PLANTING AND CARE OF TREES 73 



in his mind a fairly clear conception as to how the place should 

 look when finished. In other words, he must be somewhat of an 

 artist. The required conception on the part of the landscape gard- 

 ener is not unike that of the artist who paints pictures on canvas. 

 Many people are better artists than they suppose, and it does 

 not take much ability to make a pleasing landscape picture from 

 the ordinary country home. 



The landscape gardener, whether amateur or professional, before 

 locating his trees should study the surroundings with a view of 

 ascertaining the direction of the most pleasing views. In this con- 

 nection he will consider the views from the various windows of the 

 house, from the veranda, and from various points on the lawn. In 

 locating the trees, then, it is necessary to keep constantly in mind 

 these desirable views. The next problem will l)e to block out any 

 objectionable viev/s, either on the home grounds or on adjacent lands. 

 The farm buildings may usually be screened from the house and 

 from the highway without seriously affecting their convenience. In 

 some cases the desired effect may be produced by a belt of trees 

 and shrubs separating the front lawn from the back yard. This 

 arrangement is not always the most desirable for it is often pos- 

 sible to give expanse to a small lawn by leaving a vista that extends 

 far in rear of the house. One or more clumps of trees or shrubs 

 carefully arranged may effectively block out objectionable views 

 without completely closing the view in that direction. Further- 

 more, skillful gardeners often appropriate views through neigh- 

 boring grounds in order to give expanse to a place that would other- 

 wise appear crampt. This is accomplished by blocking out the 

 neighboring houses and by maintaining vistas through the adja- 

 cent grounds. Similar results may be attained by opening vistas 

 into adjoining meadows or pasture fields. 



With larger areas it is often advisable to separate the grounds in 

 such a way as to provide for secluded nooks, and this is very easily 

 accomplished by planting. Such secluded areas, however, should 

 be relatively small and should not detract from the unity of the 

 whole scheme. There is not the necessity for seclusion in rural dis- 

 tricts as in the cities, but when the grounds are large enough it is 

 advisable to arrange the shrubbery so as to separate a portion of 

 the rear lawn for the purpose of a home playground. It may in- 

 clude accommodations for pleasure and recreation, such as tennis 

 courts, hammocks and the like. 



