SHRUBS 159 



The division of low-gro-wing plants into shrubs and 

 herbaceous plants is one easily recognised, but it is not 

 a technical or scientific division. Shrubs occupy the 

 debatable ground between herbaceous plants and trees, 

 but the boundary-line on either side is not well defined, 

 and is constantly being broken through. Many herba- 

 ceous plants might almost be called shrubs, and many 

 shrubs (especially tender shrubs) die down every year, 

 and so in our climate are herbaceous. Many shrubs 

 also may attain the size of trees, and many trees are 

 better treated as shrubs. But in speaking of shrubs I 

 mean woody plants which do not die down in winter 

 and seldom exceed 6 ft. or 8 ft. in height. 



Of such shrubs we have now a very large number in 

 cultivation in England, but it was not always so, and 

 the cultivation of shrubs as we now grow them may 

 almost be called a modern art. Down to the middle 

 of the eighteenth century shrubs were chiefly used for 

 making arbours and ' plashed alleys,' and were valued 

 according as they were or were not useful to the 

 topiarist. AVe read of 'groves,' but the bushes that 

 composed them were very few; and even Bacon's 

 heath, or wilderness, had only ' some thickets made 

 only of sweetbriar and honeysuckle, with some wild 

 vine amongst,' with ' mole-hills ' set with wild thyme, 

 etc., and ' heaps, with little bushes prickt upon their 



