JDetacbeo ©roups ano Specimen plants. 93 



maple, all of which are very graceful and attractive as 

 specimen trees. 



A most remarkable ami often very showy class of trees 

 ami shrubs are the almost innumerable varieties with 

 variegated, or highly-colored foliage, ranging in color from 

 silver-margined leaves, in a form of box elder, bright yellow, 

 in golden elder and poplar, to a reddish color in red-leaved 

 plum (Prunus Pisswdii), and a black purple or coppery 

 color in the purple-leaved varieties of birch ami beech. All 

 these, because of their unique habit or color, are especially 

 well adapted to the embellishment of the lawn. They are 

 all of garden origin. 



The evergreen conifers, especially species of spruce and 

 pine, such as the Spanish silver fir (Abies Pinsapo), the 

 white silver fir (Abies concolor), the Nordmann fir, the stone 

 piue (Pin us cembrd), dwarf mountain pine (Pi mis Mughd), 

 and in places where they are hardy, the Japanese cypress 

 (Cryptomevia elegans), the deodar (Cedrus deodanra) and, 

 umbrella pine (Soiadopitys verticillata) are extremely fine 

 for the same purpose. Small groups of coniferous trees may 

 form a special feature of the garden. They are especially 

 appropriate on hillsides and declivities, on little knolls and 

 in rockeries. 



Many of the larger herbaceous plants, as goats' beard 

 (Spiraea aruncus), oriental poppy, bocconia, andpseony, form 

 nice specimen plants for use along walks and drives. 



These are the chief subjects for permanent planting. 

 During the summer, tropical plants — palms, tree-ferns, and 

 cycads — are frequently employed to produce unique and 

 beautiful effects. In the South many of these may be 



