GUIDE 



[15] 



the grove is full, and it looks fine. But soon the more vigorous trees take over and choke 

 the others. The planting continues to deteriorate and the pleasure of it is lost. To create 

 plantings of this kind that are pleasant and that provide lasting enjoyment, saplings of big 

 trees should be planted fifteen or twenty feet apart from one another, small trees from 

 eight to ten feet, and shrubs about three feet apart. Furthermore, the largest ones must be 

 placed in the interior of the grove, and the smaller ones graded toward the edges. If one 

 wishes to fill out the space early in the planting, clumps of lilacs, privets, or other shrubs 

 that don't mind a lot of shade may be planted at wide intervals. It's easy to do, not much 

 trouble, and one can enjoy them for several years without losing them. 



When only one kind of tree is planted in a wooded grove, the trees can be planted 

 close together, about eighteen to twenty inches apart. The problem described above 

 doesn't arise because the saplings are the same age. they are present under the same 

 conditions, and grow the same way. But plantings of this kind offer no special beauty, 

 and if you've seen one tree in the grove, you've seen them all. Variety, the main feature 

 that captures the eye, the very "soul" of a garden, is lost to one's enjoyment. But such 

 uniform groves are allowed even in tasteful gardens. They're the ones that will hold the 

 earth on steep slopes and cover it with greenery. Privets, small elms, boxthorns, 



