CHAPTER XXII 

 EDGING AND CARPETING PLANTS 



The elegance and perfection of English landscapes and gardens are 

 largely due to these connecting or transitional plants which 

 give the finishing touch to a good design 



THE intoxicating beauty of English landscapes and gardens 

 is chiefly caused by two things luxuriance and finish. 

 Such luxuriance we may never hope to attain until we 

 begin to love our own American trees, shrubs, and vines and make 

 them dominant in our plantings as the Europeans do with their 

 own native vegetation. By "finish," I mean elegance, perfection, 

 the last touch that makes an exquisite picture. This finishing 

 touch is often supplied by edging plants or "ground covers" 

 low growths that carry the eye from the greenery of grass to that 

 of the shrubs and trees without a break. 



The perfect lawn is one that is free from trees and bushes 

 except at the borders, where it is fringed by shrubbery. This 

 idea is illustrated by! plates i! and 91. The dignity of this 

 scene is due chiefly to the tall trees. The peacefulness and repose 

 therein are mainly owing to the unbroken lawn, which seems 

 greater and richer than it really is, because its surface is not 

 speckled with showy plants. And the elegance of the picture is 

 largely due to the shrubbery, which makes the transition between 

 lawn and trees. To realize the truth of this last statement one 

 has merely to think away the fringe of bushes. 



How different this is from the "camp meeting" style of grove 



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