The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1910-01-14
SEASIDE RETIREMENT
Hints on Beautifying Homes With
Trees and Shrubs.
BE SURE TO PLANT CLOSE

Thorough Preparation of the Soil Very
Important-cut All Plants Back Sc
verely Except Evergreens-SuitabIe
Trees and Shrubs to Plant.
It is natural that people living by
the seaside should be as interested In
beautifying their homes with trees and
shrubs as those who live inland. On
attempting to grow plants near the
salt water many seaside dwellers have
been much disappointed to find their
efforts vain; have seen their carefully
planted trees and shrubs die, killed by
the salt spray and fogs, blown to
pieces by heavy winds, torn by flying
sand or shriveled III in the sterile soil.
The problem of seaside planting is n
which should be given special consid-
Grafton by landscape architects. gar
deners and those interested~1n beautt-
flying the home grounds. The writer
has had an opportunity to study sea-
shore conditions governing plant
growth on the coasts Of Maine and
Massachusetts,, in landscape work on
Long Island with Mr.. Henry Hicks, an
authority on this subject, and in assist
ing to make a landscape report or
Blackwelrs island, New York city
Some of the most important re-
quirements for seaside planting are:
ID The choice of plants hat are hardy
under seashore conditions; e. a thor
ough preparation of the soil, which
usually is sand and should be mixed
with one-ha1f to three-fourths per cent
Of we'll rotted barnyard manur or
else should be removed altogether and
fine, rich loan substituted, the depth
of preparation being about three feet;
81 close planting, SO hat the trees and
shrubs nay afford each other mutual
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES or scattered plants
are almost sure to fail; a. plant more
hardy things in exposed spots, less
hardy in more sheltered positions; ()
sometimes an artificial shelter Of
boughs or planks may be needed to
give the plants a start; () provide
good winter protection Of strawy ma
nure and In some cases leaves or
evergreen boughs.
For holding banks hear the sea and
to prevent sand drifting Mr.. Henry
Hicks recommends pitch pine and red
cedar. Beach grass and red oak are
also found in nature serving these pur-
poses in a most satisfactory way. It
Is often possible to fill in later, after
these plants are established, with 9th
er very hardy trees n shrubs. This
should at least be tried, since thick
planting is the key to success. Mr..
Hicks says, plant thick and cut back
severely" Evergreens, Of course, must
not be cut back. He also mentions IN
a recent letter that he has seen brush
used to fill in a depression caused by
the wind blowing out the sand, the
brush being carefully staked down.
The result Of this was that the sand
drifted about in the brush and nearly
filed the hollow again. This treat
ment, combined with judicious plant
ing, would probably bring the drifting
sand under complete control.
Following is a list OF trees and
shrubs suitable for seaside planting:
Very hardy-Bayberry, beach plum,
sea buckthorn, yucca, woodbine or Vir-
ginia creeper, wild cherry, tamarisk,
American holly (hardy as far north as
Long Island, many of the willows,
red cedar, pitch pine, black spruce les.
pecially near ocean marshes), black
oak, post oak, ~chokeberry, beach
grass, bearberry, black huckleberry,
false heather and shining sumac.
Less hardy-ScruD oak, scarlet oak,
chestnut oak, Norway maple, red ma.
pie, American white birch, horse chest
nut, western catalpa, plane tree, honey
locust, white spruce, Austrian pine
mugho pine, sweet bay, juniper, Euro
pean barberry, Hercules club, Califor'
Ill privet, marsh elder, purple fringe.
upright honeysuckle, cockspur thorn,
high bush BURBERRY, ~sassafras, pep
peridge, bittersweet and blackberry,
All of these are hardy as for north as
Long Island and the majority to Maine,
Stanley f. Morse in Country Gentle.