204 SHRUBS 



seen against an evergreen background. The same is true of 

 forsythias and all the April flowers, since these bloom before the 

 leaves. 



Now it is safe to indicate where each tall bush is to stand. 

 When these are full grown they will be six feet apart and for the 

 finished picture you may not need more than six of a kind in any 

 one group. But the right way is to order three times as many 

 small plants as you need and set them two to four feet apart. 

 This always seems wrong to a beginner. It looks just like a 

 nurseryman's scheme to sell more plants. But landscape gardeners 

 and park superintendents have no such interest and at a recent 

 convention the sentiment was practically unanimous in favour of 

 the old rule, "Plant thick, thin quick." One reason is that if you 

 plant far apart, the place looks raw the first two years. Again, 

 it costs more for cultivation. Again, the bushes actually do not 

 grow as fast, because they are too far apart to shelter one another 

 from drying winds, etc. On the other hand, if you plant thickly 

 and begin thinning the second year, you can sell the larger plants 

 you don't need or move them to some other part of your grounds. 

 That's the cheapest and quickest way to get the best bushes. 

 Don't try to save three years by buying extra large bushes, except 

 in the case of a few near the house or in the garden where immediate 

 effect must be had. In three years small shrubs will catch up 

 with big ones. That is not the case with trees. 



THE FINISHING TOUCHES 



Last of all come the finishing touches. You want some 

 edging plants that arch over to the grass, so as to make an easy 

 transition from lawn to tall shrubbery; therefore, choose arching 

 bushes that grow one to three feet high like Deutzia Lemoinei, 



