CHAPTER XIII 

 PLANTS FOR BORDER PLANTING 



A very important question in the proper development of a lawn is 

 how to give it a background and suitable enclosure of trees and shrubs. 

 This chapter is especially concerned with the types of shrubs which are 

 used as masses of planting in the shrub borders. These shrubs may be 

 used in isolated groups or in a continuous border, the object of either 

 method of arrangement being to provide a frame for the picture. 



There are two types of lawns : the refined lawn area, and the more 

 natural lawn area which fits into the existing landscape and which is 

 not kept as well mowed and as neatly edged. The refined lawn area 

 requires a type of shrub planting which must be neat in its outlines, 

 possessing an interesting touch of foliage, flowers, and fruit, and 

 naturally making a compact mass. This material is usually selected 

 from the refined types of nursery-grown stock such as spirea, privet, 

 snowball, golden bell, honeysuckle, and mock-orange. 



In every border planting, if carefully analyzed, there will be found 

 three distinct types of shrubs: those which are tall growing, averaging 

 from seven to ten feet in height; those which are of medium growth, 

 averaging from four to seven feet in height; and those which are low 

 growing, averaging from two to four feet in height. It is essential 

 properly to group these shrubs in order to have a compact foliage effect 

 carrying from the higher shrubs through the lower shrubs to meet the 

 turf. 



It is very important, however, in the grouping of the different types 

 of low, medium, and tall-growing shrubs in refined plantings not only 

 to know the normal height which the shrubs attain but to know whether 

 the foliage texture on one shrub is extremely fine and that on another 

 shrub extremely coarse. For instance, the Japanese barberry is not 

 used to the best advantage in front of the coarser, medium-growing 

 varieties of flowering currant, sumac, or viburnum. It is much better 

 adapted for use in front of the spirea, white kerria, and privet, shrubs 

 with smaller types of foliage. The reason is that the sudden transition 



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