PARK AND CEMETERY. 
399 
EVERGREENS FOR THE MIDDLE WEST 
An address by A. H. Hill, Dundee, III, before the 
North Shore Horticultural Society at Lake Forest, III. 
In reviewing the three great periods of 
geological history we find that the first pe- 
riod consisted principally of flowerless 
plants; the second period of flowerless and 
a few seed-bearing plants; the third period 
the seed-bearing plants constituted much 
the larger portion. The family that has 
most universally pervaded every stage of 
vegetation is that of the conifers or ever- 
greens. The ancient writers frequently 
mention the existence of conifers and used 
the pines, cedars and junipers as striking- 
illustrations of strength, durability and per- 
manency. The Romans used garlands of 
pine branches for crowning the victors in 
their games, and the wood to form their 
funeral pyres. The cones and seeds were 
considered medicinal and were sought after 
for flavoring their wines. 
The rare gracefulness and artistic beauty 
of many of the evergreens were used as 
models by the sculptor. One of the old 
writers speaks of the preservative proper- 
ties of the juice of the cedar and states it 
was used in preparing mummies. 
The cedar of Lebanon is symbolical of 
durability. The wood was held in great re- 
spect by the ancients and the branches were 
employed in religious exercises. 
The junipers and yews, perhaps, were 
more frequently mentioned and known 
than any other genus of the evergreens, 
and they were used extensively in all orna- 
mental plantings. 
In many places throughout the sacred 
writing we find the evergreens beautifully 
mentioned, the similes often being among 
the most eloquent passages known in the 
English language. The first author who 
wrote exclusively on trees and shrubs pro- 
duced a book in 1523 on the subject of 
evergreens, and since then the French, Eng- 
lish, Germans and Italians have paid the 
evergreen family marked attention. Other 
botanical authors have, during the present 
century, devoted much labor to the study 
and classification of this most important 
family. No other order of plants presents 
such a diversity of size as that of the 
evergreen family. From the humble, trail- 
ing sorts to the lordly sequoia gigantica. 
300 feet in height, it embraces trees of 
every size. 
Every shade and tint of gold, silver and 
green is also beautifully displayed in the 
foliage of the various species. 
The evergreen family is limited to no 
particular climate or country, but is a na- 
tive of the torrid, frigid and temperate 
zones throughout the world. On the cold- 
est summits of the Alpine peaks of Lap- 
land, at the very utmost limits of vegeta- 
tion. are found many of the dwarf species, 
while, on the other extreme, some splen- 
did varieties develop their beauty beneath 
the scorching sun of the torrid regions. 
Anyone who has seen or studied Euro- 
pean landscape gardening is immediately 
impressed with the extensive use of ever- 
greens. They furnish the bulk of the ma- 
terial for the basic construction of their 
gardens. The English garden is chiefly fa- 
mous for its evergreens, especially yews, 
which are, as you and I know, long-lived. 
The yew has been known and appreciated 
for ages and is yet one of the most es- 
teemed evergreen trees. The Aukerwyke 
yew, near Staines, England, is supposed to 
be upwards of 1,000 years old. 
The evergreen in one form or another is 
seen everywhere throughout Europe and 
from the sixteenth century onward their 
popularity has been pre-eminent. 
Closely associated with Shakespeare and 
the historical gardens of England, at 
Stratford-on-the-Avon, is Anne Hathaway’s 
garden, a masterpiece in landscape art. 
standing as a lasting monument to its orig- 
inal designer and planter. Surrounded by 
an evergreen hedge and filled here and 
there with masses of evergreens, it is a 
pattern and a guide to everyone aiming 
to have his garden a thing that will live 
after him and cause people to remember 
him. What finer monument can a man 
have? Our possibilities today are far 
greater than those of an artist who dab- 
bles in paints, for we are handling as our 
materials real growing things whose beauty 
and protection is not attained in a day, but 
is attained year after year and down 
through the ages. 
The green of our color scheme and 
background cannot fade or be washed away, 
but is a thing of permanency and a delight 
to each succeeding generation. The trend 
of all phases of education today is toward 
permanent results, and we must keep 
abreast of the times. 
It is only within comparatively recent 
years that the American landscape archi- 
tect, gardener and planter has awakened to- 
the many and varied uses of evergreens 
and the important part they must neces- 
sarily take in garden making, if permanent 
and lasting effects are desired. 
We are a new country' — a lusty infant, it 
is true — growing and learning fast, but in 
the mad race for money during the last 
hundred years, in the main, it can be said 
that but scant interest has been given to- 
permanency. Results are wanted in a day 
or week, at best, a few months. 
Quick-growing, short-lived material has- 
been used, with never a thought for the 
future. 
Planters are now waking up to the fact 
that something is lacking — that something 
which gives solidity, strength and virility 
so noticeable in European gardens where 
the use of evergreens has predominated for 
centuries. 
But we are learning fast. Fifty years 
ago it could be said that the average orna- 
mental planting on a country estate con- 
sisted of 75 per cent deciduous stock and 
25 per cent evergreens, whereas today, in 
the eastern part of the United States, along 
Ihe Atlantic coast, the ratio is 65 per cent 
evergreen stock and 35 per cent deciduous, 
and this ratio is gradually spreading west- 
ward. 
An example of how this works out with 
the average American business man is as 
follows : 
A prominent man in one of our large 
Middle West cities, who had spent forty- 
five years of his life in money-making,, 
suddenly found himself worth several mil- 
lion dollars. 
A large income and a desire to turn his 
attention to other things besides grinding 
EVERGREENS IN BEAUTIFUL SETTING FOR MAUSOLEUM. GRACELAND CEM- 
ETERY, CHICAGO. EVERGREENS FROM D. HILL NURSERY CO. 
