PLANTING WITH A VIEW TO PRODUCE EFFECT. 



583 



lawns, or the margins of groups or 

 shrubberies. Their prominent character- 

 istics are gracefulness and elegance suit- 

 able to this style of garden, but the re- 

 verse when it is desirable to keep up the 

 expression of a wild and highly picturesque 

 character. " When drooping trees are 

 mixed indiscreetly," says Downing, " with 

 other round-headed trees in the compo- 

 sition of groups or masses, much of their 

 individual character is lost, as it depends 

 not so much on the top, as in oblong or 

 spiral trees, as upon the side branches, 

 which are of course concealed by those of 

 the adjoining trees. Drooping trees are, 

 therefore, show T n to most advantage on 

 the borders of groups, or the boundaries 

 of plantations. It must not be forgotten, 

 but constantly kept in mind, that all 

 strongly marked trees, like bright colours 

 in pictures, only admit of occasional 

 employment ; and that the very object 

 aimed at in introducing them will be 

 defeated, if brought into the lawn in 

 masses, and distributed heedlessly on 

 every side." The forms of trees and 

 shrubs, bearing on the subject before us, 

 are divided into four classes; namely, 

 round-headed (such as the oak and Por- 

 tugal laurel, &c.,) oblong-topped (such as 

 the Lombardy poplar, fustigate oak, 

 Cypress, Irish yew, &c.,) spiral-topped 

 (such as many of the pine tribe,) and 

 drooping trees (such as the weeping- 

 willow, &c.) 



With these for our materials, we should 

 consider the proper method of placing 

 them, so that a harmonious combination 

 of them may be made, so as not to violate 

 the principles of correct taste. On this 

 Downing justly observes: "An indis- 

 criminate mixture of these different forms 

 would, it is evident, produce anything 

 but an agreeable effect. For example, 

 let a person plant together, in a group, 

 three trees of totally opposite forms and 

 expressions — viz., a weeping willow, an 

 oak, and a poplar — and the expression of 

 the whole would be destroyed by the 

 confusion resulting from these discordant 

 forms. On the other hand, the mixture 

 of trees that exactly correspond in these 

 forms — if these forms, as in oblong or 

 drooping trees, are similar — will infallibly 

 create sameness. In order, then, to pro- 

 duce beautiful variety, which shall neither, 

 on the one side, run into confusion, nor, 



on the other, verge into monotony, it is 

 requisite to give some little attention to 

 the harmony of form and colour in the 

 composition of trees in artificial planta- 

 tions. The only rules which we can 

 suggest to govern the planter are these — 

 first, if a certain leading expression is 

 desired in a group of trees, together with 

 as great a variety as possible, such species 

 must be chosen which harmonise with 

 each other in certain leading points. 

 And, secondly, in occasionally inter- 

 mingling trees of opposite characters, 

 discordance may be prevented, ' and har- 

 monious expression promoted, by inter- 

 posing other trees of an intermediate 

 character. In the first case, suppose it is 

 desired to form a group of trees, in which 

 gracefulness must be the leading expres- 

 sion, the willow alone would have the 

 effect ; but in groups, willows alone pro- 

 duce sameness. In order, therefore, to 

 give variety, we must choose other trees, 

 which, while they differ from the willow 

 in some particulars, agree in others. The 

 elm has much larger and darker foliage, 

 while it has also a drooping spray ; the 

 weeping birch differs in its leaves, but 

 agrees in the pensile flow of its branches ; 

 the common birch has few pendant 

 boughs, but resembles in the airy light- 

 ness of its leaves ; and the three-thorned 

 acacia, though its branches are horizontal, 

 has delicate foliage of nearly the same 

 hue and floating lightness as the wil- 

 low. Here we have a group of five trees, 

 which are, in the whole, full of gracefulness 

 and variety, while there is nothing in the 

 composition inharmonious to the practised 

 eye. To illustrate the second case, let us 

 suppose a long sweeping outline of maples, 

 birches, and other light mellow-coloured 

 trees, which the improver wishes to vary 

 and break into groups by spiral-topped 

 evergreen trees. It is evident that if 

 these trees were planted in such a man- 

 ner as to peer abruptly out of the light- 

 coloured foliage of the former trees in 

 dark or almost black masses of tapering 

 verdure, the effect would be by no means 

 so satisfactory and pleasing as if there 

 were a partial transition from the mellow 

 pale green of the maples, &c, to the 

 darker hues of the oak, ash, or beech, and 

 finally, the sombre tint of the evergreens. 

 Thus much for the colouring ; and if, in 

 addition to this, oblong-headed trees or 



