Practical Considerations 1 6 1 



12. Evergreens. — As a garden will only contain a com- 

 paratively, limited number of plants, it is a matter of policy 

 to have a number of these evergreens, that in the winter 

 season, when all else is so dreary, it may wear a moderately 

 green and cheerful expression. 



Although evergreens may fitly thus prevail in a place, it 

 will be unwise to cultivate them to the exclusion of deciduous 

 shrubs. The latter by their lighter foliage and sprightlier 

 manner of growth and showier flowers seem to be the natural 

 bodying forth of summer's richness and gayety. And this 

 glorious season would scarcely appear rightly attended and 

 adorned without them. They are indeed as thoroughly the 

 life of summer as evergreens are of winter; and perhaps, of 

 the two, the absence of winter's decorations would be least 

 regretted by the mass. 



Nor must the higher forms of deciduous plants, which take 

 the shape of low trees, be at all omitted from our considera- 

 tion. These and a few of the more striking and peculiar 

 kinds of larger trees — such as the purple beech, the varie- 

 gated sycamore, the scarlet oak, the lombardy poplar, and 

 numerous others — will be invaluable in the way of contrib- 

 uting variety and improving the outlines. It will be suffi- 

 cient to mention laburnums, almonds, the extensive and 

 deeply interesting tribe of thorns, the double cherries, double 

 peach, and double almonds, the sumachs, the Pyrus specta- 

 bilis, the bird cherry, the mountain ash, and the service 

 berries. 



13 • Garden Architecture. — The subject of architectural 

 gardening has been incidentally discussed in i-elation to the 

 geometrical style of treatment and in other parts of this 

 book. But the feeHng for it is one that is so rapidly grow- 

 ing, and so little sound knowledge of its details is commonly 

 possessed, that a few additional particulars and illustrations 



