Cultural Notes on Hardy Shrubs 
By A. E. Thatcher, Maine 
ONE of the principal reasons why so many shrub- 
beries are uninteresting today is because of the 
constant repetition of a few well-known sorts, and 
yet there is a great variety of inexpensive material which 
can be seen at any good nursery which by a judicious 
selection will add much interest and distinction to a 
garden. In making a choice it should be remembered 
that there are other shrubs than those remarkable for 
the beauty of their flowers deserving of inclusion. In 
some, such as the Rhus family, the foliage is very or- 
namental ; others whose flowers may be inconspicuous 
attract much attention when carrying beautiful fruit, 
some are most noteworthy when their green mantle 
has changed to various shades of crimson or gold in 
the autumn, and others are again desirable on account 
of their richly-colored stems in winter. Many persons 
in making a selection are apt to attach too much im- 
portance to coniferous and other evergreen shrubs, 
and although I am fully aware of their value when 
used with discrimination, there can be little doubt that 
they have been overdone in the past. 
To produce the most pleasing effects both evergreen 
and deciduous shrubs must be happilv blended, but deci- 
duous shrubs are much more beautiful, less expensive, 
and give the must satisfactory results. In selecting 
material for the planting of an ornamental shrubbery, 
whether one has a limited area or unrestricted space, it 
should be borne in mind that one need not be confined 
to shrubs only of a bushy nature, for while they form 
the basis of a shrubbery, others grown as standards or 
half-standards may be employed with excellent results. 
A very pleasing method of growing many of the hardy 
climbers such as ornamental grapes and roses is to 
firmly insert a stout pole into the ground, leaving 10 to 
12 feet above the surface and lightly nailing or tying 
the long shoots of the climbers to it. The pole soon 
becomes completely covered. If varieties of sufficient 
hardiness are employed so that no taking down or cov- 
ering is required, they- will- need little attention beyond 
tying up the new growth. 
The pole should be £unk into the ground 3 or 4 feet 
so that frost will not loosen it, and the buried part 
should be well treated with creosote or tar, which will 
preserve it for many years in good condition. A good 
straight larch or cedar pole answers well for the pur- 
pose. Many varieties of shrubs are now obtainable 
in standard form, such as the following: Crabs, thorns, 
maples, particularly the handsome Japanese varieties, 
and many others which by proper method of pruning 
are amenable to this form of cultivation. 
All hardy shrubs, except those which are naturally 
more at home beneath the shade of trees, succeed best 
in an open sunny position where they receive the full 
benefit of light and air, and this is particularly true 
of those grown for their floral beauty. It is impor- 
tant, therefore to select if possible a position which, 
while being sheltered from rough and cold winds, is 
fully exposed to the beneficial influence of the sun, 
This enables the wood of the current season's growth 
to become thoroughly ripened and consequently much 
better able to pass through the winter without harm. 
Having selected the position it is of paramount impor- 
tance that the ground be properly and thoroughly pre- 
pared, first by seeing that it is well drained, as very 
few shrubs will succeed in a water-logged soil, and 
two feet. If the soil is naturally very heavy it is a good 
plan to freely incorporate decayed leaf mould and sand, 
but if very light and dry in character nothing is better 
than a good heavy loam. Well decayed manure will 
prove of much benefit to the shrubs if it can be worked 
deeply into the ground, otherwise I do not advocate 
its use. All hardy shrubs will succeed in a loamy or 
peaty soil providing it is well drained and deeply 
worked, but it may seem to some that it is quite un- 
necessary to prepare it so deeply as I have advised. It 
is, however, highly important, even if the expense is 
somewhat larger, for the difference between shrubs 
planted in ground which has been properly prepared 
and those in poorly worked soil as quite remarkable, 
and no one will question the advisability after seeing 
the results. 
Cut off any broken or damaged roots on the under 
side with a sharp knife and take great care of the small 
fibrous ones, as on these the life of the shrub depends 
very largely, and see that they are quite moist. Then 
place the roots in the prepared hole and spread out all 
of them evenly, working in among them some of the 
finest soil, pressing it firmly and adding more until the 
hole is filled. While the roots should be well covered, 
it is not advisable to plant too deeply, especially on 
heavy land, and the nearer the fibrous roots are to the 
surface the greater warmth do they receive and conse- 
quently start into active growth more quickly than if 
buried some distance from the surface. When the 
planting is completed it is an excellent plan to give the 
shrubs a good mulching of any suitable material at 
hand, such as decayed leaves. This is of the greatest 
assistance if warm weather prevails, for it keeps the 
roots moist and cool and prevents surface soil from be- 
coming baked. 
Many people are under the impression that newly 
planted shrubs should be copiously watered at the 
roots, but I consider this unnecessary and oftentimes 
detrimental. If a good watering is given immediately 
after they are planted, which will settle the soil about 
the roots, and a mulching is applied, very little water 
will be needed for some time by the roots, but it is an 
excellent practice to spray them overhead frequently. 
This keeps the wood moist and greatly assists the buds 
to develop. If shrubs of standard form are planted 
they will need some support until they become well 
rooted and for this purpose nothing is better than a 
straight stake, sharply pointed and driven firmly into 
the ground as near the stem as possible without injury 
to the roots. The shrub can be secured to it by wrap- 
ping a neat piece of cloth or rubber around the stem 
and tying to the stake firmly with string, but car* 
should be taken that no injury is done to the shrub as 
the bark expands with growth. Many beautiful Amer- 
ican shrubs are notoriously fond of peat and if the con- 
ditions are not naturally favorable for their cultivation, 
liberal additions of this material should be incorporated 
when preparing the ground, if it can be obtained. Peat, 
however, is not always available, neither is it abso- 
lutely necessary, for many peat-loving subjects will 
succeed admirably in a mixture of fibrous loam, de- 
cayed leaf, mould and sand. 
The pruning of hardy shrubs is one of the most im- 
portant matters connected with them, but at present it 
is very imperfectly understood and we see far too often 
the lamentable results accruing from a lack of knowl- 
then by having it well broken up to a depth of at least edge of their individual requirements. All that is gen- 
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