This section is from "The Horticulturist, And Journal Of Rural Art And Rural Taste", by P. Barry, A. J. Downing, J. Jay Smith, Peter B. Mead, F. W. Woodward, Henry T. Williams. Also available from Amazon: Horticulturist and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste.
California gives us very beautiful evergreens, and among its conifers some of the loftiest trees in the world; but the Himalayan mountains give a still more decided character to many of the trees and shrubs which it produces. These lofty mountains, whose sides are clothed with the richest vegetation, appear to impart a portion of their own gigantic stature to the trees and shrubs which they produce; - the Rhododendrons attain the height of trees; the Holly (Ilex latifolia) also grows high, having foliage as large as Magnolia grandiflora; the Spruce [Abies morinda) has longer and more graceful foliage or branches than its conjeners in Europe or this country. How long, broad, and beautiful, is the foliage of the Silver Firs (Picea Webbiana and pindrow) compared to Balm of Gilead, or even the beautiful Silver Fir of Europe, and what a much greater height they attain. I might also point to the Cedars, and other trees, but these few are sufficient to show the marked character of Himalayan vegetation.
The following list is not intended to include all, but I think among them will be found all or nearly all the principal species most worthy of general cultivation:
This very beautiful weeping evergreen shrub has a character decided and peculiar to itself, and among a collection of evergreens it never fails to catch the eye of the most careless observer; and how can it be otherwise, if we picture to ourselves a shrub eight or ten feet high, (a very common height now in England,) thickly set with branches all round, and every one, from its summit to. its base, pointing to the ground. the lower branches resting on the ground. It is a more decided weeper than the Weeping Willow, our old favorite; and when its evergreen character is added to this, how much is its beauty enhanced. In summer it assumes a beautiful vivid green, bearing a profusion of berries about the size of peas, which ripen in the fall, and which add much to the beauty and interest of the plant. Native country, Alps of Nepal and Cashmere.
A low, trailing bush, of distinct habits, retaining its beautiful green appearance through the winter and spring months. Our native trailing Juniper assumes in winter that unpleasant appearance I have already noticed. It is perfectly hardy in the Middle States, which need not surprize us when we consider that it comes from the Alps of Bootan and Nepal, at the elevation of 11,500 feet.
The Chinese Juniper - is a very beautiful shrub. In color it resembles the Swedish, having however the green a little more vivid. It is not of so upright a growth as the Swedish, but more inclined to branch out, forming a magnificent bush, and retains its color well through winter. Native of China and Japan.
A recent importation from the north of China, where it was discovered by Mr. Fortune, and sent to Messrs. Standish & Noble. According to Mr. Fortune it forms a tree 80 to 50 feet in height. Dr. Lindley says:* "The species differs from J. Chinensis apparently, in not having any acicular leaves, and very decidedly in the size and form of its fruit, which is twice as large as in that species, and not at all depressed at the end, but very regularly spherical." There is tittle doubt but this tree is hardy.
Were I to select two of the most distinct and beautiful of all the Junipers now in cultivation, I would take the first named - recurva - and the present subject This is quite as distinct and as beautiful as that, though they are the very antipodes of each other - that is gracefully weeping, this is remarkably erect in its growth - that is of a deep green, this is very glaucous; and in nearly every point they are dissimilar. This forms a beautiful erect tree with a .silvery, feathery, graceful appearance; die contrast with other conifers is remarkable and fine. Native of the Western Himalayas.
This beautiful evergreen is well known in both hemispheres, and where it succeeds well few trees are more beautifully symmetrical. In color it is a beautiful green, and in this quality much superior to our native Arbor Vitro. This color, in general, it retains until the beginning of winter, from which time up to the commencement of growth it assumes the unpleasant rusty brown appearance. In Britain it forms a much more beautiful and compact tree than in this country, and is very extensively planted, though in the neighborhood whence I write are some very fair specimens, much better than further north where it does not appear to be quite at home. Climate has, no doubt, much, if not all, to do with this. Our native Arbor Vitae (Thuya occidentals) forms a very ragged poor tree in England, while on some parts of the European continent it proves as beautiful as on the Highlands of the Hudson. To what can we attribute this but to climate? and if climate affects the one species, it is likely to affect the other. The severe winters of the Northern States do not appear to agree with it; still, from its beauty, it deserves to be extensively planted.
It forms a large tree in its native countries, China and Japan.
Tartarian, and sometimes called in the nurseries the Siberian Arbor Vita. - About four years since I visited a gentleman in the west of England who had a very beautiful collection of conifers, comprising most of the rare and valuable Cedars, Pines, Cypresses, etc, many of which had attained a fair size, and some truly lovely. After minutely surveying and scrutinizing all, we came to the gem of the collection. What was it? Had I ever seen it before? How lovely! How beautiful! Is it possible it is the Tartarian or Siberian Arbor Vitae of the nurseries? Yet such it was. Though I had grown thousands of this in the nurseries, I bad never seen bo large or beautiful a specimen before. It was a tree some thirty feet in height, feathered to the ground; at its base it is broader than the other Arbor Vitas. This, I should suppose, would have a diameter of from fifteen to twenty feet, gradually tapering to the point - very symmetrical, yet not showing a stiff outline like the Chinese, but filling beautifully up with its graceful feathery branches. In color it is not as good as the Chinese, yet better than our native plant. This I consider the most beautiful of all the Arbor Vitaes, and very hardy, and whoever plants evergreens should not overlook this.
 
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