Trees and Shrubs for English Gardens Part 19

Holly.

Liquidambar.

Laurel (Common).

,, (Portugal).

Magnolia.

Osmanthus.

Phillyraea.

Rhamnus.

Styrax.

Tulip Tree.

Viburnum.

Walnut.

Yew.

Coniferae.

It will be noticed that Conifers are mentioned in the third list, and even in nurseries where they are regularly moved the mortality amongst them is very high; and the removal of large Conifers should never be attempted except with a transplanting machine, and expert men to handle it. As a rule, it will be found cheaper and better to buy young plants than to attempt the removal of large ones that have stood for some years without root disturbance. Such flowering shrubs as _Spiraea_, _Philadelphus_, _Kerria_, _Ribes_, &c., can be safely moved without much trouble, as they make a ma.s.s of roots which will hold a good ball of soil unless it is very dry. All are practically certain to live if carefully planted and well watered afterwards.

There are several ways of moving large trees, the simplest and quickest being by a proper transplanting machine, which consists of a framework on wheels fitted with a system of rollers and levers. For moderately-sized trees, say, to about 12 feet high, a two-wheeled machine is sufficient. This is moved by eight or ten men. For trees above 12 feet high a four-wheeled machine is required, with two, or perhaps three, horses to draw it. The first will take a ball of soil weighing from two to three tons, the latter anything to ten tons, or even more.

In preparing the tree for the small machine the ball is made round, and slightly smaller than the width of the machine, a trench being cut round the tree to a depth of 3 feet or so, the actual depth depending on the roots, but the soil should be removed a foot lower than the lowest roots. On no account undermine the ball until the proper depth has been reached. A proper machine-pick is the best thing to use under the ball, carefully working out sufficient soil to introduce a board 6 inches wide and about 1 inches thick on each side of the ball. The soil immediately under the centre of the ball should be left intact. When the boards are in position ropes are pa.s.sed under them on each side and led up over the rollers on the machine and fastened, and then by levers the ropes are rolled up, swinging the plant up cleanly and with a good ball of soil. Before putting the ropes under, however, a stout piece of canvas or mat should be tied round the ball with a couple of cords, between which and the canvas seven or eight pieces of narrow flat board should be fixed to prevent the cords from cutting the ball. The rear part of the machine is made to be taken out so that it can be pushed right over a plant, and it should be run on planks on soft ground.

With the large transplanting machine a ball of soil of almost any size can be taken, but the method of preparing it is somewhat different. It should be made nearly square, being rather longer than it is broad. When the proper depth has been reached make a hole about 2 feet wide under the centre of the ball, and running entirely through the longer way of it. Through this hole one, or even two, broad planks 3 inches thick should be pa.s.sed. On each end of these, where they project beyond the ball, a stout plank is laid on edge, and two others placed lengthwise to fit above the first two. These planks should all be cut to fit tightly into each other. If necessary, owing to the depth of the ball, another tier of planks should be placed above the first to insure stability. The machine is then placed over the plant, and the whole, by means of chains and levers, is swung up off the ground, and then ready to be taken anywhere. This machine, however, should only be used by those who have had experience with it, as it is difficult and c.u.mbersome to handle, and in the hands of novices is liable to cause serious accidents.

Where no transplanting machine exists, other mechanical contrivances must be used to move a large tree. Rollers and planks, a low trolley, or a draw-board, as it is called, are the best. The preparation for removal is the same for these means as it is for a machine, with the exception of getting under it, which varies according to the means employed. For rollers and planks the soil should be worked out directly under the centre of the ball, and planks put through to form a bed to run the shrub or tree on. On these a roller should be placed, working the soil out at the sides so that it is well under the ball, but not going so far under as to undermine it, and cause it to drop over. Above the roller put one wide plank to form the bottom of the ball, and by means of a rope round it the whole can be taken where required. When moving it, however, it is well to raise the rear half by means of a broad lever or a lifting-jack, which, in conjunction with a steady pull on the rope, should start the plant comfortably on its journey.

When a low trolley is used the ball of soil must be firm, and not liable to break to pieces when handled with reasonable care. Having cut out the ball to the required depth, work under it all round, merely leaving enough in the centre to support it. If possible, work off some of the upper soil to decrease the weight, but this depends entirely upon the roots, and the way they run. If small roots are plentiful at the top, little or no soil can be removed, but if they are lower down, then the upper soil may be removed with advantage. Having worked under the ball, lay two stout planks under it well packed up to the centre, and then with two strong poles under the ends of the planks lift the whole on the trolley. If the work is carefully thought out, it is possible to make the actual lifting a very small operation by bringing the trolley close and lowering it considerably.

The draw-board is a handy contrivance for moderate-sized trees or shrubs which will hold a good ball of soil. It is made in two forms. One consists of a piece of well-seasoned oak 3 inches thick, and about 3 feet long by 2 to 2 feet wide at the widest part, from which it slopes down to a thick end, where a stout swivel-ring is fixed to take a rope.

