Evening star., 1926-11-27
LANDSCAPE GARDENING
BY ROSE CREELY, Landscape Architect.
The Flower Garden i'm Winter

Many people who love flowers hest
tate to have a flower garden close to
the house because of it's bare Winter
effect. The garden is lovely for eight
months of the year, they say, but it
is so desolate in Winter that they can.
not bear to look at 1t. And SO, as the
only apparent solution, they plant the
garden away from the house. A dis
tant garden is as useful in some ways
as a near one; it furnishes as many
flowers for the house, and it can stand
more frequent cutting just because it
is distant and it's lack of bloom is not
so noticeable. But it is usually too
far away for the everyday enjoyment
that the nearby garden affords. In
the Summer one may be able to walk
TO the garden; one may even enjoy it
more because it must be sought out
and so affords desired seclusion. But
when the weather Is cold it will not
be seen unless it is visible from the
house.
The problem, then, for those who
live in the house in the Winter as
we'll as in the Summer is to make n
garden which will be attractive all
the year round. 1t must be full of
bloom in the Summer, but must also
have an attractive Winter effect. This
means that it must not be composed
entirely Of flowers which fade with
the passing of the Autumn, but must
have shrubs which bear Winter ber-
rleS and eVergreenS, so that there is
always something gay and alive in
the garden.
Planning such a garden is more of
q problem than planning one of flow
erS alone If the shrubs are intermin-
gled hit or miss, they will spoil the
masses of color when the flowers are
in bloom. If, on the other hand, they
are properly placed, they will serve as
a background to set off the color of
the flowers. An evergreen hedge is
excellent for both Winter and sum-
ner, and it has the advantage of TAX
ing no room which could be devoted
20 flowers, as it is outside of the
flower beds. The question is some
times raised as to whether hedges do
not rob the flower beds of nourish-
ment with their strong growing roots.
It is true that. to a certain extent,
they do. but they are worthy OF the
nouriShment that they devOur because
they are SO important part of the
Garden. If the flowers near the hedge
are not growing we'll, or if the hedge
% be planted is known to be a gross
feeder, a barrier may be placed be-
tWeen hedge and flower bed, under
ground, to check the roots of the
hedge plants. This may be composed
simply Of boards or of sheet metal
sunk in the ground, or it may be
more substantially built of concrete.
In addition to the hedge, evergreens
may be planted in the flower beds at
important points in the design where
permanent effects are desired. Low.
spraWling eVergreens at the sides of
tho garden steps, round balls Of box
at the sides Of the entrance gate,
pointed Cedars in the corners, or
masses of mountain laurel making a
high bank of permanent green behind
a Seat--these are suggestions for pos
Sihla evergreen planting which will
add to the beauty of the garden in
the Summer and will give it interest
in Winter when the flowers are gone.
The Winter garden can be made
even more attractive by using berry
bearing plants with the evergreens.
If the garden is surrounded by a hem
lock hedge tall enough to make a
background for it. nothing will be
more effective than the European
burninghush 0Iuonymus europaeus).
which becomes a small tree, IL to Is
feet high, literally covered in the Fall
and early Winter with scarlet berries
popping out of their Orangered shells.
If the garden Is too small to accom-
modate planting Of this size without
croWding out the flowers, burning
bush may be planted Just outside.
where its glowing color will show
above the hedge. Japanese barherry
Berherls thunbergD is particularly