THE PRACTICAL FLOWER GARDEN 



eral varieties, among them one almost as 

 blue as the Retinispora squarrosa, can give us 

 all the formal effect that we may desire in 

 our gardens; these cedars respond to the 

 yearly clipping with great thickness of foli- 

 age. 



It is very interesting to sit in the garden 

 when this operation is being carried on. 

 One may have a book or sewing in her 

 hands, but it is so fascinating to watch the 

 outline of the tree gradually coming out 

 sharply from the work of the shears that little 

 sewing or reading is done at such times. 



Few of the evergreens will live in my soil, 

 hemlocks and red cedars being the only mem- 

 bers of the family that really do well. 



The white pine, American arborvitse and 

 the spruce struggle along for a time, protest- 

 ing against the conditions of life as they find 

 it; but the retinisporas, yews, all the finer 

 evergreens, notwithstanding specially pre- 

 pared soil and winter covering, do not long 

 survive. My garden at Meadowburn is sit- 



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