"mth Trees and Shrubs. 413 



at the degree of perfection of which it is susceptible, in a situa- 

 tion where it is either shaded by the branches of trees or shrubs, 

 or where the soil in which it grows is liable to be penetrated by 

 their roots. There may be an exception or two, but these do 

 not affect the general argument. Now, it cannot be denied, that, 

 in shrubberies, and in mixed clumps, herbaceous plants are liable 

 to one or both these impediments to their arriving at perfection. 

 We therefore decide at once, and without the slightest hesitation, 

 that herbaceous plants ought never to be planted among trees or 

 shrubs, under any circumstances but those which are unavoid- 

 able from accidental causes. 



The second reason why ligneous and herbaceous plants ought 

 not to be planted together is, that the one injures the effect of 

 the other. How, it will be asked, is this position to be main- 

 tained ? It will not be denied, we think, that the beauty of a 

 tree or a shrub, unless the latter is a very small one, such as a 

 rose, an azalea, or some other flowering shrub of that size, is 

 of a very different kind from the beauty of a herbaceous plant. 

 Neither will it be denied that the beauty of any object, or of any 

 scene, is greatly increased by the unity of the expression ; that 

 is, by the tendency of all the parts of that object or scene to 

 unite in conveying to, and impressing on, the mind one descrip- 

 tion of pleasing emotion. Now, to take the extreme case of 

 trees and flowers placed together so as to form one picture : the 

 expression of the tree, it is clear, is that of grandeur and dignity ; 

 and to feel this, the eye must be at a certain distance from it, so 

 as to comprehend the trunk, branches, and head, as one entire 

 whole. The expression of a herbaceous plant in flower, on the 

 other hand, is that of brilliancy of colour, and beauty of detail, 

 whether in colour or form ; and to enjoy these, the eye must be 

 quite near, that the attention may be directed to the flower and 

 its different parts. Place the flower near the eye, it may then be 

 said, and the tree at a distance from it, and you will have the ex- 

 pression of both in the same picture. Granted: but we deny that the 

 two expressions seen together will unite in forming one harmo- 

 nious emotion. Imagine a picture with one part of the foreground 

 of roses, and another part of oak trees. Would such a picture be 

 so satisfactory as if the foreground were of one kind, and either 

 all forest-like scenery, or all flowery or garden -like scenery ? It 

 would not. To enjoy the roses, the eye must look down, and be 

 exclusively directed to them ; and to enjoy the oaks, the roses 

 must be overlooked. Now, a picture, a scene, or an object, to 

 be felt as one scene or object, and, consequently, to produce its 

 full impression on the mind, must be capable of being seen with 

 the eye in one fixed position. This is the case with all the 

 landscapes and pictures of every kind copied from nature, or 

 composed by eminent artists ; and such landscapes, forming, as 



