PENDULOUS TREES AND SHRUBS. 



147 



precaution is not taken, it generally acquires, from the 

 action of the winds and the weight of snow. 



(4.) Pendulous Trees and Shrubs. — Of these we 

 may name the weeping birch, the weeping willow, the 

 fine-leaved weeping ash, (Fmxinus lentiscifolia pen- 

 dulaj and the new funereal Cypress from China. 

 The weeping ash, elm, beech, lime, and the American 

 weeping willow can scarcely be called trees, as their 

 height depends on that of the trees on which they are 

 grafted. They are, consequently, more curious than 

 useful in the way of ornament. 



Most of these plants, being of no great height, are 

 better suited for the dressed grounds than for the woods 

 of the park; their introduction, however, into both of 

 these places is the source of considerable interest and 

 variety. Their proper place is not in the thicket, but 

 on the lawns and on the outsides of the woods. Their 

 graceful forms also render them suitable for decorating 

 the entrance to the villa or cottage orne. 



Of this class, the finest is the Weeping Birch. Its 

 upright stem and main boughs, the thread-like dra- 

 pery of its branches, and its small foliage, give it a 

 peculiarly graceful and airy appearance. It groups 

 well with both the broad and the pyramidal trees, 

 harmonizing well with the former, and contrasting 

 finely with the latter. 



It preserves its character in woods, and is seen per- 

 haps to greater advantage on sylvan banks, and on the 

 lower slopes of hills. The Weeping Willow is, unfor- 

 tunately, too tender to be of much use in the colder 

 parts of Great Britain. In other respects, it is admi- 

 rably suited for giving effect to the scenery of the 

 dressed grounds. In warm, sheltered places, and in 



