98 VARIETY IN THE LITTLE GARDEN 



yield to none in admiration of the hard maple as it stands a 

 rounded dome of dark leaves in a broad field or park, where 

 space, air, and sun have brought it to perfection as a tree. The 

 oak is of too slow a growth to be planted by any but babes in 

 arms — too slow for us who wish to see a fairly quick develop- 

 ment in our gardens. The beech is a delicious tree, but whimsical 

 after transplanting; it grows or not, according to its fancy. 

 Following these four staple trees, as one might call them, one 

 gets into the catalogue of trees that have an unfamiliar look in 

 our little landscape, the horse-chestnut, the linden, the Ginkgo 

 tree. These, unless used with extraordinary skill, give always 

 (to me) the impression of having been dragged into the small 

 place by the hair of their heads! They disturb; and the first 

 function of a fine tree anywhere is to give a feeling of quiet 

 permanence to the picture. 



I believe, however, that for even the very smallest bits of 

 ground there should be set, in the remotest corner, a young elm. 

 The emotions of watching the growth of such a tree are many 

 and varied. I have in mind one of our own, standing in a rather 

 precarious situation. How I have looked each spring for the 

 precious leaf buds! into what depression I fell when the iceman 

 nearly ruined it with his great cart-wheel! to what heights I 

 rose again when we knew the careful wax and bandage would 

 really heal the wound! Yes, in the matter of that tree I was like 

 Mrs. Gummidge: "When the porridge was burnt, we all felt the 

 disappointment, but Mrs. Gummidge felt it the most." 



The finger of scorn is now pointed at me by the reader who 

 knows what trees do to shrubs and flowers in the little garden — 

 what they do eventually. I fly to their defense once more by 

 remarking that young or small trees are not damaging to what 

 is about them; that for a few years a beautiful garden of flowers 

 may be maintained at the roots of old trees. One such garden 



