Report on Evergreens From Canada

BTISH COLUMBIA

1. WHICH ARE THE BEST SEASONS FOR PLANTING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE? Spring is more reliable. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCAL­ITY? Those that we have are ground cover material. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE NARROW-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCALITY? Narrow-leaved evergreens should be pruned in spring just after new growth has started. DO YOU ADVISE MULCHING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE? No. DO YOU MAINTAIN A YEAR-ROUND MULCH OR ONLY A SUMMER MULCH? None. WHICH EVERGREENS DO BEST IN YOUR LOCALITY? Coniferous: Juniperus horizontalis varieties scopulorum Picea glauca pungens Pinus banksiana contorta mugo (P. mugo mughus) strobus sylvestris Pseudotsuga taxifolia Broad Leaved: Daphne cneorum Pachistima canbyi Vinca minor signed: R. H. Knowles, Associate Profes­sor of Horticulture name of organization: University of Al­berta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

1. WHICH ARE THE BEST SEASONS FOR PLANTING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE? October to April with October and No­vember the most favorable fall months. March and April are the most suitable months for spring planting. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCALITY? The types that are grown for foliage effect are pruned in March after the dan­ger of frost is over. The flowering types are pruned several weeks after the flowers have faded. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE NARROW-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LO­CALITY? In March before growth has started. DO YOU ADVISE MULCHING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE? Yes. DO YOU MAINTAIN A YEAR-ROUND MULCH OR ONLY A SUMMER MULCH? Year- round mulch.

6. WHICH EVERGREENS DO BEST IN YOUR LOCALITY? Broadleaved Evergreens: Arbutus Menziesii A ucuba japonica Azalea Sp. and Var. Buxus sempervirens Var. Cotoneaster Var. Elaeagnus angustifolia Gaultheria shallon Ilex aquifolium Var. crenata convexa opaca Var. Kalmia latifolia polifolia Laurocerasus Var. (Prunus laurocerasus) Leucothoe catesbaei Mahoma aquifolium Var. nervosa Osmanthus ilicifolius Osmarea Burkwoodi Pernettya mucronata Var. Phillyrea decora Pieris floribunda japonica Pyracantha Var. Quercus kewensis pseudoturneri (Q. turneri) Rhododendron Sp. and Hybrids Skimmia Var. Viburnum davidi rhytidophyllum Conifers: A bìes (Dwarf Forms) Cedrus Sp. and Var. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Var. nootkatensis Var. obtusa Var. pisifera Var. Juniperus communis Var. horizontalis Var. sabina Var. sinensis Var. (J. chinensis) squamata virginiana Var. Picea abies abies (Dwarf Forms) Albertina conica (P. glauca albertiana conica) pungens Var. Pinus mugo Var. Taxus Baccata Cuspidata Var. Thuja occidentalis Var. occidentalis (Dwarf Forms) orientalis Var. Tsuga Canadensis In general plants listed as happy in the Zone 7 range do well here. signed: A. M. Fulawka name of organization: Queen Elizabeth Arboretum, Vancouver, British Colum­bia, Canada

MANITOBA

1. WHICH ARE THE BEST SEASONS FOR PLANTING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE?
Early spring before growth starts and early fall as soon as growth ceases.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCAL­ITY? When season's growth is almost com­plete, mid-summer under our conditions. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE NARROW-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LO­CALITY? Mid-summer. DO YOU ADVISE MULCHING EVERGREENS in your province? We have no experience with applying mulches to evergreens.

5. DO YOU MAINTAIN A YEAR-ROUND MULCH OR ONLY A SUMMER MULCH? See above answer.

6. WHICH EVERGREENS DO BEST IN YOUR LOCALITY? Buxus microphylla koreana Daphne cneorum Euonymus nana (nanus) turkestamcus obovata (obovatus) Mahonia repens Pachistima canbyi Conifers: Abies balsamea concolor holophylla Juniperus chinensis 'Pßtzeriana' (upright) 'Pfitzeriana' (spreading) eP. aurea' (upright) 'P. aurea' (spreading) communis aurea horizontalis Douglasii glauca plumosa 'Prince of Wales' Sabina 'Arcadia' 'Skandia' scopulorum Picea abies glauca densata mariana obovata pungens—vars. Pinus Cembra contorta latifolia ßexilis Mugo (Mughus} ponder osa resinosa strobus sylvestris Pseudotsuga taxifolia Thuja occidentalis aureo-variegata fastigiata globosa intermedia 'Little Gem' lutescens pumila Rosenthalii 'Wareana' 'Winona' * signed: W. A. Cumming, Head, Ornamen­tals Section name of organization: Canada Experi­mental Farm, Morden, Manitoba, Can­ada * See "A Check List of the Conifers Growing at the Canada Experimental Farm," Morden Manitoba, by W. A. Cumming, December 1957.

