GARDEN BOUNDARIES 



scape-gardeners consider difficult to manage because of its 

 color), "carries" beautifully from a distance of two hundred 

 yards or more. Grouped with the white dogwood, which 

 slightly precedes, and the Halesia, which follows, it is very 

 lovely. Even alone against the background of green, or among 

 other trees not yet awakened it has a rare beauty — the whole 

 tree from the ground to topmost twig flushed with deep rose- 

 color that is a quarrelsome magenta near at hand, but from 

 a distance not a bit too strong. The eye picks it out as it 

 picks out a scarlet maple in a swamp — ^with the same delight. 

 But the Judas-tree in a group of shrubbery? Oh, no! 



For boundary planting at a distance, young trees and 

 trees of secondary growth are invaluable. Young white birches, 

 yellow birches, the deUcate hemlock with hazel for its pale- 

 yellow bloom in November, the black birch, which is never 

 sung but which is an exquisite thing in early spring, the poplar- 

 leaved birch- — these make a lovely bordering plantation for 

 a dry soU; for lower ground, the young swamp-maple, dog- 

 wood, scarlet-berried alder, Halesia and Judas-tree, Amelan- 

 chier and cornel-tree. They arrange their branches themselves, 

 if let alone, and will have foliage to the grass. With them, there 

 is no need for the gardener to distress himself about filling in 

 and stuffing the interstices with shrubs — the space takes care 

 of itself. But here, at their feet, at the margin of your toy 

 woodland, is a wonderful place for naturalizing bulbs and all 

 sorts of lovely wild things. 



For nearer planting the considerations are different. The 

 orders are plain enough, "the planting must be natural," 

 "keep an open centre," "mass the shrubbery" — ^well enough. 

 But the grass is not in a natural state; it is smooth-shaven, 

 and the shrubs, instead of being picked out by the eye in their 

 brief season of splendor only, the rest of the time relapsing 



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