It is amazing what innumerable forms there are in all trees and other plants, and their study from this point of view is fascinating.
The selection of sharp contrast may be used for balancing effects, and balance is a requisite in the landscape picture.
This may be applied to smaller features such as a rock garden. For example, a flat slope may have some conventional charm, but outstanding plants different in structure lift it out of the ordinary.
Dwarf Fruit Trees
Even for practical purposes, differences in form bring great convenience and economy of time.
Dwarf fruit trees have become valuable, making a complete fruit garden possible for small-ground homeowners.
With limited spaces, inter-pollination can be done, and efficient spraying becomes possible even with limited implements.
Hobbyists can employ the variableness of plant growth by making startling collections of someone kind of plant. Take the juniper, for example.
The eastern red cedar, Juniperus Virginiana, is normally shaped like an old-fashioned lamp chimney, upright and broad-pyramidal; yet one may get one variety that is a perfect column.
Procumbent Varieties
In reverse, there are completely procumbent varieties trailing along the ground.
Between these two can take the rounded form, which is about as round as the name implies, and just a few feet high.
Then there is an intermediate form, variety tripartite, fountain red cedar, with spreading pointed branches of moderate height – a beneficial plant for featuring.
Columnar Type
Taller but breaking away from the columnar type is a weeping form with slightly angular and drooping side branches – a little more odd than graceful.
To satisfy a collector’s desires, many lesser differences may be found in 30 variations of this one species, Juniperus Virginiana.
Character in trees is not wholly vested in the inherent forms of certain plants but also family differences.
Nevertheless, the boles and structure of trees may be greatly admired.
Old European Beech Trees
Massive trunks of old European beech trees are just like the great limbs of elephants and are treasured on many estates.
Nothing is more thrilling than old white oaks’ great, weighty, outspread limbs.
In many different tastes, we all much admire the down-sweeping lower limbs of the pin oak, the upper branches gradually reducing till the whole becomes a perfect pyramidal spire.
Oak: Great American Tree
Oak is the great American tree (apologies to the famous sequoia, which we proudly treasure).
There are 400 species of oak in the temperate regions of this hemisphere, but they are mostly large and rugged, somewhat uniform in growth; a few are shrublike, even to the scrub of sandy coast states.
Tree’s Horizontal Branching Habits
Horizontal branching habits are common to pine and spruce trees. This is an outstanding feature in the landscape and can be used in some combinations.
They are less obstructive to vision and give distance to scenes.
They usually help the curious determine the age of large trees, as they usually come in tiers, each layer representing a year’s progress.
Forty such tiers would mean over 40 years of life.
Horizontal branching is worthwhile observing where one is especially interested in displaying flowers or ornamental fruit that appears from lateral twigs on long side branches.
The double-file Viburnum townhouse is a case in point; it beautifully spreads its long side branches strung with showy white flowers.
Accent trees are attractive, being used in landscapes where a conventional spire-like tree is desired.
Lombardy Poplar
For this purpose, the Lombardy poplar has been the ordinary selection. It has served the purpose better than any other, but as usual, its use has been overdone, and we are tired of seeing the same thing everywhere.
But a more serious objection is that it suffers much blight and is always short-lived. To overcome these frailties, Bolleana poplar is used for sturdiness.
Pyramidal English Oak
Better than either is the Ginkgo biloba fastigiata, though many are sold that do not wholly keep the fastigiate habit strictly.
The most gratifying is the pyramidal English oak, which is long-lived, always upright, though a little obese in old age.
Among evergreens, the better accents are found in the forms of American arborvitae, columnar Chinese junipers, and cryptomeria.
The great deciduous conifer, columnar bald cypress, is superb in a large size.
Standard Bay Trees For Large Doorways
Some years ago, using standard bay trees in formal positions in large doorways and conventionally in halls was the practice.
Still, the accustomed source for such material was abruptly cut off, and their use curtailed.
Nothing fully meets the requirement in formal gardens and at points along walks, where conventional forms are desired.
It is usual to fall back on Catalpa bungei. A low compact bush grafted on 5-to-6-foot stems.
But its head sometimes bulks too much and becomes out of proportion to its surrounding lines. And it’s a bit commonplace.
Kilmarnock Willow
One of the daintiest pieces of formality, but little grown and used in these times, is the Kilmarnock willow, one of the much-loved “pussies.”
It is grafted on stout stems of the goat willow.
It does not take the place of a bay tree but is very useful, a pleasing plant, and should be seen oftener.
Unfortunately, some insect scales are fond of it, and the plants must be watched for such pests.
Trees And Shrubs
Trees and shrubs inclined to spread horizontally should be sought for use as wall shrubs.
The use of these is an art that has not been followed much in this country. But it has the means for arousing interest that will be perpetual joy.
Double-file viburnum has the right type of lateral branches for this use.
The globe Norway maple, grafted on straight stems, makes a particularly handsome formal specimen; but it will spread too much for the usual formal position.
Avenue Planting
It is now being recommended for avenue planting, where height is not desired but where the fullness of spread will not be objectionable.
Its rich green foliage, while not evergreen, with rich Autumn-gold coloring, makes it a good specimen.
For this reason, any farm manure should have some superphosphate added.
Space does not permit a discussion of the particular requirement of different plants.
I am afraid, however, that we do not always know as much as we think about the requirement of either flowers or vegetables.
Experimental Work
So far as I know, there has not been any experimental work to prove either that cow manure does or does not have some ingredient of special value for the growth of plants not found in other manure.
It may have. But the evidence against it is strong enough that I intend to use whatever may be available – even strong chicken manure when composted with leaves or other vegetable matter. Tree characteristics are a delightful study, and it is an eternal one.
It is not solely to gratify the interests of the commercial man, but for everyone, it is a field of better understanding of the ways of life and strength of character.
It discloses the beautiful harmony that exists in differences well arranged.
44659 by S. Mendelson Meehan