it is not hard to maximize the potential of your garden with shrubbery. The multiple heights that and sizes that you can purchase bushes in is a sure way to add levels and dimension to your garden. It can also act to divide and separate a space into many little garden spaces.

You can find it in varying heights and widths. You can find variegated varieties and varieties with flowers. It is possible to find shrubbery that flowers in any season as well as evergreens. The versatility of this plant is a gardeners dream. Bushes can be used in all sorts of way.

The ability to use it to quarter off areas of your garden have already been mentioned. They can also be used as an edging feature to line paths and driveways. It can be a background plant and utilized at the rear of a flowerbed or as a fence.

By selecting a variety that blooms you can add large amount of color to your yard in one planting. Mass plantings are beautiful but it can be tedious to do and then to maintain and weed. When you mass plant bushes that bloom you can get the color that you want with the ease of having to only plant and maintain a few plants versus dozens.

A bush may seem costly at first. However, considering how many plants you would have to buy to take the same amount of space as one bush it is easy to see that they are comparable if not cheaper. You can get a lot of coverage in your garden for not so much money or effort when using shrubbery.

Bushes save just as much water as they do time. Bushes can be found in all climates. Because of this you can find plants that are very drought tolerant and do not require much watering. The amount of water used for individual plants or for your lawn can be double what you use for certain types of shrubbery.

There are so many reasons to use flowering shrubbery for landscaping. Use them for interest. Use blooming bushes for color. Use them to maximize your effort for your money. They are easy to install and they are easy to care for. You can get them in all different sizes and shapes with all different color blooms and vegetation. They can be used to get the most of your individual garden. They make sense.

Make your yard look amazing and brand new by planting flowering shrubs along your fencing and along your outdoor entertainment area, and learn how to take care of flowering shrubs for yard.

Crepemyrtles in white and in lavender are good when used with the broad-leaved evergreens and Altheas of orchid and white with the Golden Rain tree for yellow lights. Rose and flesh pink and watermelon red Crepemyrtles give strong accents of bright colors that bloom for a long season. Therefore carefully plan their planting.

The Chaste-tree (Vitex agnus-castus) in steel blue is a good contrast for the pink and red Crepemyrtles and also gives a pleasing picture when used with other shrubs. Try the Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana) for rich color of brilliant crimson and white flowers with yellow anthers that bloom throughout the summer and in fall produces fruit which makes delicious jelly. This shrub from Brazil is evergreen when planted in sheltered situations and is a fine addition to our gardens.

Camellias and Azaleas should be planted. Wait until the bloom is over and the plants are dormant before having them shipped. There are many complaints about no bloom on Azaleas the second year and this is probably due to the shock of transplanting when they are in bloom.

Tango trees (Sesbanias) are brilliant all summer with clusters of flame and orange flowers. They contrast well with the Chaste-trees but are exceptionally fine with the Heavenly Blue Morning Glories. Plant them where they will show up against the new Brazilian Morning Glory (Ipomoea leari). Planted in April this vine will make a growth of 25 or 30 feet during the season and be covered with hundreds of azure blue flowers from July until frost. The tops are then killed down but if the roots are covered with leaves they will send up shoots another spring. Since this Morning Glory does not set seeds it is free from the objections which make other Morning Glories a pest.

Coral Vines or the Mexican-rose (Antigonon leptotus) should also be planted now. Remove the winter mulch of leaves, fertilize and let them grow. By the fall they will cover many square feet of space with their lovely deep pink blossoms in graceful drooping racemes.

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Shrubs are used in four broad ways: for boundaries. for partitions and backgrounds, for specimens and for foundation plantings. We have discussed these uses of shrubs and the characteristics demanded by each use. Even at the risk of repetition, further discussion with the particular plans in mind may be helpful.

Boundaries

Boundary plantings are used to give privacy and to screen from view any unsightly objects beyond. Also, they tie the whole garden together to give unity, and they act as a background and frame for the garden displays.

Boundary plants need to be dense enough and high enough to shut off the view, with some variety in height to make the skyline interesting. Sometimes it is a good idea to leave gaps in the planting, to show desirable views beyond the boundaries.

As mass effect is desired, plant shrubs in groups of one variety rather than single plants of many sorts. Choose the shrubs for their rapid growth, spreading habit and mid-green foliage rather than for distinctive features. Wherever bloom occurs it should be in large enough masses to be effective at the distance from which it will be seen. Bloom, of course, is always attractive but in large gardens it is not as important in boundary plantings as in parts of the garden where it will be seen in more detail.

