CHAPTER XII 

 HORTICULTURAL DIVISION 



f SECTION I 



HORTICULTURAL ORGANIZATION OF A PARK DEPARTMENT 



FURMAN LLOYD MULFORD 



Horticulturist, Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture 



The functions of a horticultural division of a park department are four- 

 fold: (i) Design; (2) Production; (3) Installation; (4) Maintenance. 



Design. Design includes the selection of plant material to fit the 

 various proposed plant groups on the general park plan and often to locate 

 the groups as well. Where the park designer has not sufficient knowledge 

 of plant material, its uses and requirements, this work falls upon the horti- 

 cultural division. With a well organized department manned with properly 

 trained executives and designers this phase of the work will be adequately 

 handled in the designing division. If this designing is to be done by the 

 horticultural division a head will be needed who has had adequate training 

 in landscape designing. A florist or gardener who may have planted many 

 grounds but who has not had a thorough training in the principles of design 

 is not competent for such work. At some point there is needed a person 

 trained in the principles of landscape design including a thorough knowl- 

 edge of plant materials. Whatever the organization there must be close 

 cooperation and understanding between the design division and the horti- 

 cultural division. Roads, tennis courts and all park features must be located 

 in such manner as to serve efficiently as roads and play areas, and to blend 

 with the landscape. Not only must buffer planting areas be provided to 

 accomplish this, but good lines, which may have no bearing on the efficiency 

 of the road or playground, must be provided in the grading if attractive 

 results are to be secured. The horticultural division will need to know well 

 in advance of planting the material that will be required. The engineering 

 division will need to know the location of plant groups and the soil require- 

 ments so that this may be provided while grading is in progress. These 

 mutual understandings require whole-hearted cooperation. 



Production. Every park department, however small, needs to produce 

 plants for adding to its decoration. Sometimes it may be only annuals to 

 supplement permanent plantings; sometimes it includes perennials and 

 again it involves woody plants for permanent plantations. Annuals are 

 readily and economically grown and provide temporary results by giving 



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