FOUNDATION PLANTING 
also for the very practical reason that different species are at their 
best at different seasons of the year. 
If the pupil has sufficient time on this problem it will be ex- 
cellent exercise to prepare plans for foundation plantings using only 
two or three species. Such plantings can be made highly effective, 
but they hardly satisfy the personal interest of a family which really 
cares for plants, or indeed any family which has any well developed 
home interest. 
General Principles 
In designing foundation plantings it is well to bear in mind 
certain principles. It is important to remember, for example, that 
these foundation plantings are a wholly secondary item. They 
are secondary to the house, and they should be secondary also to 
the broader plan for the entire grounds. Foundation plantings 
should not therefore claim attention to themselves. 
This means definitely that showy plants of every sort, such as 
have bright colors or unusual forms should be rigidly excluded from 
the foundation plantings. On the other hand one should select 
quiet colors and textures and plants which are neat and homely in 
their character. The ‘‘old-fashioned plants,” such as have been 
long associated with domestic life, are especially suitable. 
Inasmuch as these plantings are nearly always viewed at close 
range it is further desirable that the textures be relatively fine. 
Coarse textures and bright colors should be used only at a distance. 
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