On small city lots we cannot hope to attain complete privacy or to screen the view of all surrounding buildings. On some lots the boundary planting takes the form of a hedge, or a fence on which climbers are grown. On others it is made up of groups of shrubs that not only back up the bright displays of the garden but to a great extent form the displays themselves.

Partitions and Backgrounds

Plantings separating small lots are more like partitions than boundaries.

The purpose of partitions, or background, plantings is to separate one garden area from another. Here, bloom and other distinctive features are important as the shrubs are close at hand and consequently are seen in detail.

Keep in mind that partitions and backgrounds are seen in elevation, and in your plans arrange them so that they will be most pleasing at maturity. There will be points where you need boldness and increased height in the skyline. Here you should use “dominant” plants – small trees or large shrubs that have coarse foliage and a dense appearance whose height and texture makes them stand out above their fellows. These break the partition into sections or pictures. Usually the center of interest in each of these small pictures consists of low-growing plants, such as those that spread horizontally or have some other particularly attractive feature. These we call “interest” plants. They are backed up and flanked by “fillers,” average sorts of plants whose function is to enhance and connect the other two.

In all good shrub grouping in informal gardens, harmony is the rule, contrast the exception. There should be harmony of form, and of color and texture of foliage, with strong contrast of form and texture used only at strategic points. Foliage color should blend gradually with the bright, warm greens near at hand and dark greens, blue-greens and gray-greens farther away. This gives the impression of added distance.

Texture, too, may be used to create illusions of distance or to emphasize certain points. Large foliage and coarse twigs like the bamboo palm plant are seen more clearly than fine foliage and twigs and, consequently, seem to be closer. For this reason large shrubs and palm plant of coarse texture make large spaces seem smaller. Similarly, a coarse shrub at the front of a border of fine-textured shrubs stands out very distinctly, and fine shrubs backed by coarser ones appear flat.

Specimens

Shrubs used as specimens, or accent points, in the garden lend emphasis to particular features of the design.

Do not scatter specimen shrubs around indiscriminately where they will distract attention from the design and main features of the garden. Spotty planting usually creates confusion and spoils the appearance of the garden.

In modern gardens a few specimens are often the only plants used. In this case, you have to he even more careful than usual to select shrubs that have the right texture and habit of growth to meet your particular needs.

Foundation Planting

In general, planting is grouped around the entrance and at the corners of the house to soften the angles. The sizes of such groups, and of the shrubs or snow bush plant in them vary with the size of the house and the massiveness Of its appearance. Small houses call for neat, small shrubs like Japanese barberry or sharp-leaved cotoneaster; larger houses of stone or brick need larger shrubs, such as Tatarian honeysuckle or mockorange, to match their appearance.

A few well-chosen shrubs at the entrance, and a few to mask bare corners, give a much better appearance than a belt of shrubs all around, over which the house must peek. You may add to this skeleton planting as you see fit by planting lower shrubs in the foreground.

Low-growing shrubs, snow bush plant or ground covers match the spreading, low lines of modern houses best, but sometimes a strong vertical line is needed to break the monotony.

Space Between Shrubs

Wherever shrubs are planted close to each other it is advisable to plant them in solid beds. If you have each shrub in a separate circle cut out of the sod, it gives the garden a spotty appearance and needs more work to maintain. Also, remember that shrubs grow rapidly and should be planted from 3 to 10 feet apart depending on the size at maturity. For example, lilacs and Tatarian honeysuckle each need a space of 8 to 10 feet at maturity and Van Houttei spirea at least 5 feet.

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For those who have Christmas and Lenten roses that bloomed this spring the seed will probably be ready to collect, even though the pods are grass green, about the first week of June. If any of the seeds are getting dark, pick them immediately because by the next afternoon they may have dropped.

I put my seed in moist peat moss in plastic bags as soon as I gather it. I label the bags with a wired plant label and throw them on the ground under a shrub and put just a little peat moss over them to protect them. In late November I sow them out of doors in a cold frame. Its amazing how early they start germinating. The first, last winter, were pushing leaves above ground the third week of January.

Everybody in the east should be able to grow Christmas or Lenten roses. My mother had them for years in Ithaca, New York. My sister has them in East Lansing, Michigan. Years ago I discovered a few plants thriving in a garden in Virginia, Minnesota. They do not like a very dry spot. Once you have planted them leave them alone and they should remain for at least a generation, maybe more.

