Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1908-02-29
By JoAN BELLING

I q
II pays for town to be noted for
w handsome trees, or for the flower
| lug shrub9 in its gardens and public
squares---this has an effect on the in
crease Of trade and on the rise in
real estate; 1t pays for a house TO be
surrounded by a welEkept lawn and
by equally well-kept shrubs and fiowt
ers. Such things have an influence
on its selling value; Il pays for a rail.
road company to make its depots at
tractive by planting palms. hardy
bambOos, or towering Shrubs about
them--for often ali that travellers
see OF town is the depot, and the
idea Of the town which stays in their
memory Is just what they have
noticed as they passed by. At a
trihing expense railroad journey In
Florida might be made nearly as at.
tractive as a similar journey in Japan.
A citizen Of a Florida town might
perhaps regard himself as owing Il
to the general welfare Of his town to
ornament HIS house-lot with neatly
kept shrubs and flowers, as well as
with q smaller or larger stretch Of
green lawn. II everyone did his own
part the combined result would be
surprising.
II Is usually q mistake to have a
large tree IN small garden; les
roots exhaust the soil, and its foliage
obstructs the light. Shrubs in q gar
den should be spaced according to
their individual needs. so that each
has is due share OF the soil. To be
well suited for general use in our
gardens, towering shrub should be-
a. easy 10 multiply by cutting, go q
quick grover so that II soon flowers.
(3) towering nearly all the year, az
not much injured by any frosts which
occur here, and (5) ornamental when
not In bloom.
The Oleander, II well pruned and
MANFRED, seems to meet these re-.
qairements for Florida perhaps better
than most other lowering shrubs,
though In the North II may be dam.
aged by frosts In exposed situations.
Leafy cuttings make roots readily IN
sand or even In bottles OF water. The
plants will flower well In the third
year. Their foliage Is ornamental,
evergreen. and not injured by caterpil.
lars. The single or double flowers OF
good varieties are In long.lasting
of a pink, red, white or cream
color. and strongly or delicately
scented. When the long stems are
regularly pruned back after lowering,
the shrubs grow bushy and dome
shaped, and produce many spreading
branches. so as to hide the bare stems
down TO the ground, A row OF choice
oleanders. six feet or more apart. we'll.
MANFRED, well.wRtercd and we'll
prunod especially the last), will cost
hut little, and will have a highly
ornamental appearance along q fence
or path.
The everblooming roses are natural
ly favorite towering shrubs In Flor
ida. Roses will not bloom plentiful.
iy unless wellsupplled with ma
nure and water. Their rather un.
slightly branches must be kept within
bounds by cutting out al that are
too thin or too old to bear good fiow.
ers. and by shortening others whose
too rapid growth tends to give the
bushes a ragged look. When plant
Ing young rose, hole at least
four ieet square and two feet deep
should be dug. ana filled in with a
mlxtu2e OF laat.mould or weIlFotted
manure, good soil wood-ashes, and
handful or two OF Dasio phosphate and
OF sulphate Of potash, The surface
snould be well manured AZ least once
q year. To water rosebashes In the