The Garden Magazine, April, 1922 



103 



posed of stiff types of evergreens in 

 grace of outline and in the interesting 

 play of light and shade. (Fig. VI, page 

 102) Such a planting is thoroughly sat- 

 isfactory for practically eight months 

 out of the year, even in the northern 

 part of the United States; and during 

 the months when it is at its worst, few 

 people are paying attention to the dec- 

 orative appearance of the outdoors 

 because of inclement 'weather. If 

 closely twigged shrubs are used, the 

 masses of snow will hang on the shrub- 

 bery in a quite decorative and very 

 interesting manner. 



When all the various types of houses 

 with which foundation planting may 

 be used are considered, there will be 

 found a wide range of available decidu- 

 ous plant material. The porches, how- 

 ever, generally have the floors ranging 

 from about two to three or three and 

 a half feet in height above the level, 

 and any railing is about thirty inches 

 above the porch floor. This restricts 

 the height of the average front plant- 

 ing to from four to five or five and a 



half feet in height. The lower level of the windows at the 

 sides and rear of the house is ordinarily from four and a 

 half to six feet in height, and as likely as not the basement 

 windows are placed between the other windows, so there is not 

 any great amount of high wall space to plant against. All this 



WHAT MIGHT BE TERMED A "FLAT TREATMENT" IN FOUNDATION PLANTING 



This very simple method of linking lawn and porch has a certain charm of 

 its own, and vines have the added advantage of producing effects quickly; 

 potted flowers and window-boxes can be pressed into effective service too. 



means a restricted choice of material, except where we have an 

 unusually high porch or numerous blank wall spaces, to a height 

 of from four and a half to six feet for the shrubbery in the back- 

 ground and from two to three and a half or four feet for use in 

 the foreground. We also have the question of light and shadow, 



and in the case of new properties 

 with little or no tree growth, either 

 full glaring sunlight or a decided 

 area of shade. 



Popular Shrubs for General Use 



AS BACKGROUND shrubs, 

 . under average conditions of 

 light and shade, some of the lower 

 growing varieties of the Weigela, 

 although rather coarse-leaved, are 

 satisfactory if used judiciously. 

 Then the taller-growing Spireas, 

 although they prefer the sun, may 

 also be used in partial shade; the 

 Hydrangeas are especially good 

 against stone houses; some of the 

 dwarf Lilacs may be used at cor- 

 ners; Rhodotypos kerrioides fits 

 in either the foreground or back- 

 ground, depending upon the shrubs 

 with which it is associated; and in 

 particular Regel's Privet, which is 

 not as much used as its merits 

 deserve and which, if intermixed 

 with flowering kinds of shrubbery, 

 is undoubtedly one of the very best 

 shrubs for foundation planting, as 

 it is free branching, of good leaf 

 and color texture, and may be kept 

 at almost any desired height by 

 pruning. For background plants 

 which will stand a considerable 

 amount of shade, there is the Snow- 

 berry (especially interesting on ac- 

 count of the white berries against 

 blue-green foliage); and the old 

 Strawberry Shrub, the dark-colored 



ON NORTH AND WEST EXPOSURES TRY AZALEAS 



Those shown above are over thirty years old, a magnificent bushy growth covered in spring 

 with literally hundreds of blossoms. Varieties Hinodegiri and amoena are recommended 



