■WINTER INJURY AND HOW TO AVOID IT 



Suitable Placing of Shrubs 



Shrubs often suffer by being placed in most trying situa- 

 tions, which a gardener of tact would avoid. There are many 

 plants, hardy enough as far as being able to live in the North 

 is concerned, but which, like the novel-heroines of fifty years 

 ago, feel the need of a strong and sustaining personality in 

 the background. With a windbreak of sturdy pines and spruces 

 to temper the force of the northeasters, many trees, which 

 under other conditions would have easily been reported as 

 "winter-killed," can enjoy a long and useful life. At Morris- 

 town, N. J., for instance, Mr. D. W. Langton has brought the 

 Southern yellow jessamine (Gelseminum officinale) through 

 two winters, quite unprotected, except for being placed in a 

 sheltered situation. 



The early-flowering magnolias, which use valor rather than 

 discretion in blooming, should never be asked to bear the 

 brunt of March winds — not if the gardener would enjoy their 

 full beauty. Kobus and stellata would certainly not be killed, 

 but the chance of their dazzling wealth of blossoms being un- 

 hurt is greatly reduced. Such trees may hardly be said to 

 need protection — except from the consequences of their own 

 rashness. 



All Tbees and Shrubs Profit by Mulching 



Of all the winter comforts afforded trees or shrubs, "mulch- 

 ing " is by far the most common, as it is the easiest. All trees 

 and shrubs and hedges and shrubbery borders profit by it. 

 This operation is simply a "bedding" of the trees, as a farmer 

 beds his cattle, covering the ground directly about the tree 

 (including a diameter equal to the spread of its branches) 

 with manure or stable litter or dead leaves to the depth of 



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