The other form is a kind of trolley, and consists of a frame 3 feet long by 2 feet wide; it runs on rollers that work on bent irons fastened to the framework, the whole standing about 4 inches high. Either of these can be used for moving plants the ball of soil attached to which is not larger than the board. They will take a heavy plant with comparative ease, and are especially useful for moving large Rhododendrons and other American shrubs. To get them under a plant cut out the ball of soil to the proper depth, and work under it from the front, that is, the direction in which the plant is to go, keeping the ball wedged up during the process, _not_ by having a man to pull the top over, but by using wedges or levers underneath it, until sufficient soil has been worked out to allow the board to be inserted. When the board is in position the rope should be pa.s.sed through the ring and then around the collar, using a piece of mat to keep it from rubbing the bark off, and then back through the ring again. It is well to run the board over planks on soft ground to reduce the labour of pulling.

In putting the tree or shrub into its new position, carefully measure the size of the ball, and make the hole considerably larger and slightly deeper, breaking up the bottom well. When the tree or shrub is in position ram the soil tightly round it until it is about two-thirds covered, when the hole should be completely filled with water, covering in the remainder when the water has drained away. The stem must also be made secure by means of stakes or cords, otherwise wind will cause damage to the roots.

When the ground is dry under a tree that is to be moved nothing should be done until it has been thoroughly soaked. To do this a trench 2 feet deep and as narrow as possible should be taken out all round, and gradually filled in with water, pouring it in steadily, away from the ball rather than to it, and persevere with this watering till the ball of soil under the tree is thoroughly saturated. Leave it for at least twenty-four hours to drain. Three points must not be forgotten: (1) Wrap the ball of soil securely round with canvas as soon as possible; (2) never use the stem of a tree as a lever in moving the ball--this should always be moved from below, and the stem never touched on any account; (3) always allow plenty of room for working.

Moving large trees is not easy and must not be lightly undertaken. It involves much time, labour, and expense, in most cases far more than the trees are worth. Trees 8 or 10 feet high may be easily moved, but above that height the work should be done by an expert. Trees and shrubs of considerable size can be purchased at a moderate price from good tree nurseries, where they have been regularly transplanted, and if carefully planted will soon make good specimens.

It is in the planting of trees that so many failures occur as a rule. A good tree may be obtained, arrive in excellent condition, and yet be planted in such a way that success is out of the question. The fault, as a matter of course, is put on the man who supplied the tree, not on the one who killed it by improper planting. Those who think of moving large trees or shrubs should not do so until the probable cost has been considered, and the advice and help obtained of some one who has handled big trees before. The expert will be able to say if a tree can bear removal, or whether it is better destroyed, and its place filled with a young and vigorous specimen from a nursery.

CHAPTER XXI

YOUNG TREES AND SUNSTROKE

It is most noticeable that the stems of young trees of from 8 to about 14 feet in height are apt in some seasons to get much damaged, so much so that the trees are rarely satisfactory for some years afterwards, even if they do not die outright. The mischief is usually not seen until it is too late to mend matters, and is found more as a rule on young trees with small heads standing out singly than where they are planted amongst undergrowth or in partial shade. If careful notice is taken it will be found that the stems are damaged on the south side, or it may be east or west of south, but never on the north side, and this is directly caused by the rays of the sun being too hot for the young stems to bear.

The trees most liable to sunstroke--which it practically amounts to--are the Lime, Willow, Horse Chestnut, Sweet Chestnut, Birch, Mountain Ash, Ash, and Plane, and generally in the order they are given, the softer wooded trees suffering more severely than those of harder growth. The Oak, Elm, and Beech are seldom much damaged by the sun, though in cases of failure it will be well to notice the stems and see how far the direct rays of the sun are responsible for the death of the tree.

The first marks of sunstroke are seen in the shape of longitudinal cracks in the bark, which is also slightly browned and flattened, as if there were a hollow beneath. The part affected is from about 1 to 3 feet in length, and from 1 to 3 inches in width. If the bark is cut away the wood beneath will be found perfectly firm, but hard and dry, more like a piece of seasoned wood than part of a growing tree. When such is the case the only thing that can be done is to cut away the bark back to the living tissue, thoroughly coat the wound with gas tar, and shade the stem afterwards with a few branches or something that does not need to be fastened on the stem. Hay or straw bands cannot be altogether recommended, as anything which excludes the light tends to the softening of the young bark. This should be avoided, as the firmer the bark the better will be the ultimate success of the tree. Iron tree-guards, though not beautiful, have the advantage of protecting the stems of young trees from the sun as well as from the attacks of animals. In addition to the slight shade they give, the iron, being a good conductor of heat, takes up a large amount of the heat rays which would otherwise be directed full upon the stem.

A hot and dry season is no more likely to cause sunstroke than a wet one, and probably not so much, as we have noticed it in sunless years quite as much as in bright summers. The time when it is most likely to happen is when a few days of hot sunshine follow a spell of wet weather, as the wood is then soft and full of moisture, and is more liable to be scorched than during a period of prolonged sunshine.

