26 
THE GARDEN MAGAZIN E 
February, 1915 
The plantation screening the service wing 
from the street is of similar material, so as to 
preserve unity but a few of the plants are of 
higher horticultural value. In the shade of 
the house, a large bed of rhododendrons helps 
to soften the lines of the building, as well as 
giving a pleasing finish to the plantation. 
The dwarf Japanese maples, in variety 
of color and texture, with specimen ever- 
greens, give accent to the front of the house 
and evergreen boxwood at the entrance step 
is in harmony with the Colonial design. 
The rest of the planting is very simple in 
character, and no effort is made to make a 
show or in any way to detract from the 
beauty of the architecture. The sun-dial and 
herbaceous garden in the turn around give 
enough formality to complete the picture. 
Low growing evergreens can be used effectively in restricted spaces and are in character 
throughout the year (Ilex crenata and Taxus cuspidata) 
In formal gardens for summer enjoyment use annuals and perennials freely to give masses 
of color. Use high growing plants as accents and vines on posts 
Planning a Fruit Garden to Fit — By J. R. Mattern, Pe v n a n „ 7 a' 
(See Planting Plans on page 25) 
[Editor’s Note: The layout of a fruit garden offers little opportunity for variety of design. The chief purpose in this case is to get the 
best actual returns with a minimum of labor. The available area will largely determine what kinds and the region governing largely the 
varieties. Mr. Mattern makes recommendations from the viewpoint of home quality in the region where there are most homes.] 
Y OU want as many different fruits 
as possible, within the limits set 
by your climate — in the middle 
climatic belt you should plant 
at least twelve kinds, as listed in the speci- 
fications for the planting plans given here. 
The varieties should be those suited to your 
locality; and, of course, of the highest 
quality and suited to the different household 
purposes, such as canning, eating, raw, etc. 
Divide the available space in your garden 
among the fruits according to your food 
needs and your personal preferences. De- 
termine how many plants or trees of each 
kind to set by considering how much of 
each kind of fruit you can use, and how 
much of your garden room each will occupy 
when spaced properly. Vegetables may 
be grown between the apple, peach, and pear 
trees, and even between the gooseberry 
and currant bushes. You cultivate the 
fruit while taking care of the vegetables. 
Plan to set your fruit in the spring, say in 
March or April. The first half of May will 
do better than to wait till fall if you find 
yourself getting late with the plans. In 
arranging the different fruits in your garden, 
attention should be given to convenience of 
cultivating and harvesting, to economy of 
space, to sun, shade and prevailing wind, 
and to beauty of effect. 
If planned carefully your fruit garden will 
make a decided addition to the beauty of 
your landscape plan. I like to place the 
tallest growing trees toward the west, and 
at the “back” of the garden, if possible. 
This means away from the house. Then, 
nearer, successively, I like ' to plant the 
lower fruits till at our feet, next the house, is 
the strawberry bed. A garden built like 
this is like an arena, and easily can be given 
the Japanese effects if you like them. 
Standard apple trees are the tallest trees, 
followed by sweet cherry trees, pear, and 
peach, in order. When dwarf pears and 
apples are used, the cherry and peach trees 
are the largest you will have, and even plum 
and quince trees will be larger than the little 
apple and pear trees. Blackberries grow 
larger than raspberries, and gooseberries 
usually are larger than currants. 
Pears get along best with little or no cul- 
tivation (dwarfs excepted), while peaches 
must be cultivated. This may make a 
difference in the most desirable position for 
each of these fruits in your garden. The 
shape of your garden, and its slope also will 
modify the arrangement best to use. A 
steep garden might look best and be best 
with the tallest fruits at the bottom, ap- 
parently flattening the grade, or it might 
look best with the tall fruits at the top of 
the hill, accentuating the steepness. These 
points are for your decision, after all due 
deliberation and meditation. 
The planting plans printed on page 25 are 
arranged, you will note, to make square or 
nearly square gardens. The specification 
tables give the number of square feet to 
allow for each fruit, as well as the distance 
between the trees or plants, in order to 
make easy the necessary alterations for dif- 
ferent shaped gardens. These planting plans 
are made for the middle belt of states — 
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, 
Illinois, Iowa, etc. For localities farther 
north or farther south certain different selec- 
tions should be made, as has been explained 
during the past year in The Garden Mag- 
azine, and will be touched upon in detail 
from time to time during the coming months. 
Plan for a cinder path or road through 
your fruit garden. You will want to walk 
there and take your friends there, and the 
days will not all be bright and dry. 
SPECIFICATIONS 
No. Average Total Amount 
trees or dist. sq. ft. fruit 
plants apart 
Ft. 
30 18 9,720 180 bu. 
10 16 2,560 200 qts. 
10 12 x 18 2,160 10 bu. 
10 12 1,440 20 doz. 
40 12 5,760 15 bu. 
15 12 2,160 8 bu. 
100 5 2,500 200 qts. 
25 4 400 100 qts. 
20 8 x 16 3,840 160 lbs. 
300 615 600 qts. 
8 x 650 5,000 
ONE ACRE 
FRUIT GARDEN 
Apple 
Cherry 
Pear 
Quince 
Peach 
Plum 
Gooseberry . 
Currant 
Grapes 
Strawberries . . . . 
Road 
AVERAGE SUBURBAN FRUIT GARDEN, 50 X 
60 FEET 
Fruit. 
No. 
Average 
Total 
Amount 
trees or 
dist. 
sq. ft. 
fruit 
plants 
apart 
Ft 
Apple (dwf.) . 
. . 8 
8 
576 
IS bu. 
Pear (dwf.) . 
. . 2 
8 
128 
2 bu. 
Peach 
. . 4 
12 
576 
2 bu. 
Cherry 
. . 2 
18 
648 
40 qts. 
Plum .... 
. . 4 
9 
324 
50 qts. 
Quince 
. . 1 
8 
64 
2 doz. 
Currant . 
. . 4 
4 
64 
16 qts. 
Gooseberry . 
. . 6 
4 
96 
3 ° qts. 
Strawberry . 
. . 100 
i* 
225 
200 qts. 
Blackberry . 
. . 4 
4x8 
128 
20 qts. 
Raspberry 
. . 8 
4 
128 
20 qts. 
Grapes 
. . 4 
4x8 
192 
32 lbs. 
