A Landscape View at Gien Saint Mary 
Planting the Home-Grounds 
7 'o iiavc a yard or grounds that one may call his own is a i)rivilcge. To place therein })lants and 
shrubs and trees, growing and flowering things, to make a spot that is homelike and inviting, is an 
oi)portunity. 'I'his ojjportunity should not be neglected. It is in the interest of right living that the 
home surroundings should be well planned, well ])lanted. In this way, they become an extension of 
the house, an invitation to outdoor living, a part of the individual, a part of the community. 
That a planting may be interesting, pleasing, and inviting depends not so much upon the kinds 
of materials used, as upon the arrangement of the plants and the care given them. Needless to say, 
poorly grown, badly cared for plants in various stages of ])Oor condition will add nothing to the home 
or its surroundings, d'o grow healthy plants with a wealth of good leaves and flowers reciuircs thor¬ 
ough soil preparation, the liberal use of manure, fertilizer and water. These they must have. Satis¬ 
factory results cannot be secured on permanently poor soils, or in places where plants are not happy 
in their surroundings. 
'i'he basic materials for improving soil conditions are a crop of cowpeas or velvet beans grown 
on the land, if there is time, and plowed or spaded into it, stable manure, poultry manure, vegetable 
mold from the woods, and organic ammonia fertilizer, such as cotton-seed meal, castor jiomace, and 
tankage. Raw ground bone is a very valuable material of wide use in growing good trees and shrubs. 
C'ommercial fertilizers can hardly be dispensed with and should be applied at the rate of a ton or 
more |)er acre. All manure should be well rotted before using. Dig the ground deeply where the 
l)lants are to go; remove all bricks, sticks and rubbish. Economize, if need be, on the plants to be 
used, but never on the preparation for their planting. 
The object in jdanting the home-grounds is to make a pleasing picture. To secure such a result, 
a ])Ianting-i)lan, showing the placing of all plants, should be made. 'I'his plan will show the location 
of all i>ermanent features, trees or shrubs already in place, the house, garage, boundaries, etc. Neces¬ 
sary walks and drives should be added. For this work a sheet of cross-section paper will be found 
ver}' valuable. 
After this, decide what planting is necessary to give the desired results. Shrubs should be used 
in masses around the foundations of the buildings, along the boundary lines, and in the corners of the 
grounds, d'he whole back yard may be enclosed, gi\-ing (jrivacy to the grounds. Leave an open 
space of lawn. Even a small yard may be made to apjiear much larger if the open lawn is preserved. 
On the lawn side of the borders, the planting should be irregular in outline, here a iirojecting point 
formed by the shrubs, there a bay where the lawn seems to project into the border. 'I'he shrubbery 
l)rojcctions may be the locations selected for particularly attractive specimens of shrubs. In general, 
the taller growing specimens should be kept in the background, using smaller growing ijlants of 
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