26 AMERICAN PLANTS. [JAN. 



soon become crowded, and spoil each other: 

 this crowding is the great mistake of all young 

 gardeners. Always bear in mind, that in plant- 

 ing you must have " a prophetic eye," and 

 look at what the garden will be, rather than 

 \vhat it is. The reason why the shrubs I have 

 named are planted in bog earth is, because it is 

 their natural soil, the ground they grow in 

 when wild. You will see that their roots are 

 composed of a number of little fibres, not much 

 thicker than hairs : peat soil being sandy, loose, 

 and not clinging, and stiff like clay, is therefore 

 best suited for their small roots to wander about 

 in, and to collect nourishment from the earth ; 

 for, you may well suppose, that if they were 

 planted in a clayey sort of earth, their fine roots 

 could not penetrate through so stiff a mass. 



As I have made it a point that you should not 

 plant your shrubs too close, you may think the 



