SHRUBS 



branch and foliage should also be given due con- 

 sideration. If we were to plant a Lilac with its 

 stiff and rather formal habit among a lot of 

 Spireas, all slender grace and delicate foliage, 

 the effect would be far from pleasing. The two 

 shrubs have nothing in common, except beauty, 

 and that is so dissimilar that it cannot be made to 

 harmonize. There must be a general harmony. 

 This does not mean that there may not be plenty 

 of contrast. Contrast and harmony are not con- 

 tradictory terms, as some may think. 



Therefore read up in the catalogues about the 

 shrubs you propose to make use of before you 

 give them a permanent place in the yard. 



Also, take a look ahead. 



The plant you procure from the nursery will 

 be small. So small, indeed, that if you leave 

 eight or ten feet between it and the next one you 

 set out, it will look so lonesome that it excites 

 your pity, and you may be induced to plant 

 another in the unfilled space to keep it company. 

 But in doing this you will be making a great 

 mistake. Three or four years from now the 

 bushes will have run together to such an extent 

 that each plant has lost its individuality. There 

 will be a thicket of branches which will con- 

 stantly interfere with each other's well being, and 



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