COVER PLANTS and CREEPERS 



We have given references several times in our catalogue to little plants covering 

 the ground. There are a number of them that are native. Perhaps you have not 

 thought of using them. You are often delighted to find them in the woods and fields but 

 never head of their being used, so did not dare to try. They are the right things to use 

 because Nature uses them. We will do the daring and make them available. We will 

 help you succeed with them and try again until you do succeed. That is what the 

 guarantee is for, education for both of us 



Grass, Privet, Poplars and Norway Spruce are neither the best nor all the mate- 

 rials for your home landscape. The cover plants largely represent what Nature would 

 do first. We are telling you how or helping you to beat Nature to it. 



Roland M. Harper, College Point, L. L, in the "Pine Barrens of Babylon and Islip" 

 lists the predominant vegetation and says: "Nearly half of the shrubs are of the Erica- 

 ceous and closely allied families. The Compositse constitutes nearly half the herbs noted 

 in the uplands." In the list we are offering you, you will see most of the plants are of the 

 Ericaceous or Heath family which like highly acid soil, and some of the Compositse, or 

 Diasy, Aster and Golden Rod family which like dry, sunny places. 



The requirement of cover plants is that they shall take possession of the soil, and 

 after they are established keep out most weeds, thus eliminating much of the expense of 

 hand cultivation around trees and shrubs. The first year there will be needed some at- 

 tention to establish them as with most other plants. The use of cover plants is the 

 highest, best and latest development in landscape planting. You do not often see ex- 

 amples of it but we will be glad to show you some next to our office and on some of the 

 private estates in the vicinity. 



Cover planting can be done in the Autumn, nearly all the Winter, in the Spring and 

 all Summer. It is practical in the Winter because many of the plants are dug up as 

 sod in the woods where the leaves keep out the frost. You lay the sods in your ground, 

 pack them in with soil and scatter on leaves. The sods also permit Summer planting. 

 If you are one of the old-fashioned people who think Spring only is the time to plant, 

 you will get very little done in proportion to what you might do. 



ARGTOSTAPHYLOS Uva-ursi. Bearberry. Deer Feed. Along the roads and rail- 

 road banks of the Pine barrens and the sand dunes, have you noticed a tapestry 

 reaching out in long streamers, bright green in Summer, red and green in Winter? 

 The flowers are pink bells followed by red berries, showing that it is related to the 

 Arbutus, Cranberry and Laurel. Use it for extensive lawns, sand banks, in the wild 

 garden and for bordering evergreen plantings in sandy soil. 



1 ft. wide, transplanted sods. $1.25 each, $10.00 per 10, $75.00 per 100 



8 in. wide, sods. .50 each, 4.00 per 10, 30.00 per 100 



COMPTONIA asplenifolia. Sweet Fern. Closely related to Bayberry. Makes an 

 even topped shrub growing about 1 ft. high on bare sand. Use it with Bayberry, 

 Oaks and Cedar. For a cover plant where grass would be dead and brown it holds a 

 deep green in the longest drought. 



Clumps. . 50c. each, $4.00 per 10, $30.00 per 100 



DENDRIUM buxifolium. Sand Myrtle. A beautiful little evergreen of the Heath 

 family, from the mountains of North Carolina and the Pine barrens of New Jersey; 

 grows about 1 ft. high. Small, evergreen leaves, pink flowers. 



$1.50 each, $12.50 per 10. 



HICKS NURSERIES, WESTB URY, LONG ISLAND 

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