Tips On Care

Certain trees will not live long if a fill of soil is laid over their roots, or if a terrace of blacktop, stone, brick or concrete paving blocks is laid over their feeding roots. Large, valuable trees should be protected with drain tile so that they will get water and air. The bark should be protected from dirt from a fill directly against it.

Guide To Fine-Flowering Trees

You can buy metal tree wells, 3 to 7 feet across and 1 to 3 feet high, or build a masonry wall. The wall can be capped with a circle of bricks or a low wall to make an extra seat on the terrace. If you have some sur­face other than sod or earth around the tree, see that it does not extend as far as the tree's outer feeding roots, and leave a circle of natural soil around the trunk.

This can be planted. Care for your trees as injuries occur rather than wait to call in a tree surgeon and allow a weakened spot to remain untreated. Remove all dead, decayed, diseased or in­jured bark. Do this by removing the entire limb, or, on a large limb or trunk, dig out the decayed matter, sterilizing and waterproofing the cut surfaces with creosote and liquid tar. White lead or paint are not as good to use as they will not seal when used on damp surfaces. Fill deep wounds with concrete. Use a pruning hook carefully, avoiding bruises.

Evergreens

Evergreen trees and shrubs are more expensive in general than de­ciduous trees (trees that drop their leaves in winter). But they are worth their cost because of their year-round beauty, hardiness and longevity. Evergreens range from the broadleaved shrubs like rhodo­dendron and laurel to the tall-needled cone-bearing pines and stately spruces. The giant spruces and firs are most effective as wind­screens; the spreading evergreen shrubs are widely used not only be­cause of their attractiveness but also because they can be shaped and trimmed and do well in the shade (such as for foundation planting).

Pine is the most commonly known of the evergreens. White pine is noted for its long, soft, light silvery-green needles and rapid at­tainment of its 60- to 80-foot ma­turity. Red pine, as well as white pine, is splendid for backgrounds and windbreaks. Ponderosa pine, a broad, compact tree, is used for protection and ornamental screens. Austrian pine (black pine) with its rich, green color and spreading branches has great favor in the Midwest. Globe mugho pine is a small, rounded tree for ornamental planting.

Norway spruce is probably the most widely planted windbreak evergreen. Quick growing and. hardy, it has short needles of dark green; is a compact, pyramidal shape. Black Hills spruce grows toy 40 feet in time, is hardy and drought-resistant. A slow grower, it can remain in close quarters for many years. White spruce has short, thick, light blue-green needles; it matures at 60 to 70 feet and is good for landscaping and screens. Colorado blue spruce is a good specimen tree and hardy, too, but it suffers in heat and drought. Of the cedars, red cedar is a fine ornamental evergreen for hedges and windbreaks. It with­stands dry weather and the thick.

With careful planning the most formal and picturesque landscaping can be self maintaining. The natural rock formation is used to best advantage incorporated in the planting and pool. The brick terrace holds the warmth of the winter sun and the trees' shadows keep it cool in hot weather. Evergreen plants and shrubs retain their color through the seasons.

The out-of-doors is playing an increasing role in living enjoyment. To exploit the beauty of these grounds, the natural pond has been stocked with goldfish and several furniture groupings placed at strategic points around it. A tea house affords a table spot sheltered from sun and wind.

Douglas fir is the best fir for windbreaks and screening. Hardy, healthy, drought-resisting, it grows quickly and compactly, and its lofty pyramid makes a good lawn specimen. Balsam fir, the Christmas tree, is noted for its fragrance and lustrous foliage. White fir, a speci­men, has an attractive silvery color.

Arbor vitae, like cedar, fur­nishes the flat evergreen branch found in flower arrangements at Christmas. It is an ornamental tree of many varieties, and is best lo­cated in moist protected places. Un-trimmed, it is a broad pyramid, 35 to 50 feet tall, but it shears to any size or shape.

The juniper family is useful in planting, in tall forms such as the formal columnar juniper and the upright juniper, and as a spread­ing evergreen — the remarkable Pfitzer juniper—for banks, ground cover and edgings. The green feath­ery foliage grows rapidly; can stand crowding. Height at maturity is 8 feet, spread up to 12. Ground-covering junipers include prostrate, Sargent, Waukegan and creeping varieties.

Another evergreen with feath­ery foliage is the hemlock. The Canadian hemlock can be sheared in a symmetrical manner. Hemlock is most effective when planted in a grove with others.

Yew, with its thick glossy needles and dense, upward-reaehing branches, is useful as both shrub and tree, growing well in sun and shade. Try using it not in the usual manner —• as foundation planting only — but as a single handsome specimen against a wall of the gar­den. The low-spreading bushy dwarf yew can be clipped well. Other varieties are upright yew and Japanese yew, a tapering or coni­cal tree or shrub used for hedges.

Care of Evergreens

Evergreens tend to be adversely affected by hot, dry summer wea­ther and should be watered every 10 to 14 days at this time. Be sure the water reaches the deep-root growth, at least 6 inches deep. A mulch of grass clippings or peat moss will also protect the tree from loss of water in dry weather.

Pruning in late spring before new buds appear seems to help an evergreen thrive. Prune so that the inner branches can develop and the tree or shrub is more compact. Formal trees can be kept trim, with no ragged branches sticking out, and badly shaped or deformed trees can be corrected through shaping.

Evergreens are susceptible to "winterburn" from too much wind and winter sun, so that they dry up and their branches crack under the weight of snow or the force of wind.

A precaution is to water them deep­ly before the ground freezes in the late fall. They may also be pro­tected in winter by screens of bur­lap or straw mats. Where wind and winter sun are not too strong, shielding only on the sunny side is necessary. Burlap boxes or covers should be well ventilated. Thin, tall shrubs or small evergreen trees may be tied with strips of cloth, so that the branches will not crack. Old trees with heavy limbs may be propped with boards to prevent breakage under heavy snow or ice.

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