Book of Gardens 



19 



PLANTINGS FOR THE 



HOUSE FOUNDATION 



FOUNDATION planting is essential to the 

 completed appearance of a house and 

 should be put in as soon as the building is fin- 

 ished. A new home without an eifective plant- 

 ing is almost as incomplete as the interior 

 without the draperies or the pictures on the 

 walls. Neither is absolutely necessar}' for 

 physical comfort, but both are needed for com- 

 plete mental enjoyment. 



The principles underlying this or any other 

 type of good landscape planting are not com- 

 plicated. In the first place, simplicity is of 

 paramount importance. The reason so many 

 places are spoiled is attributable to a desire to 

 have every kind of plant advertised, which 

 naturally results in a botanical collection 

 rather than a landscape garden. 



There must be variety and harmony in the 

 shrub planting. Varieties should be selected 

 which blend easily together to form the general 

 mass effect. The form of the planting, or the 

 contour of the shrubs, must be carefully con- 

 sidered. Variety in this respect is secured by 

 setting taller growing kinds at the corners of 

 the house and flanking the entrances. The 

 other spaces may then be filled in with some- 

 what lower growing sorts, and the taller or 

 accent shrubs faced with lower plants like 

 Japanese barberry, dwarf spireas and deutzias. 



The great aim of founda- 

 tion planting is to tie the 

 house to its site. Here 

 only six kinds of shrubs 

 have been used to obtain 

 the desired effect. White 

 kerria and snowberry flank 

 the simple Colonialentrance 



P-SA393 





- J'icJft^Viy.lK- 



Straight, hedge-like ef- 

 fects should be avoided 

 in foundation planting. 

 The plan at the left, and 

 the photograph of its ac- 

 tual planting below, em- 

 body irregularities which 

 should exist. C. S. Le- 

 Sure, landscape architect 



Low 



Shrubs should be so selected that 

 the planting will have general year- 

 round beauty. There should be good 

 flower value in spring and early sum- 

 mer, attractive summer foliage, bril- 

 liant autumn leaves, colored barki 

 and fruits for fall and winter. A list 

 of good shrubs, together with the dis- 

 tances apart at which they should be 

 planted, is as follows: 



Tall shrubs: white kerria, Syz'; 

 Aralia pentaphylla, 3' ; Spiraea van 

 Houttei, 3J/'; Kegel's privet, 3'; Eng- 

 lish privet, 3'; Persian lilac, 4'-5' 

 shrubs: Japanese barberry, 2'- 

 snowberry, 2'; Indian currant, 

 2'; spirea Anthony Waterer, 2'; 

 Deutzia gracilis, 2'; Spiraea callosa 

 alba, 2'; and Stephanandra flexit- 

 osa, 2'. 



The shrubs should be planted in 

 thoroughly prepared and fertilized 

 beds of pleasing outline, long, smooth 

 curves being the best, as indicated in 

 the plans. The distance apart to 

 plant varies with the different species. 

 The spaded beds should be kept cul- 

 tivated during the growing season un- 

 til the mass occupies the entire area. 



Autumn is the generally recognized 

 season for deciduous shrub planting, 

 since bushes set then become thor- 

 oughly established before any de- 

 mands are made upon them by the 

 growing season. But if they are 

 planted in the spring as soon as the 

 ground can be worked, there is no ex- 

 cuse for failure. 



