148 LANDSCAPE GARDENING 



varieties it is not best to use other varieties of 

 shrubs. The designer will ordinarily use shrubs 

 of the same class, depending for accent upon dif- 

 ference in shape and color. 



Characteristics are the distinguishing features 

 of a plant, that part of its form or development 

 which recommends it particularly to the land- 

 scape-designer. Its major interest may be in leaf, 

 blossom, or twig. The leaf may demand attention 

 on account of its scale, for it may be large, as in 

 the catalpa; medium, as in the lilac; or small, as 

 in the spiraea. Or it may attract because of its 

 shape or its regularity, as with the maples and the 

 gingko or the rose of Sharon; or on account of ir- 

 regular development, as in the mulberry-tree. 

 Then, too, the distinguishing characteristic may be 

 its value, or the amount of light or dark in the 

 green. 



Value is divided into three parts: as light, me- 

 dium, and dark, and these values appear in both 

 deciduous and evergreen plants. The leaves may 

 appear in clusters, rows, or whorls, and demand 

 attention on account of their arrangement ; or the 

 entire outline of the leaf masses and their posi- 

 tions on the tree may seem to be of greatest im- 

 portance. The direction of the leaf, which will 



