Trees and Shrubs for English Gardens

by E. T. Cook

STANDARD LILAC, MME. LEMOINE.

Name.	Country or Origin and Natural Order.	Colour and Season.	General Remarks.
*Tamarix gallica (the Tamarisk)	Northern portion of the Old World; Tamariscineæ	Pink; May	A charming shrub, not half enough grown, owing, in some respects at least, to 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 (German Tamarisk), (Syn. Myricaria Germanica)	Europe	Pinkish	A smaller shrub than the last, more upright in growth, and with a glaucous tinge. The pinkish flowers are far less effective than those of the preceding.
*Ulex europæus (the Furze, Gorse, or Whin)	Europe; Leguminosæ	Yellow	The common Furze is known to every one, but its great 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 Furze)	Europe	Yellow	Of dwarfer and denser habit 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.

VIBURNUM MACROCEPHALUM.

Veronica.—There are a vast number of Veronicas, all natives of NewZealand, and garden forms raised from them, but many can only be regardedas hardy in the extreme west of England and Ireland, whereas some of thehardiest are from their diminutive growth suitable only for rockwork. Thebest are—
Name.	Country or Origin and Natural Order.	Colour and Season.	General Remarks.
*Veronica Andersonii	Garden Origin (Scrophularineæ)	Purple; Summer and Autumn	A neat evergreen shrub withdense spikes ofbluish-purple blossoms ingreat profusion for a longperiod. Near the sea, inespecially favoured spots,it is delightful, while inother districts it forms avaluable subject forgreenhouse or conservatory.Of the numerous othergarden forms belonging tothis section the followingare all good: Blue Gem,light blue; Bolide,reddish; Celestial, skyblue, light centre; LaSeduisante, richreddish-purple; MarieAntoinette, pink; PurpleQueen, rich purple; andReine des Blanches, white.
V. hulkeana	New Zealand	Pale lavender; May and June	Very distinct; it has largeterminal panicles of palelavender flowers.
*V. Traversii	New Zealand	Pale mauve; June and July	The hardiest of all theshrubby Veronicas; it isa dense box-like bush, witha profusion of dense spikesof flowers. In theneighbourhood of Londonthis is a thoroughly goodshrub of easy culture.
Viburnum	Caprifoliaceæ	......	The Viburnum familyincludes several beautifulshrubs, and of the thirtyor forty species andvarieties in cultivation atleast six areindispensable, i.e. nogood shrub garden iswithout them. Most of themare vigorous in growth andeasily propagated; theylike a fairly rich soiland moisture at the root.Several of the Americanspecies grow naturally indamp, more or less shadywoodlands. Takencollectively the Viburnumspossess a variety ofattractions. Some speciesare evergreen, and thususeful Winter plants;others are amongst the mostbeautiful shrubs for theirflowers, others again, likeour native Guelder Rose (V.Opulus), have showy fruits;finally the foliage ofseveral of the deciduousspecies dies off rich redor yellow tints.
V. dentatum (Arrow-wood)	North America. Introduced in 1763	White; June and July	The American Viburnums arenot apparently so valuablein the British Isles as intheir native country. Mostof them are handsomevigorous bushes, butwithout the same flowerattractions as plicatum,macrocephalum, and theGuelder Rose (V. Opulusvar. sterile). Many ofthem, however, bear veryshowy fruits in their owncountry, and the leavesturn to beautiful Autumntints. V. dentatum isdeciduous, free-growing,leaves bright green, deeplytoothed and stronglyveined. The trusses are 3inches to 4 inches across,the flowers white, andfertile. It is one of thehandsomest as regardsflowers of the AmericanViburnums. The dark-bluefruit ripens neitherabundantly nor regularlyin England.
V. Lantana (Wayfaring tree)	Britain, also Europe North and Western Asia, and N. Africa	White; May and June	A beautiful native shrub.Its chief beauty is in thecolour of the flowers andthe gorgeous Autumn leaftints. Groups of this arepictures of colour inAutumn. The fruit, at firstblack and afterwards red,soon disappears before thebirds. The tree growsrapidly and generallyattains a height of about12 or 15 feet; the leavesare large and downy. Thewayfaring tree should bemore planted in Englishgardens. It will growalmost anywhere. There aretwo variegated-leavedvarieties, but these weknow little about, and wecare more for the type thanany golden variegation.
V. macrocephalum	China and Japan. Introduced from China in 1844 by Fortune	Pure white	This must be included, butit is not very hardy. Mr.Bean, writing of it in TheGarden, November 17, 1900,p. 361, says: "The shrubknown under this name is acultivated form of aChinese species, in whichall the flowers have, underartificial influences,become sterile. The wildplant to which it belongs isalso in cultivation, and isknown as V. Keteleeri. Inthis type plant the middleof the truss is filled withperfect flowers, the edgesonly being occupied withthe large and showy sterileones. V. macrocephalum isby far the most strikingplant, its large, roundedor pyramidal trusses ofpure white flowers beingunequalled among theViburnums. The plant is,however, better adapted forgrowing in pots forgreenhouse decoration or asa wall plant than it is asa shrub in the open. In myexperience it is scarcelyhardy enough to assume itsbest character without somesort of protection.Although hard winters maynot kill it outright theyseriously cripple it. It isonly in recent years thatit has attained popularity,but it has long beenknown."
