AiufST 29, 1907. 



\ ..««.•• 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



J3 



become the central station of horticul- 

 tural and floricultural interests in gen- 

 eral, a place we all would want to visit, a 

 trial and experimental station open to all 

 introductions and products of our ever 

 advancing skill and progress. 



Its seal of merit and excellence should 

 be the coveted prize of professional ad- 

 vancement, achievement and ambition. 



Horticolttiral Schools of Eorcpe. 



Every year a number of our successful 

 and leading fellow craftsmen go to 

 Europe on a combined pleasure and busi- 

 ness trip, and we all know that traveling 

 with open eyes means to learn and profit. 

 If a few such travelers would act as a 

 committee and together visit some of the 

 horticultural schools of Germany, France 

 and Switzerland, I believe some of the 

 things they would see there would be 

 helpful towards the realization of my 

 dream herein outlined. 



True, conditions and requirements here 

 and there differ greatly, but in a general 

 way our aims are the same. There and 

 here we must have and do have at heart 

 the advancement of our noble calling, the 

 profession of a gardener, of which I 

 pride myself to be a member, and any- 

 thing that can be done to further such 

 advancement through combined and indi- 

 vidual effort should receive onr hearty 

 and active support. 



HARDY SHRUBS. 



Bv S. 0. Moon, of Mobbisville, Pa. 



[Read before the Society of American Florists 

 In convention at Philadelphia, August 21. 1907.] 



I will assume that we all understand 

 by the term "hardy shrubs" the class 

 of perennials, hardy plants, deciduous 

 and evergreen, though largely deciduous, 

 which are used for ornamenting lawns 

 and gardens. Though mostly of moder- 

 ate size when planted, some of them 

 eventually attain the proportions of 

 small trees. The term "hardy" will 

 vary with the location of the planting, 

 but will not materially affect the sug- 

 gestions here presented. How to plant 

 them will be considered in a two-fold 

 light: First, the distribution and ar- 

 rangement of the plants on the lawn, 

 and second, the method of setting the 

 roots in the ground. 



Arrangement of the Plants. 



As a general rule, the most effective 

 way to plant shrubbery is in masses, 

 with not too much variety in one group. 

 Prof. Bailey says : ' ' The shrubbery 

 masses should be placed on the boun- 

 daries, for it is a fundamental concept 

 of landscape gardening that the center 

 of a place shall be open. In most places 

 the mass or border planting should be 

 the rule and the isolated specimens the 

 exception; but unfortunately the rule is 

 usually reversed." It is easy to see 

 conspicuous evidences of the truth of 

 the above statements in almost any 

 suburban neighborhood, in examples of 

 good and of poor arrangements. 



^Many planters seem to think it de- 

 sirable to have a well developed plant 

 of as many varieties as can find accom- 

 modation on the lawn, in order that they 

 may enjoy each plant individually as 

 it passes through* its varying changes of 

 foliage, flowering, fruitage and leafless- 

 uess throughout the year. Such an ar- 

 rangement may be appropriate for an 

 arboretum or trial grounds, and there 

 are special charms in such a collection 

 'of shrubs as each successively comes into 

 bloom. But as the blooming period of 

 most shrubs is onlv from two to four 



W. H, Taplin. 



( Authority on irrowing Palms who will become foreman at the eBtabllsbment of Eugrene Dailledouze . 



famous for tbe quality of its Carnations.) 



weeks, the beauty of foliage hues both 

 in the greenness of summer and in. au- 

 tumn colorings is an important consid- 

 eration in arrangement of shrubs in 

 groups. The introduction of bright col- 

 ored foliage, such as golden elder and 

 philadelphus, variegated weigelia, pur- 

 ple-leaf plum and barberry, etc., is oc- 

 casionally done very effectively, but more 

 frequently the result is a conspicuous 

 blotch amid the verdure. TTie handling 

 of bright colors always requires a high 

 degree of artistic skill, or the result will 

 be displeasing to the most refined tastes, 

 affording valuable object lessons to the 

 student 'and gardener, but it is not the 

 way to produce the most effective results 

 in lawn adornment. 



To quote again from Prof. Bailey's 

 essay on shrubbery : ' ' Plants scattered 

 over a lawn destroy all appearances of 

 unity and purpose in the place. Every 

 Dart of the place is equally accented. 

 The area has no meaning or individual- 

 ity. The plants are in the way. Thev 

 spoil the lawn. The place is random." 



In large grounds the shrubbery border 

 should be composed of successive masses 

 of several plants of one species together, 

 followed by another harmonious group 

 of another sort — the border of the two 

 grouj)s interlacing with each other, mak- 

 ing a natural and easy transition from 

 one variety to the other. Let the transi- 

 tion from one variety to another be 

 gradual and not too sudden, and let the 

 groups be not too large or too exclusive. 

 An odd plant taller or different from 

 the others may occasionally stand out or 

 above its companions very effectively. Of 

 course, tall growers should be at the 

 back, with smaller and low-branching 

 species in the foreground. It is not ad- 

 visable to mix evergreen and deciduous 

 shrubs in the same group. A few shrubs 

 seem to be admirably adapted for filling 

 in plants. Tamarix is one of these, 

 which may often be used to relieve fi 



too monotonous sky line or to relieve 

 formality or to add variety in foliage 

 effect, it being a tall, neat, inoffensive 

 plant which will harmonize with almost 

 any other. For low, drooping shrubs, 

 to be used for carrying foliage from the 

 grass lawn up to taller plants, few are 

 more effective than Spiraea Thunbergii, 

 stephanandra, rhodotypos and Berberis 

 Thunbergii. 



The outlines of shrubberies should not 

 be too straight nor too formal, but ir- 

 regular and natural. A skilled florist or 

 gardener should almost conceive these 

 ideas without instruction, but definite 

 knowledge of the habits of the differ- 

 ent shrubs to be employed is essential 

 to enable one to make a planting which 

 will develop consistently as they increase 

 in age and size. That such information 

 can only be obtained successfully by ob- 

 servation and experience is evidenced by 

 the very large number of inharmonious 

 combinations that are seen in shrub- 

 beries all about the country. 



Use of Rhododendrons. 



Probably rhododendrons are treated 

 injudiciously and are a source of disap- 

 jiointment and of waste of money more 

 than any other shrub, largely through 

 misunderstanding. Rhododendrons are 

 sociable individuals, liking the compan- 

 ionship and protection of other plants. 

 Their fine, fibrous roots delight in cool, 

 moist soil, l)ut do not want to go very 

 deep in earth to find these conditions 

 and are particularly sensitive to exces- 

 sive heat or drought in midsununer. A 

 situation where the shadows of large 

 trees or buildings will shield from tiie 

 midday sun in summer and winter, and 

 from severe winds, is an ideal ])osition. 

 A perpetual mulch of leaves, renewed 

 each autumn, and with a light coat of 

 stable manure on top of the leaves to 

 keep them from blowing away, is most 



