but a
| | |good deal of confusion
| | |prevails concerning them.
| | |One of the best (perhaps
| | |the very best Tamarisk) is
| | |that known as tetrandra or
| | |taurica, in which the
| | |feathery plumes are of a
| | |deeper pink than the type.
| | |Other names that occur are
| | |parviflora, chinensis, and
| | |japonica, but given
| | |tetrandra, as a rule no
| | |other is wanted.
| | |
T. germanica |Europe |Pinkish |A smaller shrub than the
(German Tamarisk), | | |last, more upright in
(Syn. Myricaria | | |growth, and with a glaucous
Germanica) | | |tinge. The pinkish flowers
| | |are far less effective than
| | |those of the preceding.
| | |
*Ulex europaeus |Europe; |Yellow |The common Furze is known
(the Furze, Gorse, |Leguminosae | |to every one, but its great
or Whin) | | |beauty as a flowering shrub
| | |is apt to be overlooked,
| | |for it luxuriates in dry,
| | |sandy, and stony soils,
| | |where little else will
| | |grow, and its golden
| | |blossoms are borne usually
| | |from February to May,
| | |though occasionally
| | |throughout the entire
| | |winter. The double-flowered
| | |variety--flore-pleno--is
| | |even more valuable from a
| | |flowering point of view
| | |than the type. Both
| | |transplant badly, hence the
| | |common kind is usually sown
| | |where it has to remain, and
| | |the double-flowered form
| | |struck from cuttings in a
| | |frame, and kept in pots
| | |till permanently planted.
| | |
*U. nanus (Dwarf |Europe |Yellow |Of dwarfer and denser habit
Furze) | | |than the common Furze, but
| | |its most prominent feature
| | |consists in the fact that
| | |it often commences to
| | |flower in August, and
| | |continues till Christmas,
| | |after which the common
| | |Furze asserts itself.
| | |The cultural items appended
| | |to the preceding species
| | |apply with equal force to
| | |this.
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VERONICA.--There are a vast number of Veronicas, all natives of New Zealand, and garden forms raised from them, but many can only be regarded as hardy in the extreme west of England and Ireland, whereas some of the hardiest are from their diminutive growth suitable only for rockwork. The best are--

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| COUNTRY OR | COLOUR |
NAME. | ORIGIN AND | AND | GENERAL REMARKS.
| NATURAL ORDER. | SEASON. |
-------------------+----------------+----------+---------------------------
| | |
*Veronica |Garden Origin |Purple; |A neat evergreen shrub with
Andersonii |(Scrophul- |Summer |dense spikes of
|arineae) |and |bluish-purple blossoms in
| |Autumn |great profusion for a long
| | |period. Near the sea, in
| | |especially favoured spots,
| | |it is delightful, while in
| | |other districts it forms a
| | |valuable subject for
| | |greenhouse or conservatory.
| | |Of the numerous other
| | |garden forms belonging to
| | |this section the following
| | |are all good: Blue Gem,
| | |light blue; Bolide,
| | |reddish; Celestial, sky
| | |blue, light centre; La
| | |Seduisante, rich
| | |reddish-purple; Marie
| | |Antoinette, pink; Purple
| | |Queen, rich purple; and
| | |Reine des Blanches, white.
| | |
V. hulkeana |New Zealand |Pale |Very distinct; it has large
| |lavender; |terminal panicles of pale
| |May and |lavender flowers.
| |June |
| | |
*V. Traversii |New Zealand |Pale |The hardiest of all the
| |mauve; |shrubby Veronicas; it is
| |June and |a dense box-like bush, with
| |July |a profusion of dense spikes
| | |of flowers. In the
| | |neighbourhood of London
| | |this is a thoroughly good
| | |shrub of easy culture.
| | |
Viburnum |Caprifoliaceae |...... |The Viburnum family
| | |includes several beautiful
| | |shrubs, and of the thirty
| | |or forty species and
| | |varieties in cultivation at
| | |least six are
| | |indispensable, _i.e._ no
| | |good shrub garden is
| | |without them. Most of them
| | |are vigorous in growth and
| | |easily propagated; they
| | |like a fairly rich soil
| | |and moisture at the root.
| | |Several of the American
| | |species grow naturally in
| | |damp, more or less shady
| | |woodlands. Taken
| | |collectively the Viburnums
| | |possess a variety of
| | |attractions. Some species
| | |are evergreen, and thus
| | |useful Winter plants;
| | |others are amongst the most
| | |beautiful shrubs for their
| | |flowers, others again, like
| | |our native Guelder Rose (V.
| | |Opulus), have showy fruits;
| | |finally the foliage of
| | |several of the deciduous
| | |species dies off rich red
| | |or yellow tints.
