THE GARDEN BEAUTIFUL 



53 



Much has been spent and wasted in planting these, owing to the excite- 

 ment over the Wellingtonia and other Pacific coast trees. For these, people 

 almost ceased to plant the best native trees and the really good 

 Useless^ Evergreen p* nes f or our J^J^ tne m ain result in many cases, except in 



the most favoured places, being ugly sticks often half dead. The 

 effect, also, is so ugly in what is called the " Pinetum " that people might well 

 be tired of planting conifers. But the true " Pinetum" is the Pine wood, where 

 no tree should ever enter which is not as hardy as the Scotch Fir or the Yew. 



The Deodar Cedar is unfit for the woodlands of our country, being tender. 

 The Redwood of California, which is a fine tree in its own country and grows 

 pretty well with us, is injured almost every year even in southern parts of Eng- 

 land, though it may thrive as a close wood. The Wellingtonia is worthless 

 from a forest or other point of view in this country. Araucarias should never 

 be planted in any woodland work, nor should any merely curious conifer, 

 and many absurdities are described in catalogues serving to obscure the value 

 of the really noble Pines. 



Design. — It is important to get out of our heads skimpy ideas of planting, 

 wrong in effect for shelter, timber, and simplicity of working. North or south, 

 east or west, we often see that, if any planting of evergreen trees is done at all, 

 it is done in narrow skirtings to roads, so that the winds cut through the line 

 in an instant, whereas when trees are massed rightly, the edge of the wood 

 impedes the prevailing wind, and within fifty yards the trees are in shelter and 

 warmth. The best way to plant is to take a piece of ground which is not 

 valuable for arable or any other use, break it up, and plant it as wood. If, as 

 often occurs, there are few or no evergreen trees among the hardwood trees of 

 the place, it is all the better if we can place an evergreen wood in the midst of 

 Oak and like woods ; birds can get more protection in such woods, as in 

 estates with hard woods only it is too easy for the poacher to see the pheasants 

 clear against the sky on the leafless trees. All planting of these trees should be 

 in masses, bold groups or "clouds" on the hills. It is not a question of space; 

 an acre or two rightly planted would be better than miles of the mean skirtings 

 to roads called " plantations," and the round clumps with which so many 

 country places are spotted and disfigured. 



(To be continued.) 



New Narcissi. — At Birmingham, on 1 6th and red-cups is they will not withstand sunshine, the 

 1 7th of April, were some very beautiful new seed- fiery cups shrivelling under it like the end of a cigar, 

 lings from Engleheart, Miss Willmott, and MM. The Daffodils, such as Royal, King Arthur, King's 

 Barr, De Graaf, Pope, Walton, and others. The Norton, Queen Christina, Phil May, Hatfield 

 variety in form, size, and colour is very great, but Beauty, Cleopatra, Mrs. George Barr and Loveliness, 

 many of the new fiery cupped and saucered star- both fine white Daffodils, and Francesca, Ellen 

 flowered and Poet's seedlings droop their heads and Willmott, Hodsock's Pride, Van Waveren's Giant, 

 would not show themselves much superior to exist- and Weardale Perfection, are all very fine and bold 

 ing kinds on the grass. Another weak point in the things, but dear at present. — F. W. B. 



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