Fast Shrubs Grow: Using too many plants often results from not knowing how fast shrubs grow and their ultimate dimensions. Desire for im¬mediate, filled in, finished appearance is also responsible. Where the latter is im¬portant use a few, large specimens rather than many smaller ones. The cost may not be much greater, the effect will be better and the shrubs won't crowd and spoil each other quickly. Alternatively, set moderate sized plants that are to remain permanently at distances appropriate to their mature less important than foliage; if you use them be sure the colors go with your house— magenta azaleas against red brick are dis¬turbing! Evergreens should form a sub¬stantial part of all foundations; they may be used alone or in combination with leaf losers. Use plenty of groundcovers to tie the shrubs together.
Hardy perennials are very valuable in the garden and play a major role, as most of them are relatively cheap, grow quickly, and can readily be increased in several ways, including by seed, division, or cuttings. Most of them, like trees and shrubs, live for many years. In addition, most of them, unlike trees and < shrubs, are herbaceous as they have soft stems which die down in the fall and grow again the following spring. A number of them have evergreen leaves, and one or two grow in the winter and die down in the summer. Not all herbaceous perennials are in fact hardy, but here we are concerned only with those that are.
Herbaceous perennials may be used in a variety of ways in the backyard.See Also Deciduous Shrubs:These need little pruning other than shaping when young and the removal of branches that cross the plant's center creating congestion and reducing the maturing and ripening influence of the sun. Always cut out pest-and disease-damaged shoots; if left, they encourage the decay to infect and damage other parts.
Prune winter-flowering deciduous shrubs as soon as their display is over This gives shrubs the maximum amount of time in which to produce new shoots and for them to ripen before the onset of cold weather in the following fall or early winter It is easier to control the size of winter-flowering shrubs than any other type.
These need little pruning other than shaping when young and the removal of branches that cross the plant's center creating congestion and reducing the maturing and ripening influence of the sun. Always cut out pest-and disease-damaged shoots; if left, they encourage the decay to infect and damage other parts.
Prune winter-flowering deciduous shrubs as soon as their display is over This gives shrubs the maximum amount of time in which to produce new shoots and for them to ripen before the onset of cold weather in the following fall or early winter It is easier to control the size of winter-flowering shrubs than any other type.
On The Other Hand See Trees And Shrubs That:Grass, growing in the shade of trees and shrubs, has to compete with them for food as well as moisture. Relieve the pressure of this competition by providing for the needs of the trees and shrubs as •well as the grass. Fertilize the lawn regularly and also the trees and shrubs. So far as possi¬ble, place the fertilizer intended especially for the trees and shrubs deep in the soil so that their roots are encouraged to strike downward. This may be done by using the method described below. Fertilizer in¬tended primarily for the grass is applied at the surface.
Trees that retain their foilage all year are invaluable as screens, as background for trees and shrubs that flower before they leaf, as windbreaks and for providing a feeling of solidity and permanence. They include a wide variety of sizes, from forest giants to kinds little bigger than shrubs.
|
