20 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
& 
SS PLANTING ON CEMETERY LOTS. ^ 
^ & 
Much has been said and written on the question 
of the planting of cemetery lots, and to obtain a 
concensus of opinion from authorities on the sub- 
ject, these queries were submitted: 
“Do you advise lot owners who want flowers on 
their lots to use hardy plants; if so what do you 
recommend?” 
“Is it your experience that planting of this kind 
has a tendency to lessen the owner’s interest in the 
lot?” 
In reply to the above the following communica- 
tions have been received: 
The question of regulations or even advice for lot 
owners concerning the care of their lots in a cemetery is 
a very delicate one, and one which is often misunder- 
stood. Individual ideas will, in a great many cases, 
work great harm if carried out, while at the same time 
some rules will be considered as entirely too strict and 
too much at variance with what the lot owner thinks as 
beautiful and proper. 
In a cemetery, such questions have to be met and 
answered with the utmost consideration, always bearing 
in mind the reason that brings a person to the grounds, 
and advising good suggestive plans for the beautifying 
of lots which will meet the approval of the greatest num- 
ber and still be in accordance with the general plans 
governing such questions. We advise lot owners in al- 
most all cases to plant hardy roses, and if they are 
planted in a round or oval bed, and edged with the 
small leaved English ivy presents a very neat effect. 
We are very strongly opposed to flowers, or to beds 
around the grave mounds, because they interfere with 
the proper care of the mounds and besides this they 
tend to kill the grass on them. In the larger lots where 
there is more room for decorating we recommend sub- 
tropical bedding, such beds or groups of plants can be 
made very interesting and attractive and they are not 
nearly so stiff and formal as carpet bedding. On such 
lots a less rigid observance of these rules is permissible 
but even here hardy herbaceous plants should not be 
used. They are unsuitable for lot embellishment, but 
may be used for borders and irregular groups in reser- 
vations where a good background of shrubs can be pro- 
cured. The desire to beautify lots is often governed by 
preconceived ideas of what is proper and as these efforts 
are simply and purely to show their love for some one 
who “has gone before”, it is extremely difficult to change 
their trend. On questions of this kind no hard nor fast 
lines can be drawn because human nature like our dif- 
ferent soils has to be humored and the utmost care 
taken to train the ideas that spring from it. 
Robt. Campbell. 
* * * 
What we advise lot-owners has reference only to 
Providence and Swan Point and would not be alway 
applicable to more progressive and enlightened com- 
munities. 
I would suggest using hardy shrubs, vines and 
a few herbaceous plants partly for their foliage as well 
as for their flowering qualities. Such as Rhododendrons, 
Mohonias, Azaleas, Kalmias, Heaths, and surfacing the 
ground with Euonymous Radicans, Daphne, Lotus, 
etc., and a few Euphorbia Corratata, Asters, and things 
with a single stem or two, to peep through and carry 
out the season. If one has room in connection with 
these, Forsythia for the spring and a few Altheas for the 
fall will prolong the display. With these arrangements 
the knife must be often used to thin out the too numer- 
ous shoots of the strong growing things, so that every 
plant will have a fair show. 
A few combinations; See here is a side hill sur- 
faced with rose (Wichuriana) and Rhododendrons 
sprinkled through at good distances apart. Another ir- 
regular planting of Azaleas, Ghent and Mollis, sprinkled 
with Althea (Lotus Albus) and the ground planted with 
Lillium Lancifoliums, Album, Rubrum, and if there is 
any bare earth sow a little Portulacca, this I think is 
better than the old way of huddling Rhododendrons, 
Azaleas, etc., too close together. 
Another planting; the ground is surfaced with Wich- 
uriana, and then a few plants of Rose (Setigera) and 
the sweet brier (Rubiginosa) carry cut the season even 
in winter when the seed pods of Rubiginosa are so con- 
spicuous. So what would a fellow recommend, as there 
is no end to such arrangements. 
As the cemetery does more or less planting before 
lots are offered for sale, that we seldom advise lot- 
owners to plant anything. The more they want and the 
more they try to do the more patch work they create. 
Make the cemetery beautiful as a whole, and the lot 
owners interests will not be lessened, (even in his own 
lot) and the desire of individuals to do something con- 
spicuous and striking will gradually grow less, and so 
having fewer annual bills against lot owners, the harmony 
and good will of the family is assured and we are at 
peace with our people. Timothy McCarthy. 
* * * 
I do not advise planting of any description on lots. 
The planting in a cemetery ought to be done on the or- 
namental ground of the cemetery. 
I think the planting of hardy flowering shrubs does 
tend to lessen the interest of the lot holder in his lot. 
I have not seen Euonymus radicans Var., used to 
cover the trunks of trees. With some trees I should 
consider it injurious to their growth. 
Robert Scrivener. 
On the subject of cemetery planting the article 
on “Ornamental Planting at Mt. Elliot Cemetery, 
Detroit, Mich.,” on another page, gives further sug- 
gestions on the choice of material for fine effects. 
It also suggests, which may well be emphasized, 
that there is generally sufficient variety of plant life 
in the locality to produce harmonious and satisfac- 
tory plantings. 