NEW BRUNSWICK

1. WHICH ARE THE BEST SEASONS FOR PLANTING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE? We prefer to plant evergreens in the spring just before the buds start to break into new growth. This would be between April 25 and May 15, depending on the season and the location. Fall planting may be done in September or October but I feel that the spring-planted evergreens have more op­portunity to survive than do those set out in the autumn.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCALITY? We have so few broad-leaved ever­greens in our locality that experience with them is almost nil. I only have Mahonia aquifolium as a shrub which we do not prune. It is variable as regards to hardiness.
We do not class the Thujas (cedars) as broad-leaved evergreens. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE NARROW-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCALITY? We usually prune our narrow- leaved evergreen hedges in August or early September, just after the season's growth is over, but may snip straggly growth of these plants at any time of the year. Specimen or shrub evergreens are trained and kept bushy by snipping off a portion of the tender new growth as it gets out of propor­tions with other parts of the plant.

4. DO YOU ADVISE MULCHING EVERGREENS in your province? We advise mulching but actually do not practice it to any ex­tent. We get 45-50 inches of precipitation each year, of which 30 inches is rainfall, fairly well distributed. The needles of course, act as a mulch, also leaves that blow in. DO YOU MAINTAIN A YEAR-ROUND MULCH OR ONLY A SUMMER MULCH? If applied it would be a year-round mulch. WHICH EVERGREENS DO BEST IN YOUR LOCALITY? Abies concolor (Silver Fir) Juniperus (only a few hardy in New Bruns­wick) chinensis pfitzeriana communis sabina tamariscifolia virginiana and varieties of above—most other species are tender. Picea abies (Norway Spruce) glauca (White Spruce) pungens (Colorado Spruce) Kosteriana (Kosters Spruce) Pinus banksiana (Jack Pine) mugo (Mountain Pine)—(P. mugo mughus) nigra austriaca (Austrian Pine) resinosa (Red Pine) strobus (White Pine) sylvestris (Scotch Pine) Pseudotsuga mucronata (Douglas Fir)—(P. taxifolia) Taxus cuspidata—upright—spreading dwarf (Japanese Yew) Thuja occidentalis (White Cedar) Tsuga canadensis (Canada Hemlock) signed: R. G. White, Research Officer, Horticulture name of organization: Research Station, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

ONTARIO

1. WHICH ARE THE BEST SEASONS FOR PLANTING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE?

Conifers: Mid-April through May; August, if moisture is ample; early to mid-Septem­ber. Broad-Leaved: Early spring; late au­tumn (former preferred except in favoured areas). WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCALITY? Right after flowering for Rhododendrons and similar forms. Late April or May for Euonymus and similar forms. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE NARROW-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCALITY? Late June to early July. Early spring secondary choice. DO YOU ADVISE MULCHING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE? No. DO YOU MAINTAIN A YEAR-ROUND MULCH OR ONLY A SUMMER MULCH? Nil. WHICH EVERGREENS DO BEST IN YOUR LOCALITY? Conifers: Abies (all spp.) Chamaecyparis (hardy) Juniperus (most spp.) Picea (all spp.) Pinus (most spp.) Pseudotsuga douglasi (P. taxifolia) Taxus (hardy) Thuja (most spp.) Tsuga (all spp.) Broad-Leaved : Arctostaphylos spp. Epigaea repens Euonymus radicans in var. Gaultheria procumbens Hedera helix Ilex (hardy spp.) Kalmia (hardy spp.) Mahonia spp. Pachistima Pachysandra Polystichum acrostichoides Rhododendron (hardy spp.) Vinca minor Yucca glauca N.B. Since our "locality" extends from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, some 4500 miles, and from lat. 42° to 60°, it is obviously impossible to include regional information. The list given is more or less suited to the most heavily populated parts of the Dominion of Canada.

signed: R. J. Hilton name of organization: Department of Horticulture, Ontario Agricultural Col­lege, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

QUEBEC (1)

1. WHICH ARE THE BEST SEASONS FOR PLANTING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE? Early spring and early fall, one month at least before the onset of the summer heat, and August or early September. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCAL­
ITY? Broad-leaved evergreens do not gen­erally do well in Quebec, unless planted in a location where they will be well protected by snow. Mahonia aquifolium is the only one found in any quantity. Spring is the best time for pruning those that do survive and consists mainly of the removal of winter­ killed wood. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE NARROW-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCALITY? June, as new growth is coming on. DO YOU ADVISE MULCHING EVERGREENS in your province? Usually get enough snow in winter to act as a natural safe­guard during the cold weather.

5. DO YOU MAINTAIN A YEAR-ROUND mulch or only a summer mulch? Sum­mer mulching would be advisable but is not generally done.

