■280 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



up as they increase in size, so that there 

 will be a view from the second-story 

 window under their lower branches or 

 between them. 



Evergreen trees produce an effect in 

 -ornamental planting not to be obtained 

 by any other means, and every large 

 lawn should have an evergreen belt or 

 hedge on one side at least. In exposed 

 situations, a screen of large evergi-eens 

 is of great value in protecting houses 

 and out-buildings from cold northern 

 winds. It is astonishing what a modi- 

 fying influence a belt of tall evergreens, 

 standing on the north and west side 

 of buildings, will have in blustering, 

 windy weather. The best varieties for 

 i;liis purpose are Norway spruce, hem- 

 lock spruce, silver fir, white pine, 

 Scotch pine, American arbor vitse and 

 EeUnospora ohtusa. It is not always 

 ■essential that they should be planted 

 in a straight row ; it is sometimes pre- 

 ferable to plant in a curved or irregular 

 line, or in a succession of clumps, so as 

 to give the effect of a continuous green 

 background without the formal stiffness 

 of a hedge-row. As a general rule, 

 evergreens do not appear to the best 

 ad\antage in straight rows ; they look 

 better when grouped in clumps, or 

 dotted about in a rather promiscuous 

 manner. The larger varieties should 

 not be planted any nearer to the verge 

 of a carriage- drive than fourteen feet. 

 When planted in clumps, they are often 

 set fifteen feet apart, with three or five 

 trees of one variety together. At this 

 distance, they will attain their perfec- 

 tion in about fifteen years, and v/ill then 

 commence to deteriorate as the branches 

 grow together. After the large sliade 

 trees and evergreens are planted, there 

 will be a number of smaller evergreens 

 and flowering shrubs needed for "filling 

 in " the blank spaces. They should 

 be planted in clum])S of from three to 

 ten or twelve, with an occasional single 

 specimen in the smaller nooks. 



The following are a few of the most 

 desirable dwarf evergreens .• Arbor 

 oltce compacta, A. globosa, Siberian, 

 Hovey's Golden, Tom Thumb, and 

 George Peabody arbor vittes. The last 

 is a new golden variety of singular 

 beauty, the hardiest and most distinct 

 golden arbor vitse yet introduced. 

 Retinospo ra pluniosa aurea, R. plumosa, 

 R. ohtusa nana, and R. sqioarrosa, are 

 not naturally dwarf ti^ees, but they can 

 be kept so by frequent shearing. If 

 allowed to grow unchecked they will 

 attain considerable size. Irish, Swed- 

 ish and pyramidal junipers grow tall 

 and slender, occupying but little room. 

 The dwarf white pine is one of the 

 prettiest small evergreens. It forms 

 a compact, symmetrical bush, three or 

 four feet high and about equal diameter, 

 presenting a dense mass of silvery 

 green foliage. Abies orientalis, or east- 

 ern spruce, from the shores of the Black 

 Sea, is a very handsome evergreen, of 

 moderate size, and very dense, compact 

 habit. It is one of the neatest and 

 most symmetrical of the spruce family 

 and appropriate for almost any situation. 



Weeping trees are at present a fash- 

 ionable feature in landscape gardening. 

 The following are a few of the most 

 desirable varieties : Weeping beech, 

 cut-leaf weeping birch and common 

 weeping willow grow tall and form 

 large trees. The Camperdown weeping 

 elm and Kilmarnock weeping willow, 

 are dwarf trees, and never grow any 

 higher than the point where grafted. 

 Abies inverta, or weeping spruce, is the 

 best weeping evergreen, and it is a very 

 unique and effective tree in a lawn. 



Hardy flowering shrubs develop 

 more quickly than any other class of 

 trees, and are therefore indispensable 

 for filling in a new lawn, where it is 

 desirable to get something to make a 

 show as quickly as po.ssible. There 

 are also many nooks and corners that 

 look bare at first, but which will even- 