When trees are planted out singly it is well to choose those with spreading heads and low stems, as then the tree will shade itself to a great extent, the short amount of bare stem being less exposed to the sun's rays than a taller one. After all, this is only Nature's method of protection, as, in a wild state, no young tree is bare-stemmed, except in a wood, where it is shaded by those near it. On the edge of a wood, or in the open, young trees are furnished to the ground with foliage, which is not shed until the stem has become hardened enough to withstand climatic vicissitudes. If trees with tall stems are the only ones available, then the stems should be shaded by some means for a year or two, especially when they have become established and are making strong, sappy growths, as the stem is practically in the same condition and apt to be scorched by a sudden burst of hot sunshine.

GOAT AND WOOD-LEOPARD MOTHS

Sunstroke must not be confounded with the ravages of the caterpillars of the Goat Moth and Wood-Leopard Moth, the external signs of which are much the same, but on the bark being removed one or two channels almost the size of a man's little finger are to be seen, together with acc.u.mulations of wet sawdust-like material deposited by the caterpillar. These are exterminated by thrusting a stout wire into the channels until the grub is killed, and afterwards cutting away the dead bark and tarring the wound thoroughly. The tree should also be securely staked, otherwise it will probably snap off in the first high wind.

CHAPTER XXII

SHADE TREES FOR STREETS

In the middle ages it was accounted an act of piety to make or maintain a road or a bridge, or to do anything in connexion with them that would conduce to the safety or comfort of the wayfarer. The planting of trees for shade, or the placing of a shaded bench for rest came within the same category of pious works. In our days, when rush and hurry and the pressure of business, and the worship of bare utility fill the minds of most men, there are many who have almost forgotten the gracious aspects of the more leisurely life. It is probably from this cause that so many opportunities are lost that might be seized by those in authority for making the lives of our fellow-creatures somewhat easier and pleasanter.

In days of extreme heat what a difference in comfort there would be between the bare sun-baked expanses of the streets of many a town, such as we all know, and the same s.p.a.ces carefully planted with shade-giving trees! In very narrow streets trees are, of course, out of the question, or in any street whose width is not enough to allow of easy traffic and trees as well, but one cannot walk through any town, except the very few in which the question has already been considered and satisfactorily answered, without seeing many a street or waste s.p.a.ce or corner where a row or a group or even a single tree would not add immensely to both beauty and comfort. Where there is plenty of width, and especially where houses fall back a little from the road, the trees may well stand just within the edge of the footpath or pavement. Should there be still more width, there may be a row in the middle of the road. In this case the middle row of trees should not be quite evenly continuous, but perhaps five or six trees and then a gap, formed by leaving out one tree, in order to allow the traffic to move from side to side of the road. In many a town where a street runs north-east and south-west, a row of trees on its south-western side only might be an inestimable boon.

Even in country villages there is often a bare place, especially where roads meet, where a few trees well planted and a plain strong oak bench would be a comfort and a pleasure to many hardworking folk, and might be the means of converting unsightliness into beauty.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _PLANE TREE (Plata.n.u.s orientalis)._]

For towns the Plane has the best character, but other good trees are Wych Elm and Hornbeam, Sycamore, Maple, Lime, Lombardy Poplar, and Horse Chestnut. The spreading growth of the Horse Chestnut commends it rather for a s.p.a.ce like the _place_ of a foreign town. Here is also the place for Limes, for though they are good street trees, yet when in bloom the strong, sweet scent, although a pa.s.sing whiff is delicious, might be an annoyance if poured continuously into the windows of houses during the blooming time.

The Wild Cherry, with its quant.i.ty of early bloom, would be a beautiful street tree, and in places where trees of rather smaller growth are desired there is the Bird Cherry and the Mountain Ash. The large American Mountain Ash is a good street tree, in autumn loaded with its handsome bunches of scarlet fruit.

The larger Willows are also charming trees for streets. Many of the trees named, if their tops spread too near the houses, may, with good effect, be pollarded about 10 feet from the ground.

CHAPTER XXIII

TREES AND SHRUBS IN SCOTLAND

The following list has been kindly sent me by a great lover of trees and shrubs who lives at Forres. My correspondent writes: "I have grown all the plants in my list in my own garden, except _Buddleia globosa_ and _Aralia chinensis_, but the latter is grown in quant.i.ty by several of my neighbours, and there are also several fine plants of the Buddleia in many gardens in sheltered spots. My experience is that many plants are quite frost-proof but cannot stand cold winds. This applies more especially to the shrubby Veronicas. I have seen them in the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens as if scorched with fire on the exposed side, while they were untouched where sheltered from the north and east. My own garden is fairly well sheltered."

_Amelanchier canadensis._--Hardy, free-flowering, beautiful at all times.

_Aralia chinensis (Dimorphanthus) mandschurica._--Useful in some positions for its curious habit of growth and rather handsome foliage; quite hardy.

_Aristolochia Sipho._--This has curious and inconspicuous flowers, which give this climbing plant its popular name of "Dutchman's Pipe." It can be grown on a wall, in which position, perhaps, its fine foliage is seen to the best advantage, but it is quite hardy and looks well climbing into a thin tree such as the Common Almond.

_Berberis (Mahonia) Aquifolium._--A handsome plant at all times, and will even grow under the shade of trees.