lu'vor (l;irts his rays, uiul you wish to fill it with plauts, you sliould first prepare 

 the jrrouml; remove the existinjr 8oil, if you desire to retain the sninc level; if, on 

 the contrary, an elevation is desiral)le, make a ])icturesque collection of rocks to 

 the hcitrht required, and cover them over with the aforesaid earth, after having 

 arranired at the Itottom a layer of stones, which may act as a drain. 



I will subjoin, hereafter, a list, as complete as jiossible, of all the jilants which 

 may be advantajj^eously employed in the construction and adornment of these 

 •rroups, pointini; out, in the first place, the most lofty, in order to facilitate a well 

 varied urranjrcment which may olfer, at one view, a general aspect of all the 

 dilferent genera. 



First of all, I will name the Rhododendrons, Maximum, Ponticum, Catawbiense, 

 Caucasicum, and all the numerous and superb varieties found in European estab- 

 lishments. 



Whatever may be said to the contrary, all these Rhododendrons are equally 

 hardy; if the Ponticum is supposed to be too delicate for the climate of this 

 country, it is because it has been crossed with the Rh. Arboreum, for, when uncon- 

 taminated, it sulfers as little as the Rh. Maximum, particularly if sheltered from 

 the sun in winter. 



After the Rhododendrons, and growing to nearly the same height, comes the 

 Ilex with its sii|)erb varieties, bearing plumes of flowers, the Mahonias, and some 

 species of Berberries. The list may be completed Vjy the addition of some of the 

 green, resinous trees from the genus Taxus — Taxus hybernica, murifera, and, espe- 

 cially, the ericoides; Libocedrus Douiana, Cephalo-Taxus adpressa, and many of 

 the Junipers. 



In the second place — that is, for those of lesser growth — we may select the whole 

 series of American and Asiatic Azaleas (Az. Pontica), and their brilliant varieties. 



The Kalmia latifolia, Andromeda, Clethra, Comptonia asplenifolia, may in 

 their turn be admixed with some species of Rhododendrons of less elevation, such 

 as Rhododendron Adansonii (hybrid), Rh. Ponticum, Kh. Ponticum salsifolium, 

 and many others. 



In the third row, the following may be planted : Andromeda polyfolia, Andro- 

 meda Mariana, and Andromeda dealbata ; Kalmia Angustifolia, Kalmia rubra, 

 and Kalmia glauca ; Rhodora canadensis. 



In tiie fourth and last class, or, rather, in the first, commencing at the lowest 

 point, we may have an abundant choice in all the following species : Daphne 

 Gnidium ; Erica cinerea, Erica herbacea, Erica spinosa, p]rica vulgaris, and var. ; 

 Dryas octopetala, Gaultheria procumbens, and Shalloon, which may be used as a 

 border or edging ; the Ledum, Menziezia, and, lastly, the Empetrum and Polygala 

 Chamara buxus. 



We may also plant with very good eifect, in the first row, several beautiful 

 Ferns, perennial and bulbous flowers, as the Liliura lancifolium, Philadelphicum, 

 etc., and Cypripedium pubescens and spectabile. 



It need scarcely be added, that the employment of various shrubs with decidu- 

 ous leaves in their groups, is equally correct ; and we may select, with great 

 advantage, those which flower early, and are more liable to suffer from a late frost 

 in the spring, as, for example, tlic Magnolia purpurea, Yulan discolor, Soulangiana, 

 the Pavonia arborea, and various others. 



These groups, when once planted, require but little care, their demands being 

 limited to a copious sup|)ly of moisture during the summer, and a covering in 

 winter to protect thcni from the rays of the sun, which, be it understood, is not 

 intended to shield them from the cold, and should consist merely of a roof of 

 coarse canvas, or of straw matting. 



