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Isaac Hicks & Son, Westbury Station, N. Y.— Shrubs 
Entrance drive to the residence of Mr. T. J. Regan, Wheatley Hills. This shows large plantations of various shrubs 
bordering the drives and boundaries of the property. Such plantations can be economically made by using small shrubs as 
offered in our price-list, planted 2 to 5 feet apart. |If heavily manured the first year, they will grow rapidly and give a good 
effect the second year. Thereafter, such groups prove cheaper than the lawn, for they require less labor. For such plantings 
we recommend Barberry, Deutzia, Red-twigged Dogwood, Elaeagnus, Forsythia, White Fringe, Hercules' Club, Upright 
Honeysuckle, Magnolia, Japanese Maple, Privet, Rhodotypos, Spirea, Sumach, Syringa, Weigela, etc. 
Shrubs 
We do not head this department Flowering Shrubs because planters are coming to realize that flowers 
are not the main object. This was well expressed by Samuel Parsons, Landscape Architect, New York 
Park Department: "The flowers are only an incident." The principal thing is the form, texture, and 
density of the foliage masses and their way of carrying lights and shadows. It is from such elements that 
a landscape composition is made. If, in addition, some shrubs give a beauty of flower or fruit, that must be 
harmoniously arranged, but should not be the controlling reason for its use. 
Many of the best shrubs for landscape planting have flowers that are of but little prominence. On the 
other hand, several of the most showy flowers are on plants which are ugly abominations for the rest of 
the season. The worst mistakes in landscape design are made by giving too great prominence to freaks of 
variegated or purple foliage, or utilizing plants mainly for their flowering value. 
The attempt is made in these descriptions to state various landscape problems as they appear on Long 
Island, and to suggest shrubs that may be used in their solution. An index of these problems will be found 
at the back of the catalogue. 
The use of shrubs and other plants for covering the ground instead of grass is but little understood 
in this region. We have grown many varieties of shrubs, vines and evergreens from seed or cuttings in large 
quantities, so they can be sold at low rates for this purpose. 
A prominent landscape architect says: "The foliage of shrubs that are well established remains green 
when dry weather turns grass brown. The broad mass of shrubbery will take care of itself when the grass 
needs frequent attention. It might with advantage replace grass upon all surfaces too steep to walk upon 
with comfort," and, it might be added, too expensive, or impossible, to keep in good lawn. 
Large shrubs are not as decided an advantage as large trees. The reason is that most shrubs will attain 
a mature effect in two to four years. However, we have a number of large shrubs suitable for immediate 
effect that are especially desirable about new residences or to use with large trees to immediately complete 
the landscape. For houses completed after the planting season we can successfully plant large shrubs and 
evergreens in late May and June or July. 
We aim to keep a good assortment of shrubs, but we have not made our nursery mainly of shrubs, for 
that is an error nurserymen are prone to make, shrubs giving the quickest return on the investment and most 
of them being easily propagated from cuttings, while most of the valuable deciduous and evergreen trees 
are propagated from seed, which is more difficult to get and takes longer to grow. 
Plantations of shrubs should be made much closer than their permanent growth permits. The thinning 
should commence in two to four years. It is usually left too late or entirely neglected. 
Shrubs are the best under-planting for deciduous and evergreen groves. Trees will generally grow 
much faster where shrubs shade the ground and hold the leaves about their roots, than when they are grow- 
ing in the open lawn. Young evergreens, especially Hemlock, make a good start when planted among the 
shrubs. With evergreens, however, it is very essential that the shrubs be thinned or cut back every year 
to allow 2 feet of space for the sun to reach the lower limbs of the evergreens, 
