HOUSE AND GARDEN 
A P R I L , 1912 
would add to the attractiveness of our lawns and gardens, and 
cheat winter of half of its dreariness. 
A word may be of service here about cultural direction. It is 
the general rule to plant evergreen varieties of shrubs and trees 
in the spring. Roses, being tender plants, are planted in the 
last of [March or the first part of April, as a consistent practice. 
So, although fall planting of shrubs may be advocated, there are 
special cases when it is not only more advisable to plant in the 
spring, but it becomes necessary to do it at that time. If the 
ground has not been properly prepared, or has not had thorough 
cultivation, fall planting should 
never be resorted to. Most of 
us are suddenly seized with the 
enthusiasm for gardening, and 
so, to make up for the past dull 
years, feel that a prime neces¬ 
sity is haste, in order to accom¬ 
plish as much as possible in as 
short a time as possible. If. 
for any of these reasons, we 
are just beginning to plant, 
and are anxious to employ the 
shrubs described in this article, 
it would be a great mistake to 
wait until fall, simply because 
the majority of authorities rec¬ 
ommend that time. Anything 
may be planted in the spring 
with good results, and with 
considerably less danger of in¬ 
jury from the cold than at any 
other time. 
This is especially true in the 
case of shrubs valuable for 
The common bittersweet of the 
roadside fences makes a most 
desirable addition to the garden 
Nothing is more beautiful than 
the white waxy berries of the 
snowberry that is so valuable 
for its easy cultivation 
their winter berries. Were 
we to wait until the fall, our 
first winter would be just as 
bare of cheer as it always 
had been, and it would mean 
a loss of a year and a half 
in the enjoyment which one 
gets from the brilliant colors 
of the berries. We might as 
well go ahead, then, feeling 
confident that planting now 
is the thing for us to do. 
Shrubs are very easy of 
cultivation, and indeed have 
but one chief requirement, 
that is, soil preparation. Pre¬ 
After the beautiful satiny flowers 
of Rosa Multiflora are over, 
large clusters of brilliant ber¬ 
ries appear 
vious to the receipt of the 
plants from the nursery, the 
ground should be ploughed 
or thoroughly spaded. It 
should be gone over much in 
the same manner and with the 
same treatment that is given 
the corn field before seeding 
corn. 
The matter of fertilizers is 
of importance, also, and the 
land should be made rich with 
plant food, taking care only 
that no raw manure comes in 
contact with the rootlets. 
If you use nursery stock, 
as you probably will, attempt 
to get transplanted bushes, or, 
failing in this, see that the 
dormant stock you receive 
has been carefully cellared 
over. The roots should not 
be all dried out and shriv¬ 
eled up. 
If, for any reason, the 
shrubs may not be put in the 
ground immediately, remove 
their cpnvas covering's and 
"heel-in” in a trench, spread¬ 
ing good earth over the roots, 
and leaving them packed up 
in this way until you are 
ready to put them in the 
ground. When you are ready, 
go over the roots carefully 
for ail}' bruised filaments, and 
cut these off clean with a 
Die- a hole at least 2 inches 
sharp knife or pruning shears, 
larger each way than the spread of the roots; then fully extend 
the roots, and. carefully spreading them out, lower the plant in 
the hole. Where the soil is very dry, it is often advisable to pour 
a generous supply of water in the hole, and then as the dirt is 
thrown in mix a little more with it. Compact the earth about 
the roots and well up on to the wood of the plant. Even shrubs 
of this kind should be well cut back at the time of planting. 
The beginner should overcome the reluctance most have at the 
ruthless clipping of apparently good branches. 
As to arrangenient, it is impossible in this space to make more 
than a cursory statement. As most of these shrubs will be used 
for mass planting, one is more easily apt to err in spacing them 
too far apart than too close together. The most beautiful effects 
are achieved from the close mingling of the branches. Even 
if you purchase 
more bushes 
than you will 
eventually need 
at the expiration 
of a year or so. 
you will save in 
appearance i n 
the end by plant¬ 
ing too many 
and then remov¬ 
ing the super¬ 
fluous ones that 
appear to be too 
crowded. 
The common barberry should not be excluded 
from the list of plants desirable for their colored 
fruits. It is beautiful both summer and winter 
