PLANTING 149 



be horizontal, vertical, or oblique, will also affect 

 the problem. 



Leaves may be grouped in masses, as in the 

 horse-chestnut, or may be scattered, as in the 

 American elm. This will affect the texture of the 

 entire tree or shrub; but the texture of the leaf 

 itself is likewise of importance, as it affects the 

 appearance of the entire leaf mass both near at 

 hand and at a distance. It may be thick or thin, 

 rough or smooth. Leaf texture may easily be un- 

 derstood by comparing the leaf of the California 

 rubber-tree, thick, smooth, and regular, with the 

 small, thin, and serrated leaves of the white birch. 

 The leaves may be many or few in number, and 

 this too will affect the appearance. 



The first characteristic of the blossom is size, 

 which means its general appearance as a single 

 flower or a cluster, and may be large, as in the mag- 

 nolia; medium, as in the Philadelphus ; or small as 

 in the spiraea. Blossom color will be discussed 

 under the head of color, and it is of the utmost im- 

 portance. 



In arrangement, the blossoms may be indi- 

 vidual, as in the rose of Sharon (Fig. 33), or 

 massed, as in the elder (Fig. 34), and this will af- 

 fect the problem to a considerable extent. For 



