HOUSE AND GARDEN 
August, 
1912 
The garden of Mr. G. B. Churchill, at Amherst, Mass., is beautifully 
planned both for mass effect and color contrast 
A dogwood set in among retinosporas and bordered by simple lawns 
was considered sufficient garden decoration without flowers 
as isolated dots on the scene. 
From lofty pine to lowly 
trailing juniper, the ever¬ 
green part of the flowerless 
garden can be made replete 
with interest and a compo¬ 
nent part of a real garden 
picture. 
But, exclusive of conifers 
or other evergreens, there 
are numerous shrubs com¬ 
paratively non-effective and 
inconspicuous when they 
flower, but the flowers are 
succeeded by fruits and ber¬ 
ries that glow with brilliant 
colors far into, and in some 
cases throughout, the win¬ 
ter. There are others whose 
greatest attraction is the 
bright coloring of the bark 
in yellow, orange, glowing 
red or verdant green, just to 
mention the bright, showy 
colors only. These color effects come in the winter season when 
there is naught to compare with or substitute for them, and asso¬ 
ciated with evergreens they brighten up and enliven the garden 
scene in winter. The won¬ 
der is that we have for so 
long neglected to avail our¬ 
selves of this fine material. 
For example, there is the 
birch, common and wild it is 
true; but bring it into the 
garden, group it near pine 
or cedar and you create a 
picture that never palls upon 
you. Besides the birches 
that have white bark, there 
is the red or river birch, and 
the yellow barked birch; 
trees one seldom sees, yet 
lovely to look upon on a 
bright winter day when the 
sun illumines them. 
The willow family, Sali.v, 
has several varieties most at¬ 
tractive in winter. There is 
.S', vitellina Britzensis which 
has bark of a bright orange 
red. Another variety called 
Colorado has bark of a peculiar bluish tint. These willows all 
make trees of considerable size, but if planted for special color 
effect, they can be kept small by vigorous pruning each year. 
The Japanese are past masters at the art of making small gardens complete 
by using small dwarfed evergreens in combination with water features 
Restraint in topiary gardening yields beautiful results and gives privacy 
to the garden and grounds 
The simple lines of a tall hedge with the single note of statuary require 
nothing more to make a garden feature distinctive 
