A CLEARING IN THE WILDWOOD : Page 22

Wherever evergreens stand behind birches or white-flowering species like dogwood, consider yourself blessed by Nature. The contrasting effect is one for which tree-scrapers strive. Among the evergreens that you may find in your wildwood, commonest will be the cedars, spruces, white pines, and hemlocks with maybe some firs in northern latitudes. All these are hardy varieties but should not, just by that token, be taken too much for granted. Evergreens are more easily replaced than most deciduous trees, but not in the large sizes that show the best and give grounds grandeur even in winter. So check the health of your needly old-timers as carefully as you do the rest. Their greenness when other trees are bare can be deceptive. But if large evergreens stand close to where the house is to go, have this in mind: their shade can be as gloomy in winter as it is cooling in summer.