Secrets of Ornamental Planting 



MER1CANS of the present generation have come to the 



is J ,m?V j to life than 



o te present generaton ave come to te reaitftoji jfe/e s J ,mp? j to e tan 

 mere money-making. What is great wealth if one does not know how to enjoy an'd ge pleasure from 

 it? That is the question which they have asked. The American people themselves have supplied 

 the answer by the great wave of interest in Landscape Gardening that has swept across our 

 country. Within the past few years Americans have learned to enjoy their homes and to 

 learn what a home really is. They have learned that it includes much more than a mere house 

 in which to sleep. When they speak of their home, they think of a dwelling, whether large or 

 .small, nestling in a planting of arching shade trees and surrounded by beautiful flowering 

 shrubs, with an expanse of green lawn, which gives a pleasing setting to the house. They think 

 of the flowering rose garden, which is the delight of the entire family; then the private portion 

 of the grounds, which is essentially an out-of-doors living room. Thus surrounded by Nature 

 and beautiful growing plants, they learn what true enjoyment of a home can mean. 



Keep the Children at Home 



Another important reason why the home should be made attractive is to interest the 

 children. With a pleasant home and an interesting garden and lawn, the children are apt 

 to stay closer under the influence of the home life and will not "wander from the fold." 

 Grown people, as well as children, like to spend their spare moments with Nature. If this 

 were not true, we would have no parks or gardens. In the Springtime everyone gets a touch 

 of Spring in his system and there is a strong desire to plant something just to see it grow. 

 Everyone experiences this feeling at least once a year in the Springtime and with most 



of us the desire to always spend our idle moments near Nature is ever present because there in the garden and 

 "out-of-doors living room" we know we will find recreation, privacy, and rest from the strenuous American business life. 



A typical American home, with 



open lawns well framed with 



trees and shrubs. 



Increased Value of Property 



Entirely aside from the question of 

 enjoyment of the home grounds, there 

 is another and more practical reason 

 why the home should be planted with 

 beautiful shrubs and shade trees. In 

 selling any property, it is a well-known 

 fact that a coat of paint goes a long 

 way toward closing the sale so does 

 a shrub and tree planting, but even 

 more so. Just consider how much 

 more inviting to a prospective buyer is 

 the home shaded by beautiful trees and 

 blended into its surroundings by 

 means of graceful shrubbery, as com- 

 pared with the house standing alone, 

 unprotected from heat and sun and 

 presenting a bare, forlorn and uninvit- 

 ing appearance. After this comparison 

 just reflect that the difference in ori- 

 ginal cost between these two houses is 

 only a very few dollars for the shrubs 

 and trees. It takes only a year or two 

 to accomplish these results and the 

 cost is small. Looking at the question 

 from a purely business standpoint, can 

 you afford not to plant your home? 

 If you want an expert answer to this 

 question, inquire of any reliable 

 real estate appraiser. A well-known 

 business man of the city of Rochester 

 recently told the writer that in his 

 capacity as appraiser for one of the 

 large trust companies of that city, the 

 question of tree and shrubbery plant- 

 ing very often made a large difference 

 in the appraised value, because it was 

 readily conceded that a property cor- 

 rectly planted with trees was much 

 easier to sell than one which was lack- 

 ing in this respect. A planting planned 

 by Stark Bro's expert Landscape 

 Architects will often add 25 to 50 per 

 cent to the ready cash value of a place. 



American Homes 



There are, broadly speaking, two 

 classes of American homes. First, 

 there are the large country estates and 

 the expensive town or suburban resi- 

 dences. The owners of such properties 

 can usually afford to pay a large fee 

 for advice from local landscape archi- 

 tects. Stark Bro's landscape archi- 



[3] 



tects are frequently called upon to 

 consult with owners of such proper- 

 ties and to carry out the plantings. 

 The Average American Home 

 However, the overwhelming per- 

 centage of American homes do not con- 

 sist of such extensive proportions. 

 The average American home is of 

 moderate or small site and the sur- 

 rounding grounds are not large. It 

 would be regrettable if the wealthy 

 Americans were the only ones who 

 could enjoy the privileges of charming 

 and beautifully planned home grounds. 

 It is an unfortunate and sad reality 

 that this condition of affairs has been 

 largely true in past years. Do not 

 misunderstand us; the desire has been 

 ever present among the lovers of homes, 



but owing to the lack of experience 

 and available information on landscape 

 gardening, they have not known how 

 to proceed to get the landscape effect 

 that they desired. They had not had 

 the opportunity to learn different char- 

 acters of plant growth and the correct 

 way to plant the grounds in order to 

 gain a well-balanced and correctly 

 planned home. On the other hand, they 

 could not afford to employ a landscape 

 architect and to stand the expense of 

 his fee. The result has been very dis- 

 couraging. Either all planting of shrubs, 

 flowers and trees was entirely ignored 

 and the home left bare, or else an 

 attempt has been made to set a few 

 trees and shrubs scattered about the 

 lawn without any real understanding 



Customer's Sketch Sent to Stark Bro's 



This is the sketch from which Stark Landscap 



Department made the plan in next column. 



Study the above simple sketch then make a 



similar one of your home grounds. Will 



you take advantage of this offer of free 



plans see details panes a and 31. 



Completed Plan Designed Free by Stark Bro': 



526790 



