GARDENING NOTES

New Zealand Tablet, 27 May 1915, Page 53

GARDENING NOTES

(By Mr. J. Joyce, Landscape Gardener, Christenurch.)

DECIDUOUS FLOWERING TREES. In dealing With deciduous flowering trees worthy of a place in the garden, I will begin with the old favorite, the yellow laburnum, which is a native of Switzerland. This, with its yellow trusses, which adorn plantations and shrubberies in the early days of spring is very much admired. There are a good many varieties, but the old yellow is the favorite. There is one with golden leaves, which looks well amongst other trees, but the leaves being a golden yellow, the flowers do not show up so conspicuously as the old kind. There is also a purple one. Another very old class of trees which should be in every garden of any dimensions is the Crataegus family. They commonly go by the name of the May tree or hawthorn. There are a good many varieties, and all are worthy of a conspicuous place in shrubberies. The delicate perfume which they give out of a fine morning is most pleasing. When in bloom they make a very fine show among other trees. There are a good many kinds to choose from, but in a large garden, a place ought to be found for the best varieties, such as the single pink, double pink, double white, etc. There is an endless lot of varieties, natives of all parts of the world. Some bear large red berries, which look very pretty; whilst others have very fine foliage. Another very pretty tree, suitable for garden decoration is cersis siliquastrum (Judas tree). This tree bears clusters of pink flowers. It is not met with very often in our gardens. Perhaps its name is against it; anyhow, it is well worth giving it a prominent place. It is a native of the South of Europe, but there are also other varieties.' Another very pretty tree is the spindle tree (euonymus Europaeus). This tree has orange-colored capsules, which look very showy in the autumn. It is a very desirable addition to other trees in a shrubbery. There are several other kinds, but I believe this is the most conspicuous of them. Another tree with purple leaves is a plum called prunus pissardi (a native of Persia). This gives variety to the green foliage of the shrubberies. The purple beech must not be left out, especially in a large garden, as it grows to a very large size. The flowering Japanese cherries (double pink and double white), and the double peach, and almonds are a fine variety of trees to plant in a garden. They flower early in the sprint?, when flowers are scarce ; on this account they are great favorites, and are now to be found in nearly all gardens of any dimensions. The rowan, or mountain ash, with its clusters of red berries, gives variety to the autumn hue of the shrubberies; so, too, does the service tree, which resembles it. The tamarix is another tree which should not be left out. Its feathery foliage and pink plume-like flowers are very pretty. There are two varieties. The horse chestnuts, pink and white, look very showy in the early spring, and are suitable for a large place. The tulip tree (liriodendron) bears flowers like a tulip, hence the name. It is a large growing tree, a native of North America. Another large growing tree is the paulownia imperialis, a native of Japan. This has clusters of purple flower, and should be planted where it will have room to grow. As it grows to a large size it does well planted out in a lawn. Clumps of the pretty Japanese maples are very effective, when planted in favorable positions. The tree of heaven (ailanthus glandulosa) makes a very fine specimen when allowed plenty of room. . It is a native of China, and has very fine foliage. A tree with a lovely autumn foliage, called liquidambar, a native of North America, is well worth planting. There are several maples, which are very suitable for a conspicuous place in the garden, notably the silver and goldenleaved varieties. The rhus, or sumach, has very pretty foliage, which turns a red hue in the autumn, and is very effective among other trees at that time of the year. As specimens on a large lawn, the weeping and horizontal elm, the weeping ash, and a few others of the. same habit must not be omitted from the list. " My next article will deal with evergreen flowering trees, to be followed by one on deciduous flowering shrubs. ,