Sambucus.—The scarlet-berried Elder, S. racemosus, is by far the handsomest of the genus, but although it flowers freely enough, it is very uncertain in producing its fruits. S. glauca, from the West United States, produces large, flat clusters of blue-white berries, and there is a striking white-fruited variety of S. nigra called leucocarpa.
The Snowberry (Symphoricarpus racemosus) should always have a place in the garden for the sake of its clusters of large pure white berries, which remain long on the plants.
Viburnum.—There are several very handsome fruiting species in this genus, no finer, however, than the native V. Opulus, or Guelder Rose, with red fruits, and its variety fructu-luteo with yellow ones. In the other native species, V. Lantana, they are at first red, ultimately black. Several of the Viburnums are noteworthy for the blue or blue-black fruits; of these are dentatum, molle, cassinoides, and nudum. Those of the evergreen V. Tinus are also dark blue, but, as with the other blue-fruited species, they are not frequently borne in profusion in the average climate of Britain.
Vitis heterophylla and its variety humulifolia, bear singularly beautiful clusters of pale china-blue berries. To induce them to fruit freely, however, the plants require a warm, sunny wall, and rather restricted root-room.
CHAPTER XII
WEEPING TREES AND THEIR USES
It is not at all easy to define special uses for trees of weeping habit, but it is safe to use them nearly singly and not in immediate connection with trees of quite upright form. The point in the weeping tree is a certain grace of drooping line, such as one enjoys in the drooping racemes of many of the papilionaceous flowers such as Wistaria, Laburnum, and Robinia. Nothing is gained by accentuating the peculiarity by a direct association with trees of an opposite way of growth. It is better rather to place the weeping trees near rounded masses of shrub and small tree—for example, a Weeping Birch would group well with a clump of Rhododendrons.
Near water weeping trees seem to be specially effective. An instance of this is shown in the familiar Weeping Willow, but one at a time seems as much as is wanted.
As a general rule, we strongly advocate planting in groups, whether in the case of trees, shrubs, or flowering plants, but the weeping trees are less suited for grouping than any others. One Weeping Willow is all very well, but a whole grove of them would be monotonous and tiresome.
