Hardy Ornamental Flowering Trees and ShrubsWebster, Angus D.
History
Hardy Ornamental Flowering Trees and Shrubs
Webster, Angus D.
Flowering shrubs; Flowering trees
V. DAHURICUM.--Dahuria, 1785. This is a charming hardy species, which in
May and June is covered with numerous umbels of showy white flowers. It
forms a rather spreading bush of 6 feet or 8 feet high, with gray downy
branches, and neat foliage. The berries are oval-oblong, red at first,
but becoming black and faintly scented when fully ripe.
V. DENTATUM.--Arrowwood. A native of the United States, 1763. This can
be recommended as a distinct and beautiful shrub, with cymes of white
flowers that are produced in plenty. The leaves are dark green, smooth,
and shining, and strongly veined, while the bark is ash-coloured, and
the berries bright blue.
V. LANTANA.--Wayfaring Tree. Europe (Britain). This is a native species
of large bush, or almost tree growth, with rugose, oblong, serrulated
leaves, and large, flat cymes of white flowers appearing in May and
June. The whole tree is usually covered with a scaly tomentum, while the
fruit is a black flattened drupe.
V. LENTAGO.--Sheepberry and Sweet Viburnum. North America, 1761. This
resembles our native V. Lantana, with dense clusters of white blossoms
succeeded by black berries.
V. MACROCEPHALUM (_syn V. Fortunei_).--China, 1844. This is a Chinese
species, but one that cannot be depended on as hardy enough to withstand
our most severe winters. It has very large heads or panicles of white
neutral flowers. Against a sunny wall and in a cosy nook it may
occasionally be found doing fairly well, but it is not to be generally
recommended.
V. NUDUM.--American Withe Rod. Canada to Georgia, 1752. This is also
worthy of being included in a selection of these shrubs.
V. OPULUS.--Guelder Rose. A native shrub of great beauty, whether in
foliage, flower, or fruit. The leaves are variously lobed or deeply
toothed, large and handsome, and the flower heads of good size, flat,
and composed of a number of small flowers, the outer only being sterile.
Individually the flowers are dull and inconspicuous, but being produced
in amazing quantity, they have a very pleasing and effective appearance.
The great bunches of clear pinky berries render a fair-sized plant
particularly handsome and attractive, and for which alone, as also
beauty of autumnal foliage, the shrub is well worthy of extensive
culture. It grows fully 15 feet high, and may frequently be seen as much
through. V. Opulus sterilis (Snowball Tree) is one of the commonest
occupants of our shrubberies, and a decidedly ornamental-flowering
shrub. The large, almost globular flower heads hanging from every branch
tip, are too well-known to require description, and have made the shrub
one of the most popular in ornamental planting.
V. PAUCIFLORUM is a native of cold, moist woods from Labrador to Alaska,
and may best be described as a miniature V. Opulus. It rarely grows more
than 4 feet high, with small cymes of flowers, that are devoid of the
neutral flowers of that species.
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