2 24 Landscape Gardening 



No irregular piece of water can be made at all tasteful or 

 pleasing unless the margins of it are appropriately" planted. 

 As with a curved walk on a flat surface, unfurnished with 

 planting, the curves in a lake would seem needless and im- 

 proper. It is therefore requisite to plant or throw up a 

 bank on all the promontories round the margin, diversifying 

 the shape and extent of the planting according to the amount 

 of curve that has to be hidden. And as bare mounds would 

 rarely look sufficient in such a position, or effect all that was 

 required of them unless they were disproportionately high, 

 it will be better to make them only low, and plant dwarf 

 bushes upon them. Larger trees overhanging and dipping 

 their branches into the water at other points will be highly 

 effective, and the weeping kinds of tree are especially suitable 

 for such purposes. Alders, weeping willows, weeping birch, 

 the deciduous cypress, the liquidambar, and the tamarisk 

 will be excellent plants for the margins of water in particular 

 parts. For small islands, the common dogwood planted 

 quite alone, and covering the entire island, will be very 

 beautiful. 



That a piece of water may not be too much enshrouded by 

 trees, which I have already said would tend to make it 

 impure, to destroy its clearness, and to deprive it of the 

 sparkle, glitter, and capacity for reflecting objects, which 

 constitute some of its chief attractions, a large portion of its 

 margin, especially round the bays and recesses, should be 

 left unplanted. All plantings, whether of masses or speci- 

 mens, can be arranged mainly with reference to their actual 

 effect when viewed from a variety of points, but not without 

 regard to their appearance when mirrored in the water or 

 to the shadows which they will throw upon it at certain times 

 of the day. And in this view of the case, not merely elegant 

 forms should be chosen, but masses of flowering shrubs which 