As the temperatures start to rise it will soon be time to put a mulch on your roses and flowers. It may be partially rotted leaves, it may be coarse sawdust, shavings or even spent hops from a brewery. A two-inch layer is ample, but remember that if the mulch is not decomposed, an extra application of fertilizer must be given.

Towards the end of June is a good time to take softwood cuttings, the tip two inches of growth of shrubs, evergreens such as chinese evergreen, hardy flowers and houseplants. They will root well in the coarse grade of vermiculite. Use shallow plastic bedding plant flats about two inches deep. Later transplant to a cold frame or nursery bed.

Dont forget that you can keep planting gladiolus every week or ten days up until mid-July to give you a succession of bloom. And all of your glads will probably need a weekly spray of Malathion for the control of thrips.

In the North the bright colors of iris, peonies, lupins and roses are once more proclaiming the month of June and the spring flowering shrubs with their wealth of pastel shades have again had their day. With the passing of the blooms on the shrubs comes the go ahead signal to start pruning and so help them to make strong growth that will bear next years bloom.

Time to take out thin and old wood and cut back a bit, too, if necessary but dont cut back your shrubs until they look like overgrown footballs or clipped hedges unless they are hedges. A natural looking shrub looks best. Of course, such shrubs as forsythia, if they have grown beyond control, can be cut back to 18 or 20 inches from the ground to force new low growth. .

Water Lilies may be planted in June. Both hardy and tender types are easily grown in pools or ponds that have 12 or more inches of water. They do best planted in tubs or pots. A liberal quantity of manure should go into the pot first, then some good soil that contains a 6 inch pot of bonemeal per bushel of soil. After the root has been firmly planted the soil should be covered with an inch of gravel or sand to keep the soil from washing out. Soak before putting the pot into the water which should be 6 to 12 inches deep over the pot. Use concrete blocks or bricks to raise pots in a deep pool.

Hardy types can be planted into the muddy bottom of a pond with two to three feet of water over them. In such a place they can be left outside all winter.

Annuals can be sown in the garden. So, go ahead and fill up those bare spots. Better use the faster growing types such as marigolds, zinnias, love-in-a-mist (nigella) and annual candytuft. Thin out the plants when they are an inch or two high.

Lace wing flies become active this month on broadleaved types of evergreen shrubs such as rhododendrons, Pieris japonica and azaleas. They confine their activities, for the most part, to the backs of the leaves and cause them to turn a sickly gray. Use a malathion spray early this month and be sure to cover the undersides of the leaves.

Perennial Lupins make a wonderful splash of color and are excellent decorative material. Sow them now in their permanent places in the garden for flowering next year. To speed up germination chip the seed before sowing (break through the outer shell with a sharp knife or a nail file). I turn my lupin beds under after the second year and always have a new bed coming along to replace them. Young plants require a light mulch of hay their first winter.

Landscaping is the art of gardening and the science of beautifying your surroundings. It entails planting, growing, building, installing, constructing, and sculpting in a large scale. The landscaper must be in tune with the earth, and with the site he wants to develop and beautify. Lighting, wind, and weather conditions are all-important components in a landscapers repertoire of resources.

The soil that is in your backyard or garden along with the climate will have an impact on what types of plants and flowers you should use. You might also find out what kinds of pests might be a problem and what you will have to do to fertilize and keep everything pest free and growing. Once you have considered these things you will then be able to start putting together a plan of what you want things to look like.

A landscapers palette is replete with the colors of nature. Flowering plants come in red, blue, pink, yellow, violet, and all the colors you can think of. Leaves come in different shapes and sizes, as well as colors. There are trees, vines, and shrubs to fill up a yard and garden. Then there are the evergreen and the deciduous plants. Evergreen being those plants with year round leaves, and deciduous being those that lose their leaves part of the year.

You can also plant trees and shrubs for practical purposes as well as for looks. Trees that grow bushy will provide shade from the sun during the summer months and help keep the house cooler. If you need some privacy from a street or neighbor, you might choose to put in a hedge rather than build a fence. The natural beauty of a green hedge is always better than an ugly wood fence.

Backyard landscaping can be very different from the front yard as often the front of the house is for show while the back gets more practical use. Families with kids will want a large play area of grass for the children while an older couple with no kids may want something totally different. If you dont have children you may want to set up a space for entertaining or a garden that looks pleasing to the eye. Whether you have a big yard with grass for playing or one set up for a different purpose, the plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees you choose will all play an important part of how your backyard comes together and blends in with the house.