Grouping anfc /iDassing of Urees ant) Sbrubs. 81 



of the various localities differ greatly and are characteristic 

 of each. On the open borders of wood and copse we find 

 the sun-loving thorns, in the shade of trees in high and dry 

 positions, the mountain laurel, while the swamp honey- 

 suckle seeks shade and moisture. 



From this superficial analysis of a small wood we may 

 gather some practical hints on the grouping and massing of 

 trees : first, how to make the outline varied and picturesque, 

 by uniting many small groups of different size into larger 

 ones ; secondly, how to make the sky-line pleasing to the 

 eye and in harmony with the general formation of the 

 group; and, finally, how trees and shrubs should be dis- 



FIQ. 45. COMPOSITE GROUP OF TREES AND SHRUBS SHOWING PICTURESQUE SKY-LINE. 



tributed in a shrubbery according to their nature and 

 habit, in order to develop their best qualities. 



The smaller groups should preferably consist of one 

 kind only, or of several varieties of one species. But similar 

 forms, as the different species of lilac, may be brought to- 

 gether in the same group, when the taller kinds, such as the 

 common lilac, should be surrounded by the smaller Chinese 

 or Persian varieties. In a composite plantation the taller 

 groups must be placed in the more central parts, and in 

 the simple group the tallest tree or shrub should be in the 

 middle, both for practical and aesthetic reasons. The sim- 

 ple groups may consist of three or more individual plants, 



6 



