20 LANDSCAPE GARDEN^ING. 



appears, under the shelter of its spreading branches, a 

 younger generation like unto the parent, and so we have 

 a group of oaks. A group of walnuts arises likewise in 

 another place ; and even such trees as the willows and 

 poplars, which distribute seeds far and wide, are found 

 growing grouped together where the environments are 

 specially suited to their develoimient. It ought not to 

 be necessary to argue that this is the only natural way 

 of placing trees and shrubs ; yet this most obvious of all 

 rules is most commonly disregarded. 



Shrubs are seldom used too much, and they are fre- 

 quently neglected. AYithout stopping to call attention 

 to tlie wonderful diversity of riches from which we may 

 select when we wish to employ shrubs, we desire now 

 only to point out that their liberal use is in accord with 

 the natural style which we are seeking to develop. 

 Referring again to natui-e, we find shrubs distributed all 

 about her woodland, and especially along the borders of 

 her woods. Since at best we seldom have more than a 

 woodland border in our own compositions, its embellish- 

 ment with shrubs becomes an oft-recurrent problem. A 

 judicious arrangement of shrubbery will often obliterate 

 more of the unpleasant, unnatural and inartistic features 

 of the grounds than any amount of other material or 

 other work. Shrubs may be used in comparative profu- 

 sion, because they take up but little room. A good 

 view of some things cnn be obtained over the tops of low 

 shrubs, and they can thus be given positions quite 

 forbidden to trees. 



The nnion of the buildings with the grounds, so 

 that the former seem parts of the latter, is also oftenest 

 effected by the use of shrubs. A building with its 

 smooth surfaces and rectangular lines arising abruptly 

 out of the lawn gives a distinct note of disharmony. 

 The remedy is to break up, and, as far as possible, to 

 obliterate the line of demarcation. Shrubs irregularly 



