114 THE FLOWER GARDEN COMPANION. 



laurel and arbor vitse, and those plants that are always 

 clothed with leaves, and hence the name evergreen. 



Upon a careful observation of the general method of lay 

 ing out flower gardens, it will be seen that there is too much 

 sameness in their appearance, arising from the neglect to 

 appropriate a part of the ground to ornamental and flowering 

 shrubs. This I imagine to be chiefly owing to the geome- 

 trical or Dutch system being mostly followed in laying out 

 flower gardens : and hence a method has been adopted that 

 is proper and natural to a foreign climate, but has little claim 

 upon good taste in this country, where climate and local cir- 

 cumstances are so opposite. It is a well known fact, that the 

 Dutch are the most successful cultivators of the tulip, the 

 hyacinth, and most other kinds of bulbous rooted plants, in 

 the known world ; and it is also known, that the soil and 

 situation in which they are grown are of a humid nature, 

 which is congenial to most kinds of hardy bulbous rooted 

 plants. Such local circumstances, united with industry and 

 intelligence, have put the Dutch florist in possession of an 

 annual income from bulbous flower roots of a very large 

 amount, which it is probable will not be equalled by any 

 other country for ages. But the climate of America is not 

 favorable to the culture of bulbs to a great extent, owing to 

 the soil and atmosphere being more dry in the spring and 

 summer season : on the other hand, hardy, hard wooded 

 shrubs, as the rose, double flowering almond, lilac, &c., are 

 well adapted to our soil and climate, and flourish extremely 

 well in the western and northern states. The native 

 varieties of beautiful shrubs, for which this country is so 

 eminently celebrated, by the European horticulturists and 

 amateurs, are also peculiarly adapted to the shrubbery, and 

 are highly deserving a more general introduction into the 

 flower gardens and foregrounds of country residences. It is 

 greatly to be hoped that the present good taste and enlight- 

 ened state of horticultural improvement in every department, 

 will be the means of arousing the attention of every lover 



