of Rural Art and Taste. 



331 



Miniature Gardening. 



A.ti Ever<jreenery, 



BY ANDREW S. FULLER. 



THE word " Evergreenery " may be hardly 

 proper ; but I can find no other which 

 suits my purpose so well or will better convey 

 an idea of the thing I propose to describe. 

 Arboretum is a higher sounding word, but 

 not applicable, inasmuch as it means a collec- 

 tion of both deciduous as well as evergreen 

 trees. 



There are many persons residing in the 

 suburbs of our large cities and villages who 

 own but a small plot of land, frequently not 

 more than one or two city lots ; consequently 

 they seldom attempt much more in the way 

 of ornamental gardening than to set out a few 

 cheap bedding plants or sow seeds of common 

 annuals, on account, as they suppose, of lack 

 of room to do anything better. It is to this 

 class in particular that I recommend the min- 

 iature evergreens ; while others, who have 

 plenty of land and means, can use the larger 

 kinds in addition. 



There was a time, not long ago, that to 

 talk of a variety of evergreen trees or shrubs 

 suggested extensive grounds ; but, happily for 

 those with limited means, and gardens, those 

 days are past, and now those with a few rods 

 square of land may deal with pearls and dia- 

 monds, leaving the coarse and lofty materials 

 to the more fortunate possessors of extended 

 acres. During the last decade or two our 

 horticulturists have been picking up here and 

 there in various parts of the world many rare 

 species and varieties of dwarf evergreen trees 

 and shrubs, until the most enterprising among 

 them have extensive collections of this kind, 

 with which a most elegant display of rich and 

 varied foliage may be made even in a very 

 small garden. 



The value of these miniature evergreens 

 for small gardens can scarcely be over-esti- 

 mated — not only on account of their per- 

 manent beauty, but their appropriateness for 



just such places seems to harmonize with 

 the modern ideas of high art in gardening. 



The fitness of things in general is seldom 

 studied or thought of by the masses when 

 trying to arrange the little garden-plot in 

 front or elsewhere about their dwellings. 

 Hence, the frequent planting of giant pines 

 and spruces by the dozen within limits which 

 would not suffice for one full grown tree. 



I do not believe our people are so stupid 

 or stubborn that they will refuse to accept a 

 good thing when it is shown them ; but fine 

 examples of grouping dwarf or other ever- 

 greens are exceedingly scarce, even under the 

 very circumstances where one would naturally 

 expect to find them most abundant. 



Once let the small evergreens become 

 popular for grounds of limited extent, or, in 

 other words, awaken sufiicient interest in the 

 subject to provoke inquiries in regard to the 

 adaptation of plants to places, and the far too 

 general practice of setting out trees for 

 immediate effect, without the least thought as 

 to their appearance in the future, will soon 

 become one of the follies of the past. 



To put the subject in a more practical 

 form. I will suppose a man has but a small 

 plot in his garden which can be spared for 

 this purpose — say a bed ten feet wide and 

 twenty or thirty long. Now, two of the 

 larger growing evergreen trees, like the Nor- 

 way spruce, would soon fill this space ; but, if 

 the dwarf kinds are taken instead, two or 

 three dozen could be planted therein without 

 crowding, affording an opportunity of introduc- 

 ing a very pleasing variety, besides being 

 appropriate, which always indicates a high 

 order of taste. 



Another advantage in cultivating the dwarf 

 evergreens is that, should any of the species 

 or varieties be somewhat tender in cold 

 northern localities, they are readily protected 

 in winter, which is not the case with larger 

 growing kinds. 



Those named in the following list are all 

 quite hardy in the vicinity of New York city, 

 although in a few instances the foliage be- 

 comes somewhat faded during very cold 

 weather. A slight protection, just enough to 



