102 
Planting Suggestions 
The selection of suitable material, proper methods of planting, and seasonal care are ex¬ 
tremely important if success is to be attained in garden or landscape development. Plants differ 
greatly in growing habit, and their requirements must be considered if they are to give satisfaction. 
How to Plant 
When to Plant 
1. Dig a hole wide and deep enough so that it will 
not be necessary to bend or break the roots. 
2. Work plenty of fertilizer into the bottom of the 
hole, or bring in good soil if necessary. 
3. Set the tree or shrub in the hole to the same depth 
that it stood in the nursery, and tamp each shovelful 
of earth between the roots as the hole is filled in. 
4. When the roots are covered with soil, fill the hole 
with water and allow it to drain away for several hours 
before completing the planting. 
5. In Spring leave a slight depression around the 
plant for convenience in watering; in Autumn mound 
the soil about the plant for Winter protection. 
It is generally safe to plant anything in the Spring, 
from the time the frost leaves the ground until June, 
but the earlier the better. Autumn is also a good time 
to plant, from the last of August until the ground is 
frozen hard. No definite planting-time can be estab¬ 
lished for all plants, because they differ so much in 
characteristics and time of maturity. In fact, there is 
not a month in the year in which planting of some sort 
cannot be carried on. Of course, if planting is done 
very late in the Spring or very early in the Fall, when 
the weather is still warm, the amount of care and 
watering must be increased accordingly. When in 
doubt as to the best season for particular varieties, 
consult us and we will be glad to advise you. 
Rock-Garden Suggestions 
Nowadays everybody is making rock-gardens of one 
sort or another, and, unfortunately, many attempts 
result in mere rock-piles. It is not enough to pile a few 
tons of rocks and soil in a purposeless heap in the garden, 
thinking that by so doing a rock-garden is created. 
There must be a plan and a design. There must be a 
reason for every rock being placed where it is. At the 
same time, all suggestion of formality is taboo. The goal 
is to make the rock-garden look as if it had always 
been there. This is not an easy thing to do without 
considerable study, which entails the use of a good 
reference book on the subject. We carry in our Book 
Department all of the best and latest books on rock¬ 
gardening. See page 116. If assistance is needed, we 
shall be glad to answer any questions or help you with 
your plans. See our list of rock-garden plants on 
pages 86, 87, and 88. 
Foundation Planting 
No house or building of any kind is really complete 
until it has been linked to its surroundings, either by a 
carefully thought-out planting of flowering shrubs or 
with a permanent evergreen base planting. The selec¬ 
tion of material for this purpose is highly important. 
Things which will grow in the dry soil next to a building 
and continue to look well for many years must be 
sought for. A poor choice of material will result either 
in a disreputable appearance after several years because 
the plants are not happy, or in a choked and lanky 
overgrowth which obstructs the view and mars the 
architecture of the building. Perhaps the best material 
to use for foundation planting is found among the 
dwarf, bushy forms of evergreens. These, more than 
any other form of plant material, bring out and enhance 
the architectural features and details of private 
dwellings or public buildings. 
