THE UNIT COLLECTION PLAN 23 
"1. Have a definite design or plan for the entire place. Follow this plan just 
as you would follow the architect's plan for the house. 
2. Plant in masses or continuous borders. Single detached specimens should 
be seldom used; stiff, round bunches or "clumps" never. 
3. Make these border plantings along the boundaries of the home lot. 
4. Or else form continuous screens where privacy is desired or where un- 
pleasant views are to be covered. 
5. Also plant continuous or nearly continuous borders along the foundations 
of the dwelling-house and attached buildings 
6. Heavier masses may be planted at the outer angles of tliQ home lot. 
T. Leave the centers open. Never plant trees, shrubs, or flower-beds in the 
center spaces of the lawn. 
8. Make these open lawn spaces as large as possible. Placing the house at 
one side of the lot will help in this. 
9. Place the largest trees to the south and west of the house, so as to have 
shade from noon till night. 
10. Divide up the space so as to serve all purposes to advantage. A fully 
equipped house lot should have three parts, viz.: (a) a small, neat front yard; 
(6) a service yard for hanging, out the wash, handling the poultry, or any other 
necessary work; (c) a good large family yard, or lawn, with some privacy, where 
the family can read, visit, play croquet, or indulge in any other domestic recreations- 
11. Plant native, hardy trees, shrubs and flowers by preference. Avoid showy 
freaks and all unnatural-looking specimens. Also avoid all showy ornaments, such 
as white-washed stones, flower-beds edged with soda-pop bottles, iron dogs, deer, etc- 
12. Place flower-beds in the back yard rather than in the front yard. 
13. Use few varieties of trees and shrubs, and a considerable number of each 
variety. The collections ofi'ered in this book necessarily include several different 
kinds, and represent the extreme limit to which it is desirable to go in the selection 
of varied materials for a small place. 
14. Plant a few things every year. No place will go on forever without 
additions and repairs. 
15. Give proper care. Trees, shrubs, flowers, and lawn grass will not thrive 
under neglect any more than corn or potatoes. 
The owner of a farm or home who proposes to improve his home grounds by 
the aid of Mr. Stark's nursery service should bear ever in mind one other important 
> fact, that these are merely ready-made designs. There is so much individuality 
in gardens that the best results can be achieved only when each plan is individually 
designed. Some people can well afford to employ competent landscape gardeners. 
> The writer and tlie publisher of this book join in urging this course on everyone 
who aspires to the very best results. Capable landscape gardeners will be cheerfully 
iccommended to those who ask for such information. 
But there will always be fifty or a hundred home-gardens to every one person- 
ally designed by the professional landscape architect. Home-made gardens have 
their proper and important place in the world; and the service of this book is 
cordially tendered to those people who usp both;" 
