Any homeowner who aspires to have a more attractive place should not let this month go by without making plans for planting to be done this fall.
There are additional reasons, but the following three should be sufficient to convince even a beginner of the wisdom of planning, right now, a definite program for planting.
Program For Planting
First: He will have more time in which to plan and plant. Since there are so many garden operations that can be done only in spring, everyone that can be done now relieves the pressure of spring work.
Second: Plants set out in the autumn have many weeks to develop root growth. Roots go on developing and storing up plant food long after the first frost has stripped off the foliage.
Plants set out in spring have less time to develop roots before top growth appears. Therefore, practically all roses and shrubs and many perennials that are shipped in spring have been dug the previous fall and kept in storage over winter.
Even under the ideal storage conditions, they cannot possibly get as strong a start when planted in spring as plants shipped and planted in fall.
Third: When you order in the fall, you are pretty certain to get exactly what you order instead of “regrets” or substitutions.
However, merely deciding that autumn planting has advantages will get you nowhere. The conviction must be followed by action.
And the first part of the action is to plan definitely what is to be planted and where.
Principles of Landscaping
Before I discuss the principles of landscaping, let me describe a very simple scheme that I have used for clients and constantly use in my planting.
Putting Markers
It is to have several 2 x 1-inch pointed stakes, ranging in length from 18″ inches to 5′ feet, and the tops painted white about one-third their length.
These markers can readily be stuck or driven into the ground wherever a tree, shrub, or plant might prove attractive. The marker’s height indicates the plant type—tree, shrub, or perennial.
A row of low markers designates the size and shape of a bulb bed or border. We leave the markers in place for several days before preparing the planting holes or flower beds, and during this time try to visualize the effect which a plant or other feature would provide in this location.
As often as not, the position of the stake is changed, usually only a few feet, but sometimes completely.
Planning a Place
Planning a new place is quite different from adding more plants to an established one. The first step is to make a scale map of the entire property, showing boundary lines, buildings, drives, walks, and existing large trees. Vistas, if any, and objectionable views should also be indicated.
Next—and before any thought is given to selecting varieties of trees or plants—the several areas into which the place will be separated should be mapped out.
Here, it may seem advisable to engage the services of a landscape architect, but even if this is not done, the owner, by making his plan, can get much better results than if he attempts to proceed with no definite plan worked out in advance—and he may also save himself many costly mistakes.
Regardless of the size of the place, whether it be a small country estate or a sizable plot in a modern development, certain areas should be planned for particular uses, just as the house itself has rooms designed for special purposes.
First of all, there are the “walls” of the property: the hedges or plantings of trees and shrubbery, which define its borders and assure privacy.
Next comes the utility area: a place for clothes driers, garbage cans, compost heap, a cold frame, and possibly a wood pile (if the owner is so fortunate as to have a fireplace).
And a rest area for outdoor living should, if possible, provide both sun and shade, with outdoor furniture and possibly a barbecue or grille. Nowadays, a swimming pool is almost as common as an outdoor fireplace.
Important Areas To Add
To these three most important areas, others may be added if there is available space, including:
- A play yard for the children and their friends
- A vegetable plot
- Flower beds or borders
- A rock garden or rose garden and a garden work area for compost
- Lining out stock, etc.
The location of each area and the space to be devoted to it should be decided upon and indicated on the overall planting plan before any attempt is made to select plant material.
Otherwise, mistakes in both the selection and the placement of plant materials are apt to be made. This is especially true of trees and shrubs—the most difficult to change after they have once been placed.
The owner of a new place need not be afraid to attempt his landscape planning. There are several good books on the subject, written especially for amateurs, and the back issues of this magazine contain both general advice on landscaping and many definite suggestions that can readily be adapted to fit specific conditions.
The important thing is to start with a definite plan.
Selection Of Fall Garden Catalogs
Be sure to obtain a generous selection of fall garden catalogs. We know of no field where one can get more for his money—in most cases, the cost of a few postage stamps—than in seed and nursery catalogs.
But to the uninitiated, a word of warning: the more extravagant the claims made for “wonderful,” “astounding,” or “unbelievably great” bargains, the less likely they are to be worth their price! Reliable firms spend money on growing good plants, not on extravagant advertising space in newspapers.
Ordering early is just plain common sense. Orders are usually filled as they are received. So early orders get first attention while all items are still in full supply. And the sooner you receive a plant after it is dug, the slighter will be the shock it undergoes in transplanting.
Ordering and Planting Bulbs
Bulbs must, for the most part, be ordered and planted in the fall. However, we have noticed during recent years a growing tendency by catalog makers to give more space and color to a few items at the expense of the general list, so don’t overlook some of the interesting offerings that may receive less attention in the catalog.
No garden should be without a few tulips. Daffodils are practically disease and pest free and rapidly increase in number over the years.
The newer varieties, especially the pinks, and apricots, are a revelation to those who do not know them.
The minor bulbs: scillas, grape-hyacinths, chionodoxa, and puschkinia, so far as catalog space is concerned, fare worst of all, yet are among the most intriguing and satisfactory of the hardy bulbs.
Perennials For Fall Planting
Perennials are, in general, better planted in fall than in spring. However, there are some exceptions, such as those that flower late in the season— hardy asters, chrysanthemums, hibiscus, and a few others.
Practically all lilies (except the Madonna) are much better planted in fall, no matter how late, than in spring.
Trees and shrubs, almost without exception, should be planted in fall unless the garden is in a part of the country so cold that the ground freezes early and the frost goes very deep.
Early-flowering shrubs and trees especially should be planted as early in the fall as they can be obtained.
Evergreens
Evergreens also profit from fall planting. Select species and varieties with the greatest care, for once they are established, replanting or replacing is an expensive business. It is good to get several catalogs to compare descriptions.
Do not buy trees on a price basis, for a well-grown and carefully shipped specimen may easily be worth twice as much as a poorer specimen of the same height.
For reasons already explained, get your order in early. And next month, while you are waiting for new plants to arrive, prepare for planting.
44659 by Fred Rockwell