How to Plant Evergreens

North, South, East or West - no matter where you live - there are evergreens for every garden. The luxuriance of their foliage, the different shades of green, their variety of forms, textures, and heights contribute lavishly to the planting design. Indeed, like old friends, they can always be depended on to give us real enjoyment through the years. Their easy upkeep, permanence, and the all-year-round green they provide make them all-important in garden-making.

In making a planting plan it is very important to select the right evergreen for the allotted space. This can hardly be overemphasized. For instance, avoid using tall-growing trees or shrubs directly in front of a window. All too often one sees houses literally smothered with towering evergreens placed in just such a location, shutting out the vista, the air, and the light. Furthermore, a planting of this kind spoils the architectural lines of the house, whereas actually one of the purposes of the planting is to set off these lines to best advantage.

Bear in mind the shape of the evergreen selected, and visualize how it will fit into the general planting scheme. Evergreens have definite forms, use the pyramidal and columnar types sparingly; in fact, these are especially adapted for accent purposes, and where space permits they are sometimes well placed each side of a doorway. The globular kinds are very distinctive, and they should also be used with much thought. Evergreens with a bushy habit of growth and the creeping species, such as some of the Junipers, can be used more freely than those with more formal lines.

Another factor that should be considered is whether the planting is to be made in the sun or in the shade. There are evergreens that thrive in every location, and it is an easy matter to find the right plant for the available situation. Some of those that are shade-tolerant include such favorites as Laurel, Oregon Holly-grape, Holly Olive, Cherry-laurel, and the evergreen species of Privet.

If your builder has given you an allowance for purchasing plant material, you are then a free lance. In spending this sum it is much wiser not to attempt to stretch the planting over too extensive an area, but rather to make each part perfect in itself. Be sure to buy your trees and shrubs from reliable sources. A good buyer looks over the plants carefully to make certain that each one is compact and vigorous.

It is important not to introduce too great a variety of evergreens in the planting scheme, but rather to have each kind well represented, otherwise the planting would be too heterogeneous, which would give a confused effect. This does not apply to plants that are columnar or globular in shape. These should be used sparingly.

Take care of the key planting first of all; this is usually along the foundation of the house. Evergreens are unsurpassed for tying the house to the ground; they give an exceptionally handsome setting - in fact they bring about a real metamorphosis. A touch of deciduous material introduced into the evergreen planting gives a light note. It adds interest and beauty because of the contrast in habit of growth and color of foliage that it provides. Flowering shrubs which are conspicuous for their blooms, berries, and autumn coloration are excellent for this purpose.

Along the boundary of the place a combination of the taller-growing and lower-growing evergreens gives more complete seclusion than any other kind of plant material, and provides an all-year-round line of demarcation. The taller-growing kinds are excellent for the background, and the dwarf types are used as facers.

In many suburban communities houses are built on small lots. Under these conditions landscaping is often difficult. When a good neighbor policy can be adopted, this sometimes turns out to be a solution to the problem of restricted space for garden-making. By co-operating in a plan with your next-door neighbor a landscape effect can be developed that will be of mutual benefit. This can be done by treating the two places as a unit in developing the planting plan. The result will be a more spacious, open garden.

Have fun with your gardening!

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