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Solid banks of evergreens can become troublesome. A plague of scale, weevils, or nematodes can deform or wipe out the lot. Spaced apart by deciduous shrubs they are less care and, to most eyes, less trite. On a north side the deciduous species may not do so well and will perhaps be omitted, but still don't overcrowd the evergreens. Shade can be as important for people indoors as out, but no tree planted for shade should be put closer than twenty feet from your house. Besides affording room for roots and branches you must think ahead to the time when too much canopy may bring dampness as well as coolness to your rooms. Repeated pruning of a tree to keep it from moldering or thrashing the architecture is a two-way nuisance—to yourself and the tree. Any shade tree ordained by Nature to grow much higher than your house is best planted, to start with, toward a border of your property. In per-acre terms, ten "big" trees will be found a great plenty, particularly if twice as many "small" trees, and some shrubs and flowers, need to be given living space. The larger species like oaks, maples, ash, sycamore, and the major evergreens will start adding beauty to your grounds about half way to their maturity. Until then you will depend on dwarf or medium varieties, especially those which flower gaily, to dress up the place without delay. Most of the fruits will do this, and yield other returns as well. Their planting and culture will be dealt with in a separate chapter. Here, only a few reliable flower-bearers need be mentioned. First to mind come dogwood, redbud, hawthorn, fringe tree, goldenrain, mimosa, magnolia. In this category, variety is wide, and by consulting guides and catalogs a progression of blooms can be planned. As a general rule fruits and flowering trees will do best when planted where other trees cannot steal their sunlight. Be sure you know your compass points, and lay out a plat before you dig any holes. |
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