Art Out-of-Doors 



If, in ornamental planting, we used only 

 the materials which Nature supplies in the 

 neighborhood of our homes, no one of these 

 qualities would seem of more interest to the 

 planter than the others, or would offer him 

 more chances of making mistakes. But the 

 efforts of generations in introducing exotic 

 species of trees and in perpetuating casual 

 natural eccentricities have brought color 

 into greater relative prominence in the 

 nursery than it assumes in Nature's work- 

 shop. The planter is therefore more apt to 

 be struck by varieties of color than by those 

 of form and texture ; and, as a rule, he 

 thinks more of the effects which he can pro- 

 duce with them, and commits with them his 

 most frequent and conspicuous errors. 



If a true artist could always be employed 

 when a work of landscape-gardening is in 

 question, then the development of our nu- 

 merous and striking nursery-varieties of color 

 — which include tones of purple, red, blue, 

 white, and especially yellow in a score of 

 different degrees, and many striped and mot- 

 tled effects as well — might be counted wholly 

 fortunate ; for, of course, the wider the range 

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