6. WHICH EVERGREENS DO BEST IN YOUR LOCALITY? Chamaecyparis pisifera var. Juniperus chinensis pfitzeriana sargenti communis hibernica suecica horizontalis douglasii plumosa procumbens (J. procumbens) sabina tamariscifolia Squamata meyerii Picea abies nidiformis glauca pungens glauca kosteriana Pinus mughus (P. mugo mughus) nigra resino (P. resinosa) strobus sylvestris Taxus cuspidata Thuja occidentalis globosa pyramidalis signed: Patricia Harney, Lecturer, De­partment of Horticulture name of organization: Macdonald Col­lege of McGill University, Montreal "With proper protection, I have a feel­ing that many of the rhododendron could be grown here but the difficulties of getting proper soil conditions have curtailed their growth in Quebec. A few are grown, not too successfully, in Ontario and both azal­eas and rhododendron thrive in Nova Scotia and British Columbia where the soils are predominantly acid and the cli­mate mild and humid." (Quoted from a letter received by the author from Patricia Harney.)

QUEBEC (2)

1. WHICH ARE THE BEST SEASONS FOR PLANTING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE? From May 1-May 15 or from April 20 to May 20. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCAL­ITY? Immediately after flowering. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE NARROW-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCALITY? Conifers with us are best pruned between the middle and the end of May, this pruning consisting mainly in removing the young shoots. DO YOU ADVISE MULCHING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE? Yes.

5. DO YOU MAINTAIN A YEAR-ROUND MULCH OR ONLY A SUMMER MULCH? Heavy summer mulch, light winter mulch. We do not dare to give our evergreens a heavy winter mulch because it has happened to us in abnormal spring that a sudden heat wave struck at the end of April, when the mulch had kept the soil frozen. This caused a great deal of damage even on Thuja oc­cidentalis which is native in our province. 6. WHICH EVERGREENS DO BEST IN YOUR locality? Evergreens which do best in the Montreal region: A. Conifers: Abies balsamea with var. hudsonia and var. nana concolor with var. pyramidalis homolepis koreana lasiocarpa with var. arizonica sachalinensis Veitchii Chamaecyparis pisifera and vars. thyoides and vars. Juniperus chinensis, some of its vars. communis and most vars. conferta horizontalis and vars. Picea Abies with all its varieties asperata with var. heterolepis and retroflexa glauca with its varieties jezoensis var. hondoensis mariana with its varieties omorika pungens with its varieties rubens sitchensis Pinus banksiana cembra densiflora flexilis heldreichii var. leucodermis mugho and vars. nigra and vars. peuce pumila resinosa strobus sylvestris and vars. Pseudotsuga taxifolia Taxus canadensis and vars. cuspidata and vars. media and vars. Thuja occidentalis and vars. Tsuga canadensis and vars. B. Other Evergreens: Andromeda polifolia Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Buxus microphylla koreana Chamaedaphne calyculata Chiogenes hispidula Daphne burkwoodii somerset cneorum Dry as octopetala Empetrum nigrum Epigaea repens Euonymus fortunei minima (E.f. minimus) Gaultheria procumbens Helianthemum nummularium Ilex opaca (certain vars.) Kalmia angustifolia Ledum groenlandicum Linnaea borealis Mahonia aquifolium nervosa repens Mitchella repens Pachistima can by i Pachysandra terminalis Pyracantha coccinea lalandi (hardy type) Vinca minor signed: H. Teuscher, Curator name of organization: Montreal Botani­cal Garden

SASKATCHEWAN 1. WHICH ARE THE BEST SEASONS FOR PLANTING EVERGREENS IN YOUR PROVINCE? In spring—late April or early May. 2. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCALITY? No broad-leaved evergreens grown here because of their tenderness in this cli­mate. Temperatures —40° F. experienced and frost line is down to eight feet below the ground surface. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE NARROW-LEAVED EVERGREENS IN YOUR LOCALITY? In spring—early in May. DO YOU ADVISE MULCHING EVERGREENS in your province? Mulching has not been recommended though it could be used to advantage. Mulching during the summer has been found to have virtue for many kinds of plants. 5. DO YOU MAINTAIN A YEAR-ROUND MULCH OR ONLY A SUMMER MULCH? A SU1T1- mer mulch only would be safe here. 6. WHICH EVERGREENS DO BEST IN YOUR LOCALITY? Juniperus horizontalis (native) scopulorum Picea alba (native) pungens Pinus banksiana cembra mughus (P. mugo mughus) murrayana (P. contorta latifolia) sylvestris Thuja occidentalis wareana Note: Pinus banksiana and Pinus murrayana are native in certain areas of the prov­ince but demand an acid soil. Most of our soils are alkaline and consequently these trees are seldom planted. signed: C. F. Patterson name of organization: Department of Horticulture, University of Saskatche­wan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.