Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1913-05-08
A PLANTING PLAN
For The Small Place as Presented
by the Civic Improvement League
WORKOF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Plans Can Be Seen by Those Interested by
Calling at Record Office

have Z small sketch for laying out
and planting grounds OF moderate
size, which has been made for them
by landscape architect OF reputation
in the east. The sketch is on file at
the Record office where it may be
seen at any time. Accompanying the
plan are a few suggestions as TO the
best situation for shrubs and trees,
some reasons for these suggestions
and a list OF handy and appropriate
plants The League hopes that this
plan and the suggestions may be OF
use to those who contemplate plant
ing during the coming season. An
adaptation of this plan to any place
would not be difficult to make as the
general principles given in the con-
text are applicable anywhere.
Respectfully submitted for the
Civic League of Alma.
LOUISA YEOMAN KING,
Member Town Improvement
Committee Of Civic League.
May 5. 1913.
l. Small tree, Evergreen or with
decorative fruit or bark in winter,
such as: Arbor Vitae, Red Cedar,
Thorn White Birch.
,. Tall or medium high Towering
shrubs, such. as: Lilac, and Houtte's
Spirea. Tartarain Honeysuckle, Red
Barked Dogwood. Syringa, Forsythia,
High Bush Cranberry, Sweetbriar,
Common Barberry, Rugosa Rose.
,. Low shrubs such as: Indian Cur
rant, Snowberry, Japanese Barberry,
Wild Rose, Dwarf Deutza.
4. Hardy perennials or bulbs, such
as: Yellow Day Lily, Phlox, Peony,
Asters, Iris. Tulips, Daffodils.
). Ferns for shady side of house
6. Vines on the house, such as:
Boston Ivy. Honeysuckle, Clcmatis,
Trumpet Creeper Rambler Rose,
Wistaria.
Briefly stated, the general princi-
Piles which. in the writer's opinion,
should control residents in a city the
size of Alma, in beautifying their
home surroundings, are as follows:
First-Means of access to the
house. whether roads or walks should
follow the most direct and natural
routes; should be laid out with some
idea of good proportion of width to
length, and be we'll defined by curb
or edging and surfaced as we'll as the
means of the owner may allow
Second-Border fences should be
made as inconspicuous as possible and
q,
planting.
Third - Outbuildings should be
screened from the view of the street
as well as from the owners view by
I proper planting.
Fourth-The stiff base lines and
angles of the house should be soft
ened by shrubbery and vine planting
Immediately at its base.
Fifth-Trees and shrubs should
not be indiscriminately dotted about
the yard but together massed along
the boundary lines, leaving certain
amount of space, bounded on the one
side by the boundary planting and on
the other by the planting at the base
of the house.
Sixth-The open space should re-
main a small lawn
Seventh-Flowers should be con-
fined to irregular borders or masses
close to the boundary by planting.
A word or two in explanation of
these general principles may be use
ful:
First-A walk four or five feet wide
will generally answer the purpose in
small private place. This walk
should run straight to the house en-
trance unless greater conveninece
should demand different route. A
curving walk, which is not justified
by some practical consideration, or
dinarily disfgures small place
Second-Probably the best type of
boundary fence is wire fence such
as is already in use here and there.
This is a more durable fence than one
of wood and costs less to maintain
If properly clothed with vines, it can
be made a pretty feature of small
place.
Third-To screen outbuildings, a
thick planting of one kind of trees
should be used, being placed irregu
larly about the buildings, not set in
stiff lines.
Fourth-In the writer's opinion,
nothing adds so much to the appear
ance of house as a certain amount
of shrubs Immediately at its base
Such planting mates the house with
the grounds; e., gives the appear
ance of having grown out of the
ground, rather than having been set
down on it like box, and relieves
the bare and uninviting look of the
average farm house Vines trained