The Livable House 



and purple ; deutzia, Pride of Rochester, pink weigelia, and spirea 

 Van Houttei are all good stand-bys which improve by their pres- 

 ence any planting of evergreens. 



Another danger to be avoided in connection with evergreens 

 near the house is the use of forest trees. In most cases, either 

 eagerness for a quick effect or ignorance of the real character of 

 the trees is responsible for their presence close to the house. But 

 whatever the cause, it is not an uncommon sight to see the win- 

 dows of houses five vears or so old being overgrown by hemlocks, 

 white pines, spruces, and firs. These are all big timber trees, and 

 for this reason are extremelv inappropriate planted against a house 

 wall. Thev belong out where they have room to stretch and grow 

 into the dignified trees Nature meant them to be. 



Some of the smaller, less-spreading trees, such as cedars, arbor 

 vita 1 , and retinosporas, may be used against the house if they are 

 planted where thev will not come in the way of windows. At 

 either side of an arch on the W. E. Seeley house at Bridgeport, 

 cedars are well placed where they emphasize the entrance and 

 will not grow out of bounds. 



Quite at the opposite end of the scale from forest trees are 

 flowers as a foundation planting, and for a correspondingly oppo- 

 site reason thev are inappropriate. I refer, as in the case of 

 evergreens, to flowers used alone. Some of the stronger growing 

 sorts, planted in connection with shrubs or vines, as Miss Coffin 

 has used lilies and peonies along the piazza of the Edgar house, 

 are both pleasing and appropriate; but the border of pinks and 

 pansies or cannas and scarlet sage which very often forms the 



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