Book of Gardens 



21 



PLANTING 



DECIDUOUS TREES 



AND SHRUBS 



General Principles of Arrangement 



and Specific Details of Varieties, 



Combinations and Groupings 



FOR an immsdiate effect under trying con- 

 ditions of soil, exposure and climate, de- 

 ciduous plants are to be preferred to evergreens. 

 In summer, they furnish luxuriant masses of 

 green flowers, and fragrance; in autumn bril- 

 liant coloring and fruits; nor are they devoid 

 of interest in winter, for vari-colored twigs 

 and persistent fruits give as much cheer as the 

 slower growing and doubly expensive conifers. 

 The choice of deciduous material for winter 

 effect is of more importance than is ordinarily 

 supposed, because the texture of the twigs, 

 whether coarse like the Physocarpus or fine 

 and glossy like the Spirma Van Houttei, will 

 make a vast difference in the aspect, particu- 

 larly if it is impracticable to mingle evergreens 

 with them. 



Having decided upon deciduous planting as 

 the solution of a particular problem, the choice 

 lies between trees and shrubs. The former are 

 planted for shade, in avenues, as street trees, 

 or in groups on the lawn ; for the beauty of 

 their flowers or foliage; for a utilitarian pur- 

 pose like fruits or nuts; to blot out an un- 

 pleasant outlook; or to form accents or high 

 points in massed shrubbery. Sometimes they 

 can be used effectively as isolated "specimens", 

 but this should be attempted cautiously. 



Shrub Arrangements 



Shrubs should be used in masses, though oc- 

 casional specimens are appropriate, such as the 

 lilacs flanking the entrance gate or the syringa 

 at the house corner. In planting for mass 

 effect two main t}'pes of arrangement are to be 

 considered : 



There is the suburban place where the grass 

 is clipped and consequently a definite bed line 

 is required, and the shrubs present an unbroken 

 line of green at one with the grass. Such 

 planting needs very careful arrangement, due 

 regard being paid to height, fomi, and texture 

 of the mass, keeping the idea of bloom, fruit, 

 or other items of individual interest subordi- 

 nate to the effect as a whole. Of course, spot- 

 ting of specimens about the lawn is to be 

 avoided. It is desirable to maintain open 

 stretches interspersed with occasional trees, and 

 to screen the boundaries and service portions. 



However, mere barrenness should not be 

 mistaken for apparent extent. The inner mar- 

 gin of massed shrubs should be so varied in 

 its contour that it shall half reveal, half con- 

 ceal the ravishing glimpses which compel one 

 to explore and classify the outlook spiritually; 

 whereas a uniform border would actually make 

 the place appear smaller because the entire 

 vista would be perspected at a glance. 



In planning such a border it is necessary to 

 draw a plan showing the shapes of the masses 

 on the ground, and an elevation showing the 

 heights or sk_v line. As a rule, the greatest 

 thickness on the plan will have a correspond- 

 ingly greater height in the elevation. Avoid 

 monotony of form in plan and elevation alike. 

 Pointed accents, picturesque Japanese forms, 

 and low spreading t}'pes may give variety to 

 the softly rounded masses. In many places 









•<-^ 



PLANTING LIST FOR SUBURBAN PLACE 



ELIZABETH LEOMARD STRANG, Landscape An-hiucl 



10 



TREES 



Height 



1. Betula popnlifolia. 11 plants, groups 

 2'-3' apart. Gray birch, small tree 

 useful for effect of immediate height.. 4'-6' 



2. Acer Ginnala, 3 plants, specimens. 

 Tartarian maple, small tree to 20', red 

 stems and fruit 3' 



3. Salix pcntandra. 6 plants, 4' apart. 

 Laurel leaved willow, small tree, dark 

 glo':sv foliage useful for quick screen. 



SHRUBS 



4. Cornus mascnla, 3 plants, 4' apart. 

 Cornelian cherry, very early yellow 

 flower, red fruit 



5. Syringa vulgaris hybrids, 5 plants, 3' 

 apart. Hybrid lilacs Marie LeGraye, 

 single white; Michael Buchner, double 

 lilac 



6. Prumis japonica rosea fl. pi., 4 plants, 

 216' apart. Double pink flowering 

 almond, good combination with the 

 lilacs 



7. Spiraea Van Houttei, 4 plants, 3' apart. 

 Van Houtte's spiraea, white flowers i: 

 May, drooping habit, faces down well 



8. Exochorda grandiHora, 1 plant. Pearl 

 bush, attractive white flowers in spring. 

 Covered with luxuriant green very 

 early, 2'-3' 



9. Lonicera Morrowi, 7 plants, 3' apart. 

 Japanese bush honeysuckle, white flow- 

 ers, red fruit. Luxuriant green foliage. 



faces down well 3 '-4' 



Hypericum aureum, 1 plant, specimen. 



