14 THE CULTIVATED EVERGREENS 



cussion of the placing of evergreen conifers. Although entirely 

 different in foliage texture and cultural requirements, the 

 problems of their use in landscape composition have many 

 points in common. 



Evergreens should be placed much more thoughtfully than 

 deciduous trees and shrubs. The mere fact that they are more 

 costly than deciduous woody plants, and more difficult to grow, 

 puts them in a class by themselves. Yet even if they were cheap 

 and easy to keep in good condition, they would still be very 

 distinct and would need to be placed with care in regions in 

 which the leaves fall from most plants in autumn. Evergreens 

 are so very definite in their habit, texture, and color that each 

 specimen counts very distinctly, and when planted carelessly 

 in small areas give a very spotty appearance. 



Evergreens are the same in the landscape at all seasons of 

 the year. Although the common trees and shrubs run a yearly 

 cycle from leafless twig to leaf, flower, and fruit, the evergreens, 

 descendants from an earlier plant era, go through the seasons 

 with little modification save the fresher green of the new shoots 

 in May. The changes of growth and decay are theirs, but after 

 they are planted their chief change is increase in size. 



In winter months, contrasted with the white of snow and 

 gray of leafless twigs, the dark greens of the conifers suggest 

 warmth and cheer to man. Even beast and bird find shelter in 

 spruce and pine in cold weather. This physical fact contributes 

 greatly to our joy in their sight in winter. In summer, their 

 heavier darker greens, against the broad paler leafage of 

 deciduous trees, suggest shade and coolness. Under the hem- 

 lock branches in August it is cool and damp, and the sights 

 and sounds of midsummer are mostly absent. Their suggestion 

 of physical comfort, at both extremes of the year, make ever- 

 greens particularly desirable near the dwellings of man. How- 



