218 MANUAL OF GARDENING 
The use of “foliage” trees and shrubs. 
There is always a temptation to use too freely of the trees 
and shrubs that are characterized by abnormal or striking 
foliage. The subject is discussed in its artistic bearings on 
pages 40 and 41. 
As a rule, the yellow-leaved, spotted-leaved, variegated, and 
other abnormal “foliage’”’ plants are less hardy and less reliable 
than the green-leaved or “natural”? forms. They usually re- 
quire more care, if they are kept in vigorous and seemly condi- 
tion. Some marked exceptions to this are noted in the lists of 
trees and shrubs. 
There are some plants of striking foliage, however, that are 
perfectly reliable, but they are usually not of the ‘horticultu- 
ral variety”’ class, their characteristics being normal to the spe- 
cies. Some of the silver or white-leaved poplars, for example, 
produce the most striking contrasts of foliage, particularly if set 
near darker trees, and for this reason they are much desired 
by many planters. Bolle’s poplar (Populus Bolleana of the nur- 
series) is one of the best of these trees. Its habit is something 
like that of the Lombardy. The upper surface of the deeply 
lobed leaves is dark dull green, while the under surface is almost 
snowy white. Such emphatic trees as this should generally 
be partially obscured by planting them amongst other trees, so 
that they appear to mix with the other foliage; or else they 
should be seen at some distance. Other varieties of the com- 
mon white poplar or abele are occasionally useful, although 
most of them sprout badly and may become a nuisance. But 
the planting of these immodest trees is so likely to be overdone 
that one scarcely dare recommend them, although, when skill- 
fully used, they may be made to produce most excellent ef- 
fects. If any reader has a particular fondness for trees of this 
class (or any others with woolly-white foliage) and if he has 
only an ordinary city lot or farm-yard to ornament, let him 
