74 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



busy at work. At sucli times the birds will often help by dancing 

 up and down, with wings drooping, and all feathers up, and perhaps 

 now and then giving the bare arms a gentle, playful nip. Tet the 

 confidence shown in this way has never been betrayed, and a real 

 case of cruel biting is in our house quite unknown. 



PROMENADE TREES. 



BY ALEXANDER m'kENZIE, ESQ., 

 Landscape Gardener, etc., Alexandra Park, Muswell Hill, N. 



|0R the promenade, the terrace, and the Italian garden, 

 we require trees of a quite distinct character of growth 

 to those best adapted for park and wilderness plant- 

 ing. In the one case, close-growing trees of an upright 

 columnar habit are alone suitable, and in the other, 

 trees with widely spreading heads, or remarkable for their gracefully 

 flowing outlines, are the most appropriate. They are not only 

 more in strict accordance with the straight lines with which they 

 are surrounded, but they help to create a greater diversity in the 

 garden scenery than would be the case were trees of all classes 

 mixed up indiscriminately over the whole of the garden and park. 

 Some writers would fain have us believe that we should bring the 

 wilderness to the hall door and the drawing-room window ; but 

 those who have any knowledge of the principles of landscape 

 gardening will, I feel assured, agree with me when I say that the 

 garden contiguous to the house should be somewhat formal and 

 highly dressed, and the wilderness and other rustic scenes be 

 arranged at extreme points in the grounds, so that the transition 

 from the warmth and richness to be found indoors to the wildness 

 of nature may be as gradual as possible. 



It is not my intention to enlarge upon these points, as my object 

 in writing now is to indicate a few of the more important trees for 

 promenade planting, and I have merely alluded to generalities in 

 passing, to show how important it is to select trees of a character 

 suitable to the position they are intended to occupy. Granted 

 that trees of a close upright habit are required for the promenade, 

 we have next to consider the length, breadth, and position of the 

 latter, and to select the trees according. It would never do to select 

 the same trees for small as we would for large promenades. No, 

 the trees must be proportionate. For example, for walks eight or 

 ten feet or so in width and several hundred feet in length, large 

 trees of a close yet somewhat free habit, such as the AVellingtonia 

 and Picea pinsapo, may be planted ; but for ordinary promenades, 

 especially on terraces near the dwelling-house, smaller trees, like the 

 Thujas and Junipers, will be more appropriate. 



Before passing on to give the names of the finest promenade 

 trees, I am anxious to say that for the sake of uniformity the same 

 class of trees should be planted throughout the promenade, and 



