Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-04-03
MAKE HOUSE
LIKE A REAL HOME

There are certain plants that vie a.
house TO the grounds. SAYS Edward
Irving Harrington, editor. lecturer, au-
thor. Editor Harrington says further,
relative 10 plants. shrubs and flowers:
@0ne Of the first steps in making
house look like a real home is TO plant
shrubs around the base or foundation
OF the building. Not only does this
give an Enthusiastically feeling TO the
house. but ii also has the effect of "
ing il 10 the ground. so that it seems
to be a part of the landscape. The ef-
fects Of foundation planting are often
surprising even to those who do the
work. and money expended in this
way is never wasted, provided that
proper choice OF shrubs is made. 1t is
quite possible TO take diagram OF
your house to any nurseryman and
have him suggest just the proper
plants to use in given situation
Many nurserymen are very glad 70
make suggestions although il is not
meant by this, of course. that they will
lay out a general lanscape scheme.
After all though. much pleasure and
satisfaction are to be found in choos-
ing the shrubs and plants for ones
own home a proper selection is not
difficult to make, with the aid of any
nurseryman's catalogue. if climatic
conditions are considered and special
attention is paid to the height of the
shrubs when they have attained their
growth.
Either eyergreens or deciduous
shrubs may be employed Sometimes
they are mixed, but the most uniform
results are obtained when they are
kept separate The evergreens have
the advantage of carrying their beauty
{ throughout the winter months Natur-
ally they cost more than deciduous
shrubs and many people prefer the lat
ter because of the wealth of flowers
which they furnish throughout the
summer. With any planting the main
object is to blot ont the bare fouhda-
Iticn walls, soften sharp angles and re
/ lieve long, straight lines. 1t is sur
prising to learn the extent to which
the environment of a house may be
changed by the use Of a few shrubs
and at very low cost.
The planting arrangement will de
pend TO some extent upon the size OF
the house. If it is big house three
/ or more. rows may be needed, but with
1.-THE average cottage two rows are
enough, and - 10 best to stagger them
and TO have the outer row curve
/ slightly. Oftentimes a handsome effect
I IS obtained by using several extra
/ shrubs at the corners, creating a wide
sweep there II the entrance happens
10 be at the middle of the house, an
extra shrub or two set in advance OF
| the others at each side will also add to
! the general appearance. 1t isn't neces
sary to have the shrubs very close to,
gether. In fact, close planting is'to be
avoided at first. because otherwise
there will not be room enough for the
plants when they become taller. From
three to three aAd a half feet is about
the right distance between plants OF
average size, meaning by this from
center to center. Shrubs which will
grow five feet high or more will need
another foot of room. Very tai
! shrubs, however, are not to be desired
/ except for large houses.
I'm general the taller shrubs should
/ be planted in the back row 4nd dwarf
/ err kinds in front. Yet it is not well
10 be too exact about this, for often
/ times it adds much to the beauty Of
the foundation planting to have few
OF the taller shrubs in the foreground
especially where there IS heavy mass
planting at the corners or around q
( bay.
I'm the case of large building ii
often adds 10 the effect if there is All
occasional break in the line of the
shrubbery so that a little of the foun
dation will be exposed, and it always
is important to select only low shrubs
to go under the windows. Unless the
Ultimate height OF the plants is consid
cred the view from the windows may
be entirely cut off by the heavy growth
after few years.
1T is possible by a careful selection
10 have shrubs which will bloom one
after the other from spring until fall.
but this is likely to result in a some
what spotty effect While long
blooming season is desirable, it is best
not to have too great a variety. The
same rule holds good with evergreens
which differ greatly in color. A few
contrasts are excellent. but too great
variety may produce patchwork eff
feet, which is far from pleasing to the
cultivated eye. Be sparing in your use
of so-called golden evergreens of diff
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