Stark Bro's Landscape Architects and Ornamental Nurserymen Louisiana, Mo. 



Practical Suggestions 



(The following directions, if followed, will 



prevent many unfortunate and costly 



mistakes.) 



When to Plant 



The time of planting can be covered in the 

 broad assertion that either Fall or Spring 

 planting is satisfactory. 



Shrubbery and shade trees do exceptionally 

 well when planted in the Fall, although this 

 fact is not known by most people. Therefore 

 most shrubbery and trees are usually planted 

 in the Spring. The very hardy roses can be 

 planted in the Fall, although as a rule roses 

 should be planted in the Spring. After the 

 roses have had one season's growth and 

 become estabjished they will go through 

 the Winter without injury if given a very 

 little attention. For details, see The Rose 

 Garden, page 26. The time of planting is 

 hirgely a matter of your convenience. If 

 you have your grounds ready, plant in the 

 Fall, but if you are not ready until Spring, do 

 the planting then suit your own convenience. 



Planting Shrub Borders 



First, stake out the outlines of your shrub 

 groups or borders. We have already spoken 

 in previous chapters about the planting of 

 shrubs in groups and borders with irregular 

 outlines, in order to secure a naturalistic 

 effect. In making the outline of the border 

 or group, a limp rope can be laid loosely on 

 the ground and arranged so as to form round- 

 ed and graceful curves with deep bays. Then 

 the outline can be marked with a spade. An- 

 other method is to use a rake handle or a 

 stick to mark the outline. If you have not a 

 detailed plan, it is best to sketch out on a 

 piece of paper the general outline of the group 

 and border planting, and then this outline 

 can be transferred to the ground. 



Plant Irregular and Natural Groups 



In planting the groups and masses of shrubs, 

 it is advisable to spade up all of the ground 

 where, the shrubs are to be planted and to 

 .smooth it over by hoeing or cultivation, mix- 

 ing in well rotted manure if possible. Be sure 

 to plant the shrubs in an irregular manner 

 not in straight rows or lines. However, 

 enough shrubs of each kind should be 

 planted together in the different groups in 

 order to form a definite effect of color or tone. 

 The larger shrubs, of course, are planted in 

 the middle of the clumps; the lower, 

 dwarfish growers are planted in front of the 

 taller ones and on the outside of the groups. 



Distance Between Shrubs 



In planting shrubs, the distance between 

 the plants should be regulated somewhat 

 by the character of growth; for instance, a 

 large growing shrub such as Snowball or 

 Philadelphus should not be planted closer 

 than three and one-half to four feet between 

 plants. Shrubs of medium- growth can be 

 planted three or three and one-half feet apart. 

 In this class are Spirea Van Houttei, Weigela, 

 Hydrangeas, etc. Smaller growing plants 

 such as Japanese Bar- 

 berry and Snowberry, 

 can be planted as close- 

 ly as two or two and 

 one-half feet. Plant- 

 ing at these distances 

 will give the desired 

 effect very quickly, 

 however, if you are 

 willing to wait longer 

 to get the effect of 

 shrubbery masses, you 

 can plant the shrubs 

 further apart. 



How to Plant 



We have already 

 spoken of the planting 

 distance for shade 

 trees. Note paragraphs 

 on page 11. The dis- 

 tance between street 

 t roes ranges from 20 to 

 40 feet. When clumps 

 of shade trees are 

 planted, they can be 

 set as close as 8 to 10 

 feet, with the under- 

 standing that some of 

 them will be eu>t out 



later. In planting a tree or shrub, dig large, 

 deep holes, which will receive the roots 

 easily without crowding or bending. Keep 

 the top, rich soil separate from the bottom 

 soil, and then when the tree is planted, this 

 top soil can be worked in around the roots. 

 Be sure to prune the roots of your trees that 

 is, cut off all the broken and bruised ends, 

 making a slanting cut with a sharp knife, 

 cutting from the under side so the cut sur- 

 face will rest against the bottom soil. 



The tree should be planted at about the 

 same depth it stood in the nursery row, 

 sometimes two inches deeper. The dark 

 ring at the base of the trunk shows the depth 

 the tree stood in the nursery. Throw in some 

 of the best top soil and work it in well about 

 the roots. Tramp and pound the soil 

 in hard, leaving no air pockets around the 

 roots. Fill the hole three-fourths full, and if 

 the soil is very dry, several gallons of water 

 can be poured in at that time, although 

 the soil is generally moist enough without the 

 water. After letting the water sink in fill up 

 the hole with loose dirt, being sure not to 

 tramp the top two or three inches of soil. 

 When planting in the Fall, it is a good plan 

 to mound up the dirt around the tree or 

 shrub to a height of 6 to 10 inches. This 

 can be raked down level the next Spring. 

