10 VILLA GARDENING PART i 



Among evergreen shrubs of lower growtli but dense habit are 

 the common Yew, the evergreen Oak, the common Laurel, and the 

 green-leaved Holly. The screens or blinds can be made to serve 

 as backgrounds for pleasant pictures of tree and shrub growth. 

 Here, for instance, is a description of a very pretty garden scene, 

 the first idea of which sprang up in a desire to hide an unsightly 

 building. A group of Limes was planted first because of their 

 rapid growth, and as they grew up the further idea of using them 

 as a background occurred. A Purple Beech was planted opposite 

 the centre of the group of Limes, but some 15 yards in advance. 

 Right of the Beech was a Cedar of Lebanon, and a Cedrus 

 atiantica was planted on the left hand ; a like distance in front 

 of the Beech was a group of five variegated Hollies, back a little 

 on the flank of the Hollies was a Lawson Cypress on one side and 

 Cupressus macrocarpa on the other. The Hollies formed a denser 

 group, but the other trees stood thinly for the liglit to play in 

 amongst them, and the gi-ass grew up round their stems. Over- 

 crowding I hold to be almost a crime. Let eveiything have a 

 chance to show what it is capable of doing. The collections of 

 shrubs and trees are now so extensive in the best nurseries, that 

 any one who will take the trouble to become acquainted with them 

 may form pretty pictures suitable for small as well as large places. 

 Wherever there is space, the Plane and the Weeping silver-barked 

 Birch are well adapted for central positions, around which may 

 be grouped trees and shrubs remarkable for their beauty of leafage 

 or striking habit of growth. The Weeping Lime and the Weeping 

 Willow, with other trees of standard growth, are specially desirable 

 for making effective pictures in certain positions. 



Few gardens are so well planted as they might and ought to 

 be, though how or why this is I need not stop to infjuire ; but 

 during the rush after scarlet Geraniums and other ephemeral 

 things of no particular value, the permanent things, "the joys for 

 ever," have been neglected, and even in large places, where the 

 shrubberies and grounds are extensive, too much space is occupied 

 by the Laurel, the Larch, and common things generally, which are 

 well enough in their place as nurses or as foils to other contrasting 

 trees of graceful habit, such as the Birch for instance ; but in no 

 case sliould so much space be given up to them when so many 

 better things are waiting to find a home in our plantations and 

 pleasure grounds. I should like to see more character imparted 

 to the shrubberies to make them less monotonous, for there ought 

 not to be that perpetual sameness there so frequently is. A varie- 

 gated Holly always imparts character as it gathers size, and some 

 of the green Hollies are not much behind for eflfectiveness, notably 



