HOUSE AND GARDEN 
November, 1912 
The first thing to do in selecting shrubs for the place is to de¬ 
termine in which of these ways we wish to use them, and how 
extensively, and the best way to get an accurate idea of our 
wants or needs (for the natural “lay of the land" and other ex¬ 
isting conditions will determine to a great extent the shrubs 
we should select) is to go over the ground carefully, sketching 
down the various groups, hedges, screens, or location of indi¬ 
vidual specimens we may wish 
to place. Then put these all 
down in proportion on one 
plan, to be used as a guide and 
kept for future reference. Of 
course the whole thing need 
not be carried out at once; 
we may put in a hedge of 
barberry this fall, along the 
front of the place, and a 
couple of hardy, large-flow¬ 
ered hydrangeas well down 
the front walk to give a semi- 
formal touch to the ap¬ 
proach. But that rather ugly 
corner back by the garage 
may have to wait a year 
longer—being screened tem¬ 
porarily by a group of ricinus 
(the giant castor-oil plant), 
or even by homely sunflowers. 
In whichever of the three 
ways mentioned we happen to 
want to use shrubs, there will 
be certain things to take 
though of before selecting 
our varieties. In other words, 
it is necessary to work back¬ 
ward, as it were, from the frame to the picture. First of all 
comes the matter of height. If it is a hedge or a flower-effect 
we want, care must be taken that no desirable view will be cut off. 
On the other hand, if a background or a screen is sought, care 
must be taken to get things that are tall enough. 
To accomplish the direct result sought, however, is not all that 
is required. We must remember that the prime object is to en¬ 
hance the beauty of the place, and even the most desirable of 
shrubs, if used in the wrong way, may only serve to make it not 
more beautiful but more ugly and commonplace. 
A natural grace of form and of outline must be the basic law 
of shrubbery grouping. If one possesses the artistic sense of 
form and proportions, the appreciation of “composition,” to use 
a more technical term, an in¬ 
correct grouping will at once 
be apparent—after it is 
planted! What is wanted, 
however, is a correct group¬ 
ing before planting; and that 
is not beyond the ability of 
the amateur, if the following 
precautions are taken. 
Realize, first, that a shrub¬ 
bery group is different from 
a flower bed in that it has 
two aspects to be considered: 
the horizontal, giving the 
frontal or lawn line, and the 
vertical, giving the sky-line 
(or a gradation to taller trees, 
as the case may be). Both 
of these lines should be pleas¬ 
ingly irregular, as also should 
be the slope or “face” of the 
planting between them. No 
better examples of the effect 
to be aimed at are to be found 
than Nature’s own groupings 
where her wild shrubs or 
bushes screen an old fence or 
run down to the pasture. 
But when one is striving for this effect, careless as it may seem, 
it is not so easy to obtain it. An excellent scheme is to procure 
a number of small stakes of varying lengths, and experiment with 
these, changing their positions as often as necessary, until an 
outline of the effect sought is obtained, and then mark each stake 
with the name of the variety which fulfills the conditions required. 
Spiraeas, especially with a background of trees, are particularly effective 
when in bloom. This photograph shows Van Houttei 
Hydrangeas are well used to border paths among the other shrubs 
and trees. Some varieties bloom nearly three months 
1 hree forms of box are illustrated here. At the left is the hedge type; 
a dwarf sort edges the walk; at the extreme right is the bush style 