 It is a good practice to place well rotted 

 manure about the base of the tree or shrub 

 on the surface of the ground. 



Also, a mulch of dead grass and leaves 

 can be raked up about newly planted trees.. 

 This will help to prevent the evaporation of 

 moisture in the ground and will also furnish 

 plant food as it rots. 



How to Plant a Hedge 



In planting the hedge, dig a trench about 

 one foot wide and 12 to 18 inches deep. 

 Keep the top soil separate from the bottom 

 soil. The plants should be set 8 to 10 inches 

 apart. This applies to Privets, Barberry 

 and similar plants, while the larger shrubs 

 like Spirea Van Houttei and Philadelphus 

 can be planted 12 to 18 inches apart. The 

 hedge may be set in a single row, or if a quick 

 effect is desired, set two rows of plants leaving 

 about 10 inches between the rows; and the 

 plants in the rows are set 8 inches apart and 

 alternated. In planting the hedge, work 

 in the rich top soil around the roots and tramp 

 it in hard. A mulch of well rotted manure 

 can be placed on the surface of the ground. 



Pruning Shade Trees 



Although there are exceptions, the general 

 rule for pruning 

 shade trees and 

 shrubs is to do as 

 little pruning as 

 possible only 

 enough to keep the 

 dead and broken 

 limbs cut out and 

 to thin out the old 

 branches of the 

 shrubs when they 

 become too thick. 



Shade trees can 

 be pruned in any 



season, but the best time to prune is in late 

 Winter or early Spring. Pruning at this 

 time causes the trees to make a more vigorous 

 growth. It is much better to prune the trees 

 a little every year, cutting out all broken, rot- 

 ted or undesirable branches rather than make 

 severe prunings at long intervals. In cut- 

 ting out the big branches, use a saw, and 

 cut the branch close to the trunk and nearly 

 parallel with it. 



Frequently, it is desired to repair the 

 rotted parts of trees. Cavities in the trunks 

 of the trees can be filled with concrete, and 

 this will frequently result in the saving of 

 splendid shade trees. In filling these cavities, 

 it is absolutely essential to cut out and 

 remove all the decayed wood, and then to 

 wash this decayed wood with an antiseptic 

 such as Corrosive Sublimate (1 part to 1000 

 parts water) (Poison handle carefully) or with 

 some good paint such as White Lead. Then 

 the whole cavity can be filled with cement 



Pruning Shrubs 



Immediately after planting shrubs, the 

 tops should be headed back one-third or one- 

 half of their growth, as this will tend to make 

 them become more dense and more bushy. 

 After the first year or two, shrubs will not 

 need much pruning just enough to keep 

 the old dead wood cut out and in a vigorous 

 growing condition. 



In pruning shrubs, keep in mind their 

 blooming habit, that is, whether they bloom on 

 new wood or on the growth made during the 

 previous season. Most of the Spring flower- 

 ing shrubs bloom on the last season's growth. 

 This is true in the case of the Spirea 

 Van Houttei, Weigela, Forsythia, Lilacs, 

 Viburnums, Wistaria, and for this reason 

 these plants should not be pruned until 

 after they have bloomed. Most of the sum- 

 mer blooming shrubs, like Hydrangeas, 

 Philadelphus (Mock Orange), Hibiscus (Rose 

 of Sharon) and bush roses bloom on the wood 

 which has been grown during the same season, 

 and therefore, they should be pruned heavily 

 in late winter or very early Spring, causing 

 them to make a vigorous growth the following 

 Summer. 



Pruning the Hedge 



Immediately after planting, the hedge 

 should be headed back. The Privets should 

 be cut back to within 4 to 6 inches of the 

 ground. Japanese Barberry, Spirea, Phila- 

 delphus and Rosa Rugosa should have the 

 tops cut back one-half of their growth, 

 immediately after planting. For the firs 



A vine-covered porch showing the uses of American Ivy, also a founda- 

 tion planting of hardy Spirea, Hydrangea and other shrubs. 



An interesting sky line. Try to imagine how 

 unattractive this home would be if there 

 were no trees near it. 



two years, trim the hedge frequently, keeping 

 it cut low and bushy. In pruning, cut back 

 the growth to within two inches of the last 

 pruning that is, leave two inches of growth 

 each time the hedge is cut. 



Paint for Covering Wounds 



As mentioned in a previous paragraph, 

 White Lead is one of the best paints for 

 covering tree wounds, but you should be 

 sure to use pure White Lead mixed with raw 

 Linseed Oil. Do not use a house paint or 

 Any paint which has a drier. Mix the White 

 Lead to about the consistency of buttermilk, 

 and if a dark color is desired, add lampblack. 



