I — 



80 



A POPLAR SCREEN 



The screen shown in this picture is made of poplar. It is 

 ten feet high and is a perfect screen for the horse-paddock back 

 of the barn. The little trees are planted two feet apart and by 

 frequent heading back are made to grow dense. Another tree 

 frequently used for this purpose is the Russian Mulberry, which 

 has nice, clean, glossy leaves and its fruit is a great attraction 

 to birds. Young trees closely pruned should be used to start a 

 tree hedge. 



This kind of a screen is very common in Europe, especially 

 in Germany. The large beer gardens on the outskirts of Berlin 

 are surrounded with such screens or tree hedges, illustrating 

 what can be done with shade trees if properly started at the time 

 of planting. Almost any kind of tree can be used for this pur- 

 pose if it is cut back and grown in bush form. All kinds of trees 

 can be dwarfed by severe pruning, especially summer pruning, 

 and their nature, in time, becomes permanently changed. The 

 Japanese have performed wonders in this respect by dwarfing the 

 Maple to a very diminutive size, just as their Chinese cousins 

 have dwarfed the feet of their women. 



Plate 91. A Poplar Screen 



THE HARDY GARDEN 



The border of hardy perennial flowers is the most showy 

 portion of a garden, and when established it takes care of itself, 

 coming year after year with the profusion of bloom that we see 

 in the picture. A strip of grass two feet wide separates the 

 driveway from the fliower-beds and sharply defines the borders 

 of both. Near the grass are low plants, back of them some of 

 medium growth and in the rear are the tallest of all. See list 

 of perennials arranged according to height in another part of this 

 book. Note beautiful background of trees. 



Not all perennials are perfectly hardy in our climate; a num- 

 ber are half hardy and must be treated as annuals in the North. 

 Some of them must be started in hotbeds early in the spring and 

 afterwards transferred to cold frames to tide over the dangerous 

 period, after which they are transplanted in the open. Others, 

 like the Verbena, are self-seeding. I give a list of the best varie- 

 ties of these half-hardy kinds on page 46. 



