The Taney County republican., 1905-05-04
PLANTING TREES AND SHRUBS.

When listening to the admirable pa.
pers read before the State horticultural
Society on Landscape Gardening" and
Lawn Making" 1t occurred to me that
many of the first rules Of propriety in
the laying out of ornamental grounds
are generally neglected. 1t Is hardly
possible that any Two places would be
30 near alike that they should be plant.
ed exactly alike, but as knowledge Of
the characteristics of some of our best
trees and shrubs is indispensable to
their best arrangements, slall, in this
short paper, try to show wherein one
tree differs from another.
large trees should not be crowded
in the foreground, and smaller and
more ornamental trees overshadowcd
or hidden from sight. AS rule the re-
verse would be better, with an occa-
sional fine, large specimen to relieve
any sameness. Among the best of our
large trees are Sugar and Norway
Maple, Elm, Sycamore, blackberry
Linden and Birch, both weeping and
pyramid. In evergresns, white and r-d
pine, Norway and Douglass spruce and
good specimens of Austrian pine. u
the smaller growing trees, Alder. Car
ragana, Oleaster, Japan maple and the
larger shrubs. In colors. we have but
few that are hardy, and they small
growing ones. The Purple Leaf Plum
is one Of the best; the Carragana. with
Its very light green leaves sld yellow
bark gives the whole tree yellow ap
pearance. Its blossoms are also yell
low.
Weeping trees. In these we have a
few that are really desirable. OF the
large growing. Cut Leaf Weeping Birch
is the best known, and general favor
lie. It and the American Weeping VIII
low are the two best. The old Weep,
ing Willow, Salix Babyloneia, is not
hardy farther north than South.
ern Iowa. OF the smaller
growing the best Is the Weeping Mul.
berry. This Is a new and really desir-
able tree and hardy wherever Russian
Mulberry is, as it is sport" Of that
variety. Kilmarnock Weeping Willow
and Camperdown Elm are beautiful
small growing trees, but are not hardy
farther north than Central Iowa except
in we'll sheltered locations. To these
will add Tamarix Amurensis. While
not really weeper, its whole expires.
sion is SO light, airy and graceful that
1t deserves place on every lawn.
In pyramidal trees, or those in di.
rect contrast to the "weepers," the
best in large growers, are the Poplar
and European White Birch, and in
evergreens the Balsam Fir; while in
small growing evergreens, the Pyra.
midalis Arbor Vitae Is the best, and
we wonder that SO desirable a tree
should be SO little planted or known.
In eversreens, there is no such decided
weepers as the Mulberry and Birch ere
among deciduous trees, but the Hem.
lock is so light and graceful in its
habit OF growth that no list of our
best trees is complete without it. It
should be planted in a cool, moist loca-
ton, II possible.
One tree we must mention, as it
stands nearly alone in its peculiar ex-
preston, is the Kentucky Coffee Nut
AS ! look from my window, my eye
takes in first pair of trees standing
side by side the one a Coffee Nut, and
the other Cut Leaved Birch. No two
deciduous trees present such con.
trast. The Coffee Nut at once brings
10 the mind strength, security and
grandeur. The large size OF its termin-
al shoots and the fewness of its
branches give it a peculiar stately ap-
pearance. The French name is Chi
cot" stump tree. and is suggestive. BY
its side, the birch Is the personihcation
Of gracefulness, with its slender pend
ent branchlets that are swayed by the
slightest breeze. We have written the
above with no "iron.clad rule" inten-
tions. but sincerely hope it may be use
full to many in their selection of trees,
and how best to arrange them for best
results. NJ. ]. WRAGG,
Waukee, Iowa.