220 THE VILLA GARDENEE. 



over the tunnel and along the banks of the sunk walk. None of these trees 

 and shrubs should be planted nearer to one another, or to the road, tlian from 

 10 ft. to 15 ft. ; but the common and Turkey oaks may be as much as 20 or 

 30 feet apart at planting ; and no nurse trees whatever ought to be planted 

 along with them, however bleak the situation, for the following reasons, and 

 others already given in. p. 177. The ground being trenched and in good 

 heart, and having neither weeds nor nurses to extract the nourishment from 

 the soil, the trees will grow with extraordinary vigour ; and, being exposed to 

 the light, air, and wind, on every side, will become bushy vigorous plants, 

 capable of resisting violent winds, from whatever direction they may come. 

 If drawn up by nurses, the}' will attain a given height in a shorter period ; 

 but, being deprived by the nurse of a great part of the nutriment contained 

 in the soil, and also precluded by the same false friend from enjoying the 

 light and air on the sides, they will be without lateral strength or beauty. 

 Hence, a long period of stagnation occurs in all plantations that have been 

 forced forward by nurses, as soon as these ai'e withdrawn, and the trees are 

 left to be weaned by time and the weather. 



320. In the south-east aiujle, where accident has placed a nnmher oflarcheSf 

 ive would introduce all the species of the pine and fir tribe that could be 

 admitted in a place of this extent ; distributing them along the southern 

 boundary, among a few deciduous trees and shrubs, for the sake of harmony, 

 and also along the eastern boundary, in the same manner, and for the same 

 reason. The trees that are scattered on the lawn we would have chiefly of 

 the low or middling-sized kinds, in order that they might not interfere with 

 the dignit}' of the house. Among these we would include all the species and 

 varieties of tree thorns, all the crabs, a number of fruit trees of the kinds most 

 ornamental in blossom and in fruit ; and, in short, all the trees belonging to 

 the order i?osacese. In this way, we would, in this residence of ten acres, 

 include every species and variety of tree and shrub that would endure the 

 open air in the given climate ; being careful to admit only a few of such kinds 

 as grow very rapidly, or to a great height ; such as some species of poplar 

 and willow, and some varieties of the English elm. Of these very rapid- 

 growing lofty trees, there are about a score which it might, perhaps, be as 

 well to omit altogether in a place like this, of small extent and nearly flat. 

 With respect to the distribution of all the other trees, we have already 

 (p. 1 70.) laid do\»n the general principles ; and it ought to be the business of 

 the landscape-gardener, in a case like the present, to mark the situation of 

 every particular tree and shrub, with its name, on a ground plan ; but such a 

 plan (of which a specimen is given in fig. 42., in p. 96.) would obviously, in 

 the present case, be much too large for our pages. We cannot, however, too 

 strongly impress it on the mind of the reader, that a working-plan, indicating 

 the precise situation of every tree and shrub, is essential in every small place, 

 where the object is to lay it out to the greatest advantage. Even an expe- 

 rienced landscape-gardener, when laying out a small villa, without such a 

 guide, will be liable to err, by admitting too many of one species or variety, 

 and too few, perhaps, of another; by omitting some altogether, and by plant- 

 ing others in wrong situations. In short, the mature consideration which is 

 required for the landscape-gardener, before he can make a proper working 

 plan for the plantations, is one of the greatest securities, not only to the pro- 

 prietor, but to the artist himself, for the maintenance of due proportion 



