THE GROWING OF THE ORNAMENTAL PLANTS
THE CLASSES OF PLANTS, AND
LISTS - Continued
List of shrubby conifers.
The following list contains the most usual of the shrub-like coniferous
evergreens, with * to mark those native to this country. The ‡ in this
and the succeeding list marks those species
that are found to be hardy at Ottawa, Ontario, and are recommended by
the Central Experimental Farm of Canada.
Dwarf arborvitæ, Thuja occidentalis.*
There are many dwarf and compact varieties of arborvitæ, most of which
are excellent for small places. The most desirable for general purposes,
and also the largest, is the so-called Siberian. Other very desirable
forms are those sold as globosa, ericoides, compacta,‡ Hovey,‡
Ellwangeriana,‡ pyramidalis,‡ Wareana (or Sibirica),‡ and
aurea Douglasii.‡
Japanese arborvitæ or retinospora, Chamœcyparis of various species.
Retinosporas‡ under names as follows: Cupressus ericoides, 2 ft.,
with fine soft delicate green foliage that assumes a purplish tinge in
winter; C. pisifera, one of the best, with a pendulous habit and
bright green foliage; C. pisifera var. filifera, with drooping
branches and thread-like pendulous branches; C. pisifera var.
plumosa, more compact than P. pisifera and feathery; var. aurea of
the last, "one of the most beautiful golden-leaved evergreen shrubs in
cultivation."
Juniper, Juniperus communis* and garden varieties.
The juniper is a partially trailing plant, of loose habit, suitable for
banks and rocky places. There are upright and very formal varieties of
it, the best being those sold as var. Hibernica (fastigiata),‡
"Irish juniper," and var. Suecica, "Swedish juniper." Northern
juniper, J. Sabina, var. prostrata* One of the best of the low,
diffuse conifers; var. tamariscifolia,‡ 1-2 ft.
Chinese and Japanese junipers in many forms, J. Chinensis.
Dwarf Norway spruce, Picea excelsa, dwarf forms. Several very dwarf
sorts of the Norway spruce are in cultivation, some of which are to be
recommended.
Dwarf pine, Pinus montana, var. pumilio.
Mugho pine, Pinus montana, var. Mughus.‡ There are other
desirable dwarf pines.
Wild yew, Taxus Canadensis.* Common in woods; a wide-spreading plant
known as "ground hemlock"; 3-4 ft.
Arboreous conifers.
The evergreen conifers that one is likely to plant may be roughly
classed as pines; spruces and firs; cedars and junipers;
arborvitæ; yews.
White Pine, Pinus Strobus.*‡ The best native species for general
planting; retains its bright green color in winter.
Austrian pine, P. Austriaca.‡ Hardy, coarse, and rugged; suitable
only for large areas; foliage very dark.
Scotch pine, P. sylvestris.‡ Not so coarse as Austrian pine, with a
lighter and bluer foliage.
Red pine, P. resinosa*‡ Valuable in groups and belts; usually
called "Norway pine"; rather heavy in expression.
Bull pine, P. ponderosa.*‡ A strong majestic tree, deserving to
be better known in large grounds; native westward.
Cembrian pine, Pinus Cembra. A very fine slow-growing tree; one of the
few standard pines suitable for small places.
Scrub pine, P. divaricata (P. Banksiana).*
A small tree, more odd and picturesque than beautiful, but desirable in
certain places.
Mugho pine, P. montana var. Mughus.‡
Usually more a bush than a tree (2 to 12 ft.), although it may attain a
height of 20-30 ft.; mentioned under Shrubs.
Norway spruce, Picea excelsa.‡
The most commonly planted spruce; loses much of its peculiar beauty when
thirty to fifty years of age; several dwarf and weeping forms.
White spruce, P. alba.*‡
One of the finest of the spruces; a more compact grower than the last,
and not so coarse; grows slowly.
Oriental spruce, P. orientalis.
Especially valuable from its habit of holding its lowest limbs; grows
slowly; needs some shelter.
Colorado blue spruce, P. pungens.*‡
In color the finest of the conifers; grows slowly; seedlings vary much
in blueness.
Alcock's spruce, P. Alcockiana.‡
Excellent; foliage has silvery under surfaces.
Hemlock spruce, Tsuga Canadensis.*
The common lumber hemlock, but excellent for hedges and as a lawn tree;
young trees may need partial protection from sun.
White fir, Abies concolor.*‡
Probably the best of the native firs for the northeastern region; leaves
broad, glaucous.
Nordmann's fir, A. Nordmanniana.
Excellent in every way; leaves shining above and lighter beneath.
Balsam fir, A. balsamea.*
Loses most of its beauty in fifteen or twenty years.
Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga Douglasii.*‡
Majestic tree of the northern Pacific slope, hardy in the east when
grown from seeds from far north or high mountains.
Red cedar, Juniperus Virginiana*
A common tree, North and South; several horticultural varieties.
Arborvitae (white cedar, erroneously), Thuja occidentalis.*
Becomes unattractive after ten or fifteen years on poor soils; the
horticultural varieties are excellent; see p. 333, and Hedges, p. 220.
Japanese yew, Taxus cuspidata.
Hardy small tree.
Conifers for the South.
Evergreen conifers, trees and bushes, for regions south of Washington:
Abies Fraseri and A. Picea (A. pectinata); Norway spruce; true
cedars, Cedrus Atlantica and Deodara; cypress, Cupressus Goveniana,
majestica, sempervirens; Chamœcyparis Lawsoniana; practically all
junipers, including the native cedar (Juniperus Virginiana);
practically all arborvitæ, including the oriental or biota group;
retinosporas (forms of chamæcyparis and thuja of several kinds);
Carolina hemlock, Tsuga Caroliniana; English yew, Taxus baccata;
Libocedrus decurrens; cephalotaxus and podocarpus; cryptomeria; Bhotan
pine, Pinus excelsa; and the native pines of the regions.