DWARF AND SLOW- GROWING 



CONIFERS 



" As one star," says Dr. M'Cosh, " differeth from another 

 in glory, so one tree differeth from another in glory." Let 

 it not be supposed, therefore, that anything said in praise 

 of the dwarf conifer is in dispraise of his arborescent 

 brother. Japanese gardeners have proved to us, not only 

 that both types of trees may be equally admired, but also 

 that both are necessary to the gardener, and have their 

 own particular uses, and on behalf of the dwarf conifer I 

 urge nothing more than the recognition of its claim to a 

 suitable niche in the scheme of the garden. 



Until quite recently, the dwarf conifer has rarely been 

 used, outside Japan, in its proper place. The Japanese 

 realised long ago that a pine of 100 feet in height was 

 as»out of place in a small garden as a pygmy juniper 

 would be in the middle of the Black Forest, and they 

 planted their trees with a due sense of proportion, using 

 dwarf conifers for the adornment of temple courtyards 

 and small gardens, sometimes planted out, and at other 

 times as pot plants. But in European small gardens the 

 inclination has been to plant arborescent trees ; the names 

 of the houses which contain them are usually a sufficient 

 indication — The Firs, The Lindens, The Acacias. No 

 doubt such a name has an imposing sound, but too 

 frequently the justification for it is some over-large tree, 

 whose roots rob the soil of the small garden of its richness, 

 and whose boughs rob the house of light; or else one 

 sees a row of melancholy pollarded trees upraising their 



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