42 THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN 



hills, it would be waste of opportunity not to do so. 

 As the outline of boundary plantations will in many 

 cases cut the horizon, leaving the tops of the trees show- 

 ing clear against a background of sky, great attention 

 should be paid to making this outline as attractive as 

 possible. It is a mistake to use trees of only one 

 kind, as this results in a level monotonous outline any- 

 thing but pleasing. The tall spire of a} poplar will 

 give variety and point to a plantation composed almost 

 entirely of trees with rounded heads ; a graceful birch 

 with its feathery outline would break the level of a 

 smooth belt of shrubs. Colour too is all important, -a 

 judicious mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees is 

 generally preferable to a plantation composed entirely 

 of one class. There is no need to make the boundary 

 plantation straight on the inner side, whatever may be 

 required on the outer, and the formation of well marked 

 swells and bays will lend an air of charm and indefinite- 

 ness. It is usual to plant trees of large growth on 

 rising ground, reserving dwarf varieties and bushes for 

 the hollows, but this is a rule which must be modified 

 according to circumstances. By a continuous system of 

 grouping the eye may be carried from the garden 

 itself to the very outskirts of the property, and this 

 is much more satisfactory than the plan of treating the 

 outer plantation as a mere fence, quite independent of 

 what may lie within it. 



The indiscriminate dotting of specimen trees about 

 a park or garden is much overdone, and in the greater 

 number of cases irregular groups of trees having some- 

 what similar characteristics would be far more satis- 

 factory. Certain trees, as the tulip tree, and the wych 

 elm, are well adapted for isolation on the lawn, and are 

 welcome for the shade they afford ; but thorns, the 

 flowering crabs, and the Scotch firs should always be 

 planted in groups. As these smaller plantations are 



