78 
LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 
of groups, is, not to place them in any regular or artificial 
manner, — as one at each corner of at riangle, square, octagon, 
or other many-sided figure ; but so to dispose them, as that 
the whole may exhibit the variety, connection, and intricacy 
seen in nature. “ The greatest beauty of a group of trees,” 
says Loudon, “ as far as respects their stems, is in the varied 
direction these take as they grow into trees ; but as that is, 
for all practical purposes, beyond the influence of art, all we 
can do, is to vary as much as possible the ground plan of 
groups, or the relative positions which the stems have to each 
other where they spring from the earth. This is consider- 
able, even where a very few trees are used, of which any 
person may convince himself by placing a few dots on paper. 
Thus two trees, (fig. 15,) or a tree and shrub, which is the 
smallest group, (a), may be placed in three different positions 
a 
b 
j 
[Fig. 15. Grouping of Trees.] 
