Evening star., 1944-08-27
BY ". II. Yonnsman,
Garden Editor.

A foundation planting should en-
hance' the appearance of the home,
not hide it. Too many of our plant
ings are made up of rapid growing
evergreens that soon outgrow their
situations. Thus. the problem of
replacing them with smaller grow
ing plants Is of considerable interest
to the home -owner who wishes to
keep his home well-groomed and
attractive. The choice of evergreens
for the foundation planting is one
for study and personal preference
The following are suggested for con-
sideration:
For the sunny dry slope the dwarf
jumpers are of first Importance,
since they do best In such a situa-
tion. The Pftzer's juniper is a we'll
known and widely planted ever
green. 1t may be pruned and trained
into low hedge or kept to a de-
sired height. Savin's juniper is a
creeper and does best as q ground
cover. although under favorable
conditions 1t may reach a height OF
Ia to 2 feet. The Waukegan juniper
reaches approximately the same
height.
Next to the jumpers the Chamae-
cyparis formerly known as re-
tinospora) will thrive in the sunny
situation. The dwarf Football
cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa
compacta) is occasionally seen in
this area. but the Dwarf Hinoki
cypress is more commonly grown
and is slightly lower growing. In
stead of planting the Moss cypress,
q tree to Is feet, We might try the
dwarf Moss cypress, which has q
height Of 21s to 3 feet At full growth.
The results should be more pelasing
For the east side of the house
the Andromeda tPieris floribunda)
azaleas and low-growing rhododren-
dron are apt to give desirable re-
suits. for all will tolerate q more
or less protected situation so long
as 1t Is not too dry. They are at
tractive in flower or foliage. Several
of the lower-growing hollies 1lex
crenata and its subspecies) are very
good. They may be trimmed to a
low mounded form. Boxwood is
sometimes suggested for a founda-
ton planting, but 1t needs moisture,
and If planted too close to the wall
it may be dif1cult to keep it thriving.
For the north side, the yews, hol-
lies and rhodendrons are probably
most satisfactory, since they will
tolerate a considerable amount OF
shade and still thrive. It should
be recognized that they seldom
thrive competing with both shade
and tree roots. The barberries,
abelia, dwarf >arbor-vitae, cotoneast-
ers and many others also are useful
in certain situations. The barber
ries do not thrive in shade. The
abelia may freeze back in a too
protected situation. The dwarf
cotoneasters are attractive, but the
squirrels like their fruit and they
are occasionally troubled by the
"f1re-blight."
The above are only a few of the
low-growing shrubs that should be
considered when making a selection
for. the foundation paintings.
Whatever is selected should stay
put" not outgrow the situation in
three to five years, as is the case
with the species of spruce, hem
lock, juniper and arbor-vitae that
are so commonly used in our found
alton paintings.
Fall gardens seem to be doomed
again this season, for it has been so
dry that seedlings have not germi-
mated well. If at all. Beets, kale,
turnips and a number of the other
fall crops have not terminated at all
well except in those gardens where
they could be watered.
II the furrow can be watered be-
fore the seed are sown, termination
can oftentimes be helped. A mulch
Of compost or leaf mold sprinkled
over the surface after the seed are
covered is an additional help.
Early September is . good time to
give the evergreens q Shearing to
keep them compact and healthy.
If allowed to become straggly and
open, they lose much of their at
tractiveness. Avoid clipping them in
such q manner that they have q
M$