The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Rockweler Rockgardens

DEDIDUOUS TREES AND SHRUBS

Very Dwarf, For Use In The Garden

The deciduous dwarf shrubs are not nearly so essential in rock-garden planting as the evergreen sorts, but there are a few which are very desirable and a number may well be used. Here are a dozen or so of the most important:

Daphne mezereum: Dainty and beautiful; blooms early spring, often again in late autumn. Somewhat sheltered location; usually not over two feet. Also D. genkwa.
Box Barberry (Berberis thunbergi minor): Two to three feet; small yellow flowers and conspicuous berries; hardy to Massachusetts.
Cotoneaster (Refer to preceding list).
Dwarf Birch (Betula nana): Charming little trees; unsurpassed
with the dwarf evergreens; about three feet. Genista: Golden flowers in June; unequaled dwarf shrub for poor,dry soil; easily grown from seed.
Dwarf Huckleberry (vaccinium): All charming, with dainty drooping flowers; grow in dry, sandy soil.
Dwarf Willow (Salix bryacycarpa) : Has gray foliage and yellow
bark. S. repens, a creeping form, with silvery leaves.
Rhodora (R. canadensis) : A tiny rhododendron, two to three feet tall. Roses: Several of the species are desirable; among the most dwarf are the Virginia rose (R. lucida), the Bristly rose (R. nitida) and the Pasture rose (R. humilis).
Star Magnolia (M. stellata) : A little gem, early, and very hardy.
Viburnum carlesi (Fragrant V.) : Taller than many other things in this list, but in every way desirable.
Waxmyrtle (myrica carolinensis): Another plant for poor soils.

DWARF AND MEDIUM HEIGHT FOR BACKGROUND, OR IN NATURAL ROCK GARDENS ON A LARGE SCALE

Here again the list to select from is a wide one, and the problem is not so much what to take as what not to use.

Azaleas: Any of the hardy deciduous azaleas are available, but it is easy to overdo them. In most types of landscaping, azaleas and rhododendrons should be used in masses; in rock gardening a single plant often better answers the purpose.
Dogwood: The native Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), is in character of growth admirable for the rock garden; it is possible to keep the trees at any height by pruning for lateral growth.
Forsythia: Most varieties rather large and coarse. Suspensa litboldi is the lowest growing and most graceful.