| | |
V. dentatum |North America. |White; |The American Viburnums are
(Arrow-wood) |Introduced in |June and |not apparently so valuable
|1763 |July |in the British Isles as in
| | |their native country. Most
| | |of them are handsome
| | |vigorous bushes, but
| | |without the same flower
| | |attractions as plicatum,
| | |macrocephalum, and the
| | |Guelder Rose (V. Opulus
| | |var. sterile). Many of
| | |them, however, bear very
| | |showy fruits in their own
| | |country, and the leaves
| | |turn to beautiful Autumn
| | |tints. V. dentatum is
| | |deciduous, free-growing,
| | |leaves bright green, deeply
| | |toothed and strongly
| | |veined. The trusses are 3
| | |inches to 4 inches across,
| | |the flowers white, and
| | |fertile. It is one of the
| | |handsomest as regards
| | |flowers of the American
| | |Viburnums. The dark-blue
| | |fruit ripens neither
| | |abundantly nor regularly
| | |in England.
| | |
V. Lantana |Britain, also |White; |A beautiful native shrub.
(Wayfaring tree) |Europe North and|May and |Its chief beauty is in the
|Western Asia, |June |colour of the flowers and
|and N. Africa | |the gorgeous Autumn leaf
| | |tints. Groups of this are
| | |pictures of colour in
| | |Autumn. The fruit, at first
| | |black and afterwards red,
| | |soon disappears before the
| | |birds. The tree grows
| | |rapidly and generally
| | |attains a height of about
| | |12 or 15 feet; the leaves
| | |are large and downy. The
| | |wayfaring tree should be
| | |more planted in English
| | |gardens. It will grow
| | |almost anywhere. There are
| | |two variegated-leaved
| | |varieties, but these we
| | |know little about, and we
| | |care more for the type than
| | |any golden variegation.
| | |
V. macrocephalum |China and Japan.|Pure white|This must be included, but
|Introduced from | |it is not very hardy. Mr.
|China in 1844 by| |Bean, writing of it in _The
|Fortune | |Garden_, November 17, 1900,
| | |p. 361, says: "The shrub
| | |known under this name is a
| | |cultivated form of a
| | |Chinese species, in which
| | |all the flowers have, under
| | |artificial influences,
| | |become sterile. The wild
| | |plant to which it belongs
| | |is also in cultivation, and
| | |is known as V. Keteleeri.
| | |In this type plant the
| | |middle of the truss is
| | |filled with perfect
| | |flowers, the edges only
| | |being occupied with the
| | |large and showy sterile
| | |ones. V. macrocephalum is
| | |by far the most striking
| | |plant, its large, rounded
| | |or pyramidal trusses of
| | |pure white flowers being
| | |unequalled among the
| | |Viburnums. The plant is,
| | |however, better adapted for
| | |growing in pots for
| | |greenhouse decoration or as
| | |a wall plant than it is as
| | |a shrub in the open. In my
| | |experience it is scarcely
| | |hardy enough to assume its
| | |best character without some
| | |sort of protection.
| | |Although hard winters may
| | |not kill it outright they
| | |seriously cripple it. It is
| | |only in recent years that
| | |it has attained popularity,
| | |but it has long been
| | |known."
| | |
V. Opulus (the |Britain, Europe |White; |Of the two species of
Guelder Rose). It |and Northern |May and |Viburnum this is the better
is called in |hemisphere |June |known, and is the more
America the | | |valuable as a garden shrub.
Cranberry bush or | | |It grows to a height of
High Cranberry | | |from 10 to 15 feet, and is
| | |easily known by the
| | |beautiful lobed Maple-like
| | |leaves, which die off
| | |brilliant crimson shades.
| | |Sterile as well as fertile
| | |flowers are produced on
| | |each truss, the flowers
| | |being white and
| | |three-quarters of an inch
| | |across. But the wild
| | |Guelder Rose is in its
| | |fullest beauty in Autumn
| | |when the fruits change to
| | |brilliant red, and the
| | |leaves gradually assume
| | |their gorgeous colouring.
| | |As this species appreciates
| | |moisture it is a noble
| | |shrub to make groups of in
| | |moist places, such as by
| | |stream, pond, river, or
| | |moist margin. The beauty of
| | |the wild Guelder Rose is
| | |not realised by many
| | |planters of gardens. Its
| | |colouring is intense. In
| | |the "Cyclopedia of American
| | |Horticulture" it is
| | |mentioned: "Handsome native
| | |shrub, very decorative in
| | |fruit, which begins to
| | |colour by the end of July,
| | |remains on the branches,
| | |and keeps its bright
| | |scarlet colour until the
| | |following Spring. The
| | |berries are not eaten by
| | |birds."
| | |
V. O. sterile |Variety. Origin |White; |This is too well known to
(Snowball tree) |unknown |early June|need description. It is a
| | |graceful shrub, its
| | |branches bent with the
| | |weight of the rounded
| | |flower trusses. As in the
| | |case of V. macrocephalum
| | |and of V. plicatum the
| | |small and insignificant
| | |fertile flowers have become
| | |transformed by cultivation
| | |into large barren ones, and
| | |the truss also loses its
| | |flattened shape and becomes
| | |rounded or conical. It
| | |appreciates a moist soil.
| | |
V. rhytidophyllum |China |Yellow |A handsome evergreen shrub,
| |white |introduced by Messrs.
| | |Veitch. Ornamental foliage,
| | |and in September the
| | |berries turn to a rich red
| | |colour.
