SHRUBBERY . 



27i 







SIBERIAN PEA TREE. 



kept in good order; such as neatly 

 mown, level, and with the margins 

 clipped but not pared. Besides a 

 narrow verge has an appearance of 

 meanness, and gives the idea of want 

 of space. As the shrubs spread over 

 the ground, there will soon be scarcely 

 any part of the interior of the shrub- 

 bery, that will not be covered by 

 their lower branches ; and the shrubs 

 along the margin will extend their 

 branches towards the verge and even 

 spread over it. When this is the 

 case, which generally happens in four 

 or five years, all digging and hoeing 

 becomes unnecessary ; and the turf 

 verge ought to be encouraged to ex- 

 tend in width under the branches of 

 the plants, the roses and herbaceous 

 plants, if any have been planted, being 

 removed. This is a point in the 

 management of shrubberies which is 

 almost everywhere defective ; for the 

 gardener generally continues cutting 

 the inner edge of the verge and 

 digging the ground among the herba- 

 ceous plants and the roses, till he has 

 reduced the verge to about six or 

 eight inches in width next the walk ; 

 this being the only part on which he 

 will suffer any grass to grow ; while 

 the roses and herbaceous plants which 

 have long ceased to be either healthy 

 or ornamental are left to display their 

 stunted and naked branches, with the 

 dug earth for a back ground. The 

 constant digging and stirring of the 

 ground breaks off the branches of the 

 shrubs, and thus an unsightly gap is 

 created, which entirely destroys all 

 the pleasing ideas excited by glades of 

 smooth turf, appearing here and there 

 to penetrate among the trees. To 

 produce this latter effect, as the 

 branches of any of the shrubs begin 

 to spread over the verge, all digging 

 and paring ought to be left off, and 

 the grass encouraged to extend itself 

 into the bays and recesses of the 

 plantation. In like manner, in a 



shrubbery with the walks edged with 

 box, the box ought to be removed 

 whenever the branches begin to spread 

 over it, leaving no edging to the 

 walk at all except what is formed by 

 the retiring and advancing of the 

 branches of the shrubs. This will 

 form a walk with what is called 

 picturesque edgings ; but if a de- 

 finite or a gardenesque edging is re- 

 quired, it may be formed of brick or 

 stone. On no account whatever 

 ought any kind of vegetable edging 

 to be kept up which does not grow 

 freely; for it is a maxim in garden- 

 ing which ought never to be forgotten, 

 that what cannot be grown well, 

 ought not to be grown at all. 



Siberian crab. — Pyrus baccata, 

 and P. prunifolia. These trees, 

 though frequently grown in kitchen 

 gardens and orchards for their fruit, 

 deserve admission into ornamental 

 plantations for the beauty of their 

 crabs when ripe. 



Siberian Pea Tree. — Caragana 

 AUagana, andC. arbor escens. — The 

 genus Caragana consists of a great 

 number of low trees and shrubs, with 

 abruptly pinnate leaves, and pea- 

 flowers, which are generally yellow. 

 They are mostly natives of Siberia, 

 and flower early in spring ; their 

 light elegant foliage often appearing 

 as early as March. All the species 

 are very ornamental ; but the tree 

 kinds are more so than the others. 

 C. jubala, which differs from the 

 rest in having white flowers tinged 

 with red, is a low shrub, not above 

 eighteen inches high, presenting a 

 curious shaggy appearance from the 

 footstalks of the leaves remaining on, 

 and becoming hard and thorny, after 

 the leaflets have dropped off. C. 

 Chamlaga, the Chinese Caragana, 

 which is naturally a low shrub, forms 

 a very graceful pendulous tree, when 

 grafted on a stock of C. arborescens 

 ten or twelve feet high. All the 



