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



the group. Then around and in front of the 

 taller shrubs we will plant the "fillers" or 

 shrubs of medium height. Then on the 

 outside or in front of the fillers we can plant 

 our lower, spreading shrubs, which we have 

 termed "facers." Bear in mind that you 

 should plant the background or tall shrubs 

 first and then work towards the front. Never 

 begin in the front and work towards the back. 

 Second, we must realize that in plant- 

 ing shrub groups or borders we are trying 

 to imitate Nature. Nature never plants 

 single specimens of shrubs when making up 

 her natural shrub groups. Instead, she plants 

 several of each kind in small groups and then 

 these small groups are massed together in 

 one large, harmonious group. If we should 

 plant one shrub of each kind in a group we 

 would get a spotted, unnatural effect. In 

 other words, we must consider the shrubs as 

 groups of each kind not individual plants. 

 By keeping this in mind, we can get harmoni- 

 ously planted groups which will be interesting 

 and varied. 



Spirea Van Houttel at the Home of President Stark 



The billowy white banks of Spirea Van Houttei are the admiration of all 

 For planting around porches there is no better shrub. 



have been standing for many centuries, 

 long before Columbus sailed on his voyage 

 of discovery. 



It is becoming a general practice to plant, 

 our noble, native shade trees as monuments 

 to commemorate great events. In many 

 of the schools and colleges an important part 

 of the graduating ceremony is the planting 

 of the "class tree." It is indeed very appro- 

 priate to plant something that lives, grows 

 and becomes more beautiful every year. 



Shade Trees About the House 



Shade trees are used for many purposes 

 in landscaping the home grounds, but we will 

 first consider the planting around the home. 

 Trees should be planted behind in order to 

 form a background, and on the sides to frame 

 in the house, but they should never be planted 

 directly in front of the home, as this will 

 obstruct the view and detract from the 

 general effect of the landscape planting. 

 We often see the mistake of planting shade 

 trees in the center of the front lawn. This 

 -IT !.. .-- - i g wrong because it 



not only obstructs 

 the view, but it breaks 

 up the wide expanse 

 of the lawn, making it 

 appear much smaller 

 in extent. It also 

 prevents a satisfactory 

 growth of the grass 

 and everyone knows 

 that a beautiful green 

 lawn is one of the 

 most important parts 

 of the landscape plant- 

 ting. Another point 

 to bear in mind is the 

 fact that the trees 

 spread very much as 

 they become older 

 and for this reason 

 it is not advisable to 

 plant them too close 

 to the house, as it will 

 make the house 

 damp and prevent 

 the entran ce of 

 sunshine. Sunshine 

 in the home is a 

 necessity. 



In selecting the shrubs for the groups, be 

 sure to get the kinds which will have bloom 

 of different colors, but a harmonious combi- 

 nation, and also shrubs which will bloom 

 early, then followed by those that will carry 

 the bloom throughout the season. 



Irregular Outline of Groups 



In laying out the outline of the shrub 

 border or group, the front line of the group 

 should be irregular and naturalistic. Make 

 the curves long and sweeping with bays in 

 the shrubbery at irregular intervals. Some- 

 times the mistake is made of laying out a 

 shrub border and making the boundary line 

 or front of the border in regular, zigzag 

 curves, all of the curves being just alike. 

 This is altogether wrong and is not in keeping 

 with the naturalistic style. Be sure that 

 all of the curves of the shrub groups are 

 irregular and laid out in graceful lines. 



Evergreens in Landscaping 



Evergreens are adapted for certain uses 

 in landscaping. They have the advantage 

 of holding their foliage not only in Summer 

 but also in Winter. On the other hand, 

 they do not give any beautiful bloom. 

 Evergreens are of rather slow growth, but 

 if you are willing to wait, they will make 

 good screens for shutting out undesirable 

 views, also as a windbreak. We will sum 

 up the matter of evergreens by saying that 

 they can always be used in the landscape 

 planting, but they should be used in limited 

 amounts. If too many evergreens are used 

 they give a cold, stiff appearance. 



Shade Trees 



In history and in art, shade trees occupy 

 an important position. Was it not under the 

 immense American White Elm at Cambridge,' 

 Massachusetts, that the father of our country 

 took charge of the Continental Army? In 

 many parts of America there are enormous 

 trees true patriarchs of Nature which 



Shade Trees for Avenue, Street 

 and Driveway 



Shade trees are planted at regular in- 

 tervals along avenues and streets. The distance 

 of planting ranges from 20 to 50 feet. Some 

 prefer to plant the trees rather close, say 

 20 to 25 feet, with the understanding that 

 later every other tree will be removed thus 

 allowing the proper development of the 

 remaining trees. Another plan that is 

 followed is to plant every other tree as 

 a permanent tree, using for this purpose 

 trees of moderate growth, but which are 

 long-lived, such as European Syca- 

 more, Norway Maple, English or 

 American Linden, Sugar Maple or 

 one of the Oaks. Some of these 

 trees we have just mentioned, such 

 as the Norway Maple, European 

 Sycamore, American White Elm 

 and English Linden 

 are of fairly rapid -^BHl 



growth, while the 

 Sugar Maple and the 

 Oaks are of slower 

 growth. 



In between the per- 

 manent trees, which 

 we have just men- 

 tioned, are planted 

 sonic of the very 

 rapid growing shade 

 trees. The plan is to 

 let the very rapid 

 growers furnish shade 

 for a few years while 

 the permanent trees 

 are getting estab- 

 lished and becoming 

 large enough to fur- 

 nish effective shade. 

 As soon as the trees 

 begin to crowd, the 

 rapid growers(or tem- 

 porary trees) are re- 

 moved. Some of the 

 best trees to plant 



Shrubs and evergreens make this weK-pla/Hited 



entrance effective at all times. Note the 



long graceful sweep of the entrance 



walk and the cozy appearance of 



the home. 



for very quick growth are the following: 

 Silver Maple, Box Elder Maple, Catalpa 

 Speciosa, American White Ash, Carolina 

 Poplar, Lombardy Poplar, Tulip Tree. Some 

 of these trees are very rapid growers and of 

 long life; can be used for permanent planting. 

 We refer particularly to Silver Maple, 

 American White Ash and Tulip Tree. 



Street trees, as a rule, should be headed 

 rather high and the trunks should be pro- 

 tected from injury, such as the gnawing of 

 horses. There are many ways of protecting 

 tree trunks, by the use of wovenwire, board 

 protectors, etc. In case the bark is injured 

 the wound should be smoothed down and 

 the edges cut smooth, then painted. For full 

 details of treatment of wounds and the kind 

 of paint to use, see page 15. 



The Graceful Weeping \Vi 



A popular tree for lawns, parks and cemeteries. Thrives under many 

 conditions and is an exceedingly rapid grower. Especially 

 effective when planted near water. 