5'-6' 



3'-4' 



3'-4' 



2'-3' 



3'-4' 



.3'-4' 



SHRUBS 



Height 

 St. John's wort, large yellow flowers 

 with prominent stamens in July and 



Attgust ; dwarf 2'-3' 



Viburnum dentatum, 3 plants, 4' apart. 

 .Arrow-wood, inccnspicuous white flow- 

 ers, dark blue berries, dark crimson 

 autumn foliage. Medium size, 2'-3'. . 

 Viburnum cassinoidcs, 2 plants, 4' 

 apart. Withe rod, white flowers, ber- 

 ries varied, rose, orange and blue, cov- 

 ered with whitish bloom, 2'-3'... 

 Rhus glabra, 3 plants, 2'-3' apart, close 

 together. Smooth sumac, accentuative 

 form, and vivid red in autumn, 2'-3' 



3'-4' 



3'-4' 



3'-4' 



Rhus aromatica, 14 plants, 2J^' apart. 

 Fragrant dwarf sumac, leaves out late, 

 small vellow blossom, vivid autumn 



red 2' 



Hamamelis virginiana, 3 plants, 4' apart. 

 Witch hazel, large leaves, excellent 

 green, small yellow flowers in Novem- 

 ber 3'-4' 



Viburnum opulus, 3 plants, 4' apart. 

 High bush cranberry', white flowers, 

 large red fruits in fall and early 



winter 3'-4' 



Berberis Thunbcrgii, 9 plants, 2%' 

 apart. Japanese barberry, good facer, 

 vivid autumn red, bushy, red berries 

 remain on the shrub all winter until 

 pushed off by new leaves 2'-3' 



these masses are high to shut out undesirable 

 outlooks, in other parts low to frame pleasant 

 views. It is not necessary that each part of the 

 border shall be graded down in three heights, 

 tall, medium and short, as is sometimes advo- 

 cated. This tends to stiffness, but it is de- 

 cidedly important that all leggy or ungainly 

 plants shall be faced with smaller shrubs whose 

 foliage grows closely down to the ground. 

 Finally, having thus carefully selected and ar- 

 ranged the plants according to form, some- 

 thing attractive should be included for each 

 season of the year, from the pussy willows and 

 Cornus mas of early spring to the witch hazel 

 of late autumn or the golden barked willows 

 and hawthorne berries of wnter. 



The second type of massed shrubbery plant- 

 ing to be considered is on the country place 

 where a high degree of polish is neither neces- 

 sary nor desirable. This affords a delightful 

 opportunity of creating informal woodsy plan- 

 tations of mingled trees and shrubs. If proper- 

 ly done it need not be limited to wild sites, but 

 may be introduced in suburban or large city 

 places. However, it requires greater art in its 

 execution than the first t3'pe, since the average 

 gardener in his zeal to have everything tidy, 

 spoils the hoped-for informalit)' by sharp edges 

 of turf and too much clipping. In this kind of 

 planting the trees are set close together as they 

 are found growing in nature, even though to do 

 so hinders their best individual development. 

 There is no attempt to have an unbroken wall 

 of foliage, but the effect is more mixed, twiggy, 



and open, with deep shadows and leafy under- 

 growth. No definite bed line is desirable, but 

 this merging of turf wth shrubbery is always 

 a difficult problem to handle, since it entails 

 endless labor in keeping grass and weeds away 

 from the base of the shrubs. In the real coun- 

 try- the grass growng long will not look out 

 of place, but in places where greater neatness 

 is desirable, wild violets will luxuriantly clothe 

 the bare soil, and quite choke out all unde- 

 sirable undergrowth. 



Formal Uses 



Still a third way of using shrubs or small 

 trees is in an architectural way in the formal 

 garden. A close hedge of Lombardy poplars 

 15' high may stand across the end as a screen, 

 while at the sides are luxuriant green masses of 

 honeysuckle and s}'ringa, pruned back to en- 

 courage a dense growth. In front of the pop- 

 lars the fine textured Stephanandra and Spirma 

 Van Houttei contribute to the garden's frame 

 of verdure, while the service entrances are al- 

 most entirely concealed by arching privet. The 

 flowering trees used as accents could be pink 

 crabs or cherries, standard lilacs or snowballs, 

 or specimen white dogwoods. The beds are 

 edged by a low clipped hedge of Japanese 

 barberry, with higher accents at the comers of 

 Spircea Van Houttei. Both of these shrubs are 

 very amenable to clipping. The former is much 

 used in regions where box is not hardy, and 

 where an evergreen edging is too expensive 

 or slow- growing. 



