FOEMATION OF PLEAS UEE GROUNDS. 89 



It is the very acme of good management to appropriate the 

 surrounding trees to your own purpose ; that is, make them 

 features in your own landscape. Plant your own as if there 

 were no fence or wall between you and them; and this, 

 remember, is to be done by a judicious management of the 

 planting at the fence and the clumps that are nearest. In 

 some places barely top the fence by the shrubs, in others get 

 in the very tallest you can find ; have a clump between the 

 lowest and the walk, with shrubs considerably taller than 

 those at the fence. These features are calculated to break the 

 appearance of a boundary, and, by widening the boundary 

 planting considerably in some parts, you again destroy the 

 monotony, and give an appearance of extent. 



Choice of Shrubs, and Planting. — The shrubs used in 

 planting should be chosen rather with regard to the wood 

 around you. If you are surrounded vnth firs and cedars, let 

 some of your plants be the same ; not the same sorts, but the 

 same famdy. If the nearest trees are chestnut, or lime, or 

 elm, or any other distinct character, do as much towards 

 imitating it as the nature of your planting will allow. You 

 are not to use all deciduous plants, because they do ; but you 

 may have enough of them as near the boundary as may be. 

 The most efiective kind of planting away from the house is 

 to keep each clump distinct as to family ; hollies in one or 

 more, pines and cedars, laui-el, bay, each and every interesting 

 family may be provided with its place at the most distant 

 clumps. Nearer the house, the Magnolia tribe, in all its hardy 

 varieties, may form one or more of the conspicuous groups. 

 The various American flow^ering slirubs may either form 

 dwarf clumps in appropriate places, or foremost objects in 

 the larger ones ; and the border or belt plantation should be 

 a mixture of everything lively and varied. The dark green of 

 the holly and yew will contrast well with the brighter greens 

 of the laurel, or the lighter hues of the Aucuha japonica, and 

 other variegated shrubs. Eegard, however, must be had to 

 the rate at which the difi'erent trees grow, or you may have 

 your front shrubs in a few seasons topping the back ones, and 

 destroying the gracefulness of the groups formed here and 

 there in the border, and spoiling the effect altogether. 



The borders and clumps should be all made large enough 

 to leave two feet for the summer additions of flowers, and to 

 accommodate always, at particular distances, a few of the best 



