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CHAPTER VI. 



ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS AND EVERGREENS. 



I SHALL speak now of the ornamental shrubs which 

 decorate a flower garden, and which a lady may 

 superintend herself, if her own physical powers are 

 not equal to the fatigue of planting. A laborer, or 

 a stout active girl, may act under her orders, and 

 do all that is necessary to be done, in removing or 

 planting flowering shrubs and evergreens. 



In planting flowering shrubs, be very particular 

 to plant them at such distances that each plant may 

 have plenty of room to grow, and strike out their 

 roots and branches freely. If shrubs are crowded 

 together, they become stunted in growth, and lanky 

 in form. 



If you are forming a clump, or even a planta- 

 tion, let each shrub be planted six feet apart from 

 its neighbor : but if you wish to plant roses, syrin- 

 gas, honeysuckles, lilacs, &c. in your flower bor- 

 ders, they should be from twelve to fifteen feet dis- 

 tant from each other, so as not to interfere with the 

 flowers growing below them. 



Do not plant tall shrubs promiscuously among 

 low-growing ones. Let the taller shrubs form the 

 back-grounds, that each shrub may be distinctly 

 seen. The shrubs should be trained up with single 

 stems, and they should be pruned every year, taking 

 up the suckers, and removing disorderly branches. 



By allowing each shrub plenty of room, it will 

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