The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

15 Basic Ways To Landscape Your Homepage

ROSE OF SHARON or shrub althea. Very large, disk-like flowers open from July to frost and give color when most other shrubs have finished blooming. It is an erect growing shrub of stately and formal shape. Rose of Sharon makes a good specimen plant or a screen and is particularly suited for city conditions. May be trained to tree form by removing all shoots except one. Tolerant to adverse soils. Flowers are produced on new wood. Prune in late winter or early spring and may be pruned severely.

Other excellent, hardy deciduous shrubs include the forsythia, hydrangeas, dwarf flowering almonds, barberries, crapemyrtle, mock orange and many others depending on your location.

All deciduous stock should be planted with the least possible delay after purchase. Keep lure roots moist and out of the sun until ready to plant. Dig a hole, placing the plant at same depth as it was in the nursery, with roots in a normal position. Fill hole with good surface soil, after mixing it with peat moss or similar soil conditioner for best results. Firm the dirt well as it is thrown into the hole and settle with water when almost full. Never place fertilizer of my kind in the hole when planting your new landscape materials

Broadleaf Trees

BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREEN trees comprise a rather tender and limited group of trees. They are different from the more common deciduous trees by reason of retaining their leaves throughout the year. Although evergreens, the leaves are generally broad and not needle-like as are those of the coniferous (evergreen) trees.

Practical usage of broad-leaved evergreens is restricted to warmer areas of the South Atlantic states, Gulf regions, the Pacific coast and Florida.


However, if you live in the regions which are adapted to growing these perennially attractive evergreens, they may be used to good advantage. Consult your local agricultural advisor or nurseryman to make certain you can safely grow them.

The Magnolia grandiflora, or Southern magnolia, is perhaps the most beautiful of the broad-leaved evergreen group. Round-headed or pyramid shaped, the tree bears huge dark green ovate leaves and grows slowly to a height of about 60 feet.