The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Landscape Gardening
One frequently sees shrubs tied up in straw, or laid down and covered, or otherwise carefully protected for the winter. This has to be done with certain species in certain situations to keep them alive. But there are so many perfectly hardy shrubs, able to with-stand everything that comes, that such labor may be entirely avoided. In fact, those plants which have to be coddled through bad weather and favored above their neighbors always give a suggestion of unnatural-ness to the place. They seem to be exotic,—foreign to the situation. The perfectly wild garden, able to care for itself and always at home with its surroundings, has a certain permanency and unity of effect which no other garden can have.
Shrubs should be given proper pruning; but they should be spared the sort they often get. Only in very exceptional circumstances should the tops be sheared, or the growth cut back at the extremities. This spoils at once the graceful drooping habit which is separately characteristic of almost every species. When the pruning knife and the shears arc to be applied to any shrub, they should usually cut out at the base. Old, straggling stems arc cut away, and fresh, clean, vigorous sprouts come up in their places. Many species, like the sumachs, give the best results if they arc cut back almost annually quite to the ground, and allowed to sprout afresh from the stools.
ABELIA GRANUIFLORA is a valuable species for general park and lawn planting but is not reliably hardy north of Philadelphia. It has good foliage and better flowers, which keep coming for a long season.
ACANTHOPANAX PENTAPHYLLUM is a very hardy, clean-growing, and satisfactory shrub for mass planting and especially good for hedges. It is a bit thorny, but has many good qualities and no serious defects.
AMALANCHIER CANADENSIS, Juneberry, Shad Bush.
THE BEST SHRUBS
The dwarf varieties, two to five feet high, are best for planting.
AMORPHA FRUTICOSA, False Indigo. — A good, hardy shrub, though rather weedy. Amorpha cancscens Lead plant, is mostly herbaceous, with fine, soft, silvery foliage, and well worth more extensive planting. It has beautiful spikes of deep violet-purple flowers. One to three feet.
APPLE.—There is a considerable list of dwarf crabs of most desirable character which should be considered for lawn and park planting. Their bright and abundant spring bloom and their good foliage recommend them highly. They are not yet abundant in the trade, but may be had from several good specialists. Perhaps Mains sargenti and M. amoldiana are the first to be tried.