| | |
V. tomentosum |Japan |Cream |A very graceful shrub but
Mariesi | |white |little known. The sterile
| | |flowers are on the outer
| | |edge of the flat cymes, and
| | |line the spreading shoots.
| | |We hope it will soon be
| | |plentiful.
| | |
V. tomentosum var. |Japan. |Ivory |We have used the word
plicatum |Introduced by |white |tomentosum as plicatum is a
|Fortune in 1844 | |variety of that species. V.
| | |tomentosum itself is a
| | |handsome shrub with big,
| | |flattish cymes and
| | |creamy-white sterile
| | |flowers round the margin of
| | |the truss. That known as V.
| | |plicatum, a sterile form of
| | |V. tomentosum, is a
| | |beautiful shrub; the most
| | |precious perhaps of the
| | |whole family. It makes a
| | |glorious group on the lawn,
| | |and in early June the
| | |spreading shoots are so
| | |thickly covered with flower
| | |clusters that scarcely a
| | |vestige of the dark-green,
| | |wrinkled leafage is
| | |visible. It is quite hardy,
| | |but in the north it will be
| | |wise to choose a sheltered
| | |position for it. As a wall
| | |shrub too it is valuable,
| | |and a specimen on a wall in
| | |the Royal Horticultural
| | |Society's gardens at
| | |Chiswick is quite a mass of
| | |bloom every year. Passers
| | |by who know not the shrub
| | |wonder what it is making so
| | |thick a mantle of white. It
| | |grows 4 to 5 feet high in
| | |the British Isles, taller
| | |in its native country; the
| | |trusses of flowers are
| | |erect on short branches,
| | |and each measure about 3
| | |inches across. Being in
| | |pairs they make a striking
| | |double row on every branch.
| | |V. plicatum must come into
| | |the smallest list of
| | |flowering shrubs.
| | |
V. Tinus |South of Europe |White; |This is a well-known
(Laurustinus) |and North of |flowers in|evergreen shrub, and quite
|Africa. |Winter |hardy in the south of these
|Introduced in |in the |Isles, where its planted as
|1596 |south, but|a hedge. Even when out of
| |much |flower the bush has a
| |depends |certain beauty owing to its
| |upon |shining green leaves. Near
| |locality |London it succeeds. Many
| | |things considered hardier
| | |get severely injured when
| | |the Laurustinus escapes.
| | |North and easterly winds
| | |are harmful to it. There
| | |are several varieties.
| | |Lucidum is the finest; the
| | |leaves and corymbs are
| | |larger than those of the
| | |type, the former being of a
| | |very glossy green and
| | |smooth. In lucidum the
| | |leaves and branches are
| | |woolly, whilst there are
| | |also purpureum, with
| | |purplish leaves, and a
| | |variegated variety, but
| | |neither is of value.
-------------------+----------------+----------+---------------------------

-------------------+----------------+----------+---------------------------
| COUNTRY OR | COLOUR |
NAME. | ORIGIN AND | AND | GENERAL REMARKS.
| NATURAL ORDER. | SEASON. |
-------------------+----------------+----------+---------------------------
| | |
*Xanthoceras |North China |White; |A beautiful tree, but
sorbifolia | |stained |seldom seen in English
| |with red |gardens. The following note
| |in the |appeared in _The Garden_
| |centre; |about it: "This tree does
| |Spring |not appear to be widely
| | |grown, and I have heard
| | |doubts expressed as to its
| | |being hardy enough to stand
| | |the winter in some
| | |districts. Not long ago I
| | |saw a fine specimen in a
| | |Kentish rectory garden. The
| | |tree is 5 feet or 6 feet
| | |high, and under the shelter
| | |of a thick hedge of
| | |Laurustinus it flowers
| | |freely every year, and also
| | |produces fruit. The long
| | |white and slightly tinted
| | |blooms, which change to
| | |purple, are very effective,
| | |but one rarely gets an
| | |opportunity of seeing this
| | |interesting tree in flower.
| | |Perhaps this is because it
| | |does not belong to the
| | |common order of things, or
| | |else it is not
| | |accommodating enough for
| | |general culture, but it is
| | |very beautiful." The
| | |Xanthoceras is sometimes
| | |trained against a wall, but
| | |its growth is too stiff for
| | |the purpose. The flowers
| | |are in dense spikes about 6
| | |inches long, reminding one
| | |of the Horse-Chestnut, and
| | |are an inch across
| | |individually. The foliage
| | |is very ornamental, and
| | |each leaf-stalk has seven
| | |pinnate, serrated,
| | |bright-green leaves. Apt to
| | |get spoilt by frost,
| | |however.
| | |
Yuccas |Liliaceae | |See pages 149, 250.
-------------------+----------------+----------+---------------------------

HARDY TREES AND SHRUBS FOR BEAUTY OF FOLIAGE AND GROWTH

The following is a table of hardy trees and shrubs more interesting for the beauty of their foliage and growth than for their flowers, with their popular names, approximate heights, native country, and other particulars. All are deciduous unless otherwise specified. Those with an asterisk (*) are the most important.