V. Opulus (the Guelder Rose). It is called in America the Cranberry bush or High Cranberry	Britain, Europe and Northern hemisphere	White; May and June	Of the two species ofViburnum this is the betterknown, and is the morevaluable as a garden shrub.It grows to a height offrom 10 to 15 feet, and iseasily known by thebeautiful lobed Maple-likeleaves, which die offbrilliant crimson shades.Sterile as well as fertileflowers are produced oneach truss, the flowersbeing white andthree-quarters of an inchacross. But the wildGuelder Rose is in itsfullest beauty in Autumnwhen the fruits change tobrilliant red, and theleaves gradually assumetheir gorgeous colouring.As this species appreciatesmoisture it is a nobleshrub to make groups of inmoist places, such as bystream, pond, river, ormoist margin. The beauty ofthe wild Guelder Rose isnot realised by manyplanters of gardens. Itscolouring is intense. Inthe "Cyclopedia of AmericanHorticulture" it ismentioned: "Handsome nativeshrub, very decorative infruit, which begins tocolour by the end of July,remains on the branches,and keeps its brightscarlet colour until thefollowing Spring. Theberries are not eaten bybirds."
V. O. sterile (Snowball tree)	Variety. Origin unknown	White; early June	This is too well known toneed description. It is agraceful shrub, itsbranches bent with theweight of the roundedflower trusses. As in thecase of V. macrocephalumand of V. plicatum thesmall and insignificantfertile flowers have becometransformed by cultivationinto large barren ones, andthe truss also loses itsflattened shape and becomesrounded or conical. Itappreciates a moist soil.
V. rhytidophyllum	China	Yellow white	A handsome evergreen shrub,introduced by Messrs.Veitch. Ornamental foliage,and in September theberries turn to a rich redcolour.
V. tomentosum Mariesi	Japan	Cream white	A very graceful shrub butlittle known. The sterileflowers are on the outeredge of the flat cymes, andline the spreading shoots.We hope it will soon beplentiful.
V. tomentosum var. plicatum	Japan. Introduced by Fortune in 1844	Ivory white	We have used the wordtomentosum as plicatum is avariety of that species. V.tomentosum itself is ahandsome shrub with big,flattish cymes andcreamy-white sterileflowers round the margin ofthe truss. That known as V.plicatum, a sterile form ofV. tomentosum, is abeautiful shrub; the mostprecious perhaps of thewhole family. It makes aglorious group on the lawn,and in early June thespreading shoots are sothickly covered with flowerclusters that scarcely avestige of the dark-green,wrinkled leafage isvisible. It is quite hardy,but in the north it will bewise to choose a shelteredposition for it. As a wallshrub too it is valuable,and a specimen on a wall inthe Royal HorticulturalSociety's gardens atChiswick is quite a mass ofbloom every year. Passersby who know not the shrubwonder what it is making sothick a mantle of white. Itgrows 4 to 5 feet high inthe British Isles, tallerin its native country; thetrusses of flowers areerect on short branches,and each measure about 3inches across. Being inpairs they make a strikingdouble row on every branch.V. plicatum must come intothe smallest list offlowering shrubs.
V. Tinus (Laurustinus)	South of Europe and North of Africa. Introduced in 1596	White; flowers in Winter in the south, but much depends upon locality	This is a well-knownevergreen shrub, and quitehardy in the south of theseIsles, where its planted asa hedge. Even when out offlower the bush has acertain beauty owing to itsshining green leaves. NearLondon it succeeds. Manythings considered hardierget severely injured whenthe Laurustinus escapes.North and easterly windsare harmful to it. Thereare several varieties.Lucidum is the finest; theleaves and corymbs arelarger than those of thetype, the former being of avery glossy green andsmooth. In lucidum theleaves and branches arewoolly, whilst there arealso purpureum, withpurplish leaves, and avariegated variety, butneither is of value.

YUCCA GLORIOSA IN A SURREY GARDEN. (Height 15 feet.)

Name.	Country or Origin and Natural Order.	Colour and Season.	General Remarks.
*Xanthoceras sorbifolia	North China	White; stained with red in the centre; Spring	A beautiful tree, but seldom seen in English gardens. The following note appeared in The Garden about it: "This tree does 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	Liliaceæ		See pages [149], [250].

YUCCA FILAMENTOSA var. FLACCIDA RIGHTLY PLACED.