TREES AND SHRUBS. 



279 



mist and glimpsing sunshine, may afford such magni- 

 ficent and entrancing scenery as may make the tran- 

 sient inhabitant forget the softer beauties of trees, 

 except when he is reminded of their shelter by the cut- 

 ting breath of the mountain wind. It is hardly worth 

 while to spend much labor on the culture of trees and 

 shrubs where they grow with difficulty into stunted 

 forms, and where, even in their finest developments, 

 they would be wholly eclipsed by the grander and 

 wilder features of nature. 



But it is different with the ordinary, and particularly 

 the suburban residence. They have seldom the sub- 

 lime accompaniments of the broad sea, or of the blue 

 ridgy mountain. Trees, shrubs, and flowers, are their 

 principal means of ornament. Devoid of these, they 

 would only be like a house in a bare field, or " a lodge 

 in a garden of cucumbers." 



In the villa grounds, trees can not be formed into 

 woods, but they should be introduced into the larger 

 masses of shrubs so as to heighten their effect; in 

 other places, they may be sprinkled on the remoter 

 parts of the lawns, and so may unite with the former 

 in making up an appearance of woodland scenery. 

 Some of the more rapidly growing kinds should be 

 inserted in the shrubberies of new-made places, for the 

 purpose of imparting a clothed effect at an earlier 

 period than can be accomplished by shrubs alone ; but 

 where not intended to remain, they should be carefully 

 weeded out when the object wanted has been attained 

 by their neighbors of slower growth. Breadths of 

 trees and shrubs are needed to clothe and diversify 

 even a small place when new ; but they should not bo 

 planted to the extent of over-crowding, and should be 



