SITUATION" AND SELECTION OF VARIETIES. 67 



alludes to the true principles of landscape-gardening : " In 

 the forms and colors of the trees, and their disposition in 

 regard to each other, and to the character of their back- 

 ground, we detect that art which never appears as art, 

 never can offend because it is developed through the ordi- 

 nary processes of nature. Plant a tree, and it will take, 

 of itself, its own characteristic. Nature, however, can 

 simply produce; she cannot combine and arrange. She 

 will not plant yonder Weeping-ash on the slope, so that 

 its outer boughs shall just touch the water ; she will not 

 rear those Purple Beeches to relieve the huge green mass- 

 es of the ancient Lindens, nor give the Silver Birch an 

 airy lightness and distinctness by a back-ground of Pine. 

 She plants weeds among the flowers, and ripple-grass in 

 the turf; muffles the brook with autumn-leaves ; and fills 

 the pond with sickly water-mosses." 



Many species appear to much better advantage when 

 grown singly, to allow of a perfect development of shape, 

 whilst others are beautifully calculated to form groups ; 

 but in the arrangement of the latter, a guarded care should 

 be exercised to prevent an unsightly, crowded cluster. 

 Downing, in his " Landscape Gardening," says : " Noth- 

 ing at first thought would appear easier than to arrange 

 a few trees in the form of a natural and beautiful group, 

 and nothing really is easier to the practised hand. Yet 

 experience has taught us that the generality of persons, in 

 commencing their first essays in ornamental planting, al- 

 most invariably crowd their trees into a close, regular 

 dump, which has a most formal and unsightly appearance, 

 as different as possible from the easy, flowing outline of 

 the group. 



" Natural groups are full of openings and hollows, of 

 trees advancing before or retiring behind each other ; all 

 productive of intricacy, of variety, of deep shadows, and 

 brilliant lights." 



The great value of evergreens for grouping consists in 



