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The Part Played by Plants Other than Shrubs
The most interesting walls of green in an outdoor living room are not limited to one type of plant, such as deciduous shrubs. Just as perennials can be used along the front of the border, there is likewise a place for evergreens and trees in the border scheme.
Evergreens fall into two general classes: the cone bearers such as Pine, Hemlock, Juniper; and the broadleaved, such as Rhododendron, Azalea, Nandina, and a host of others. In some sections of the country, the use of broad-leaved evergreen shrubs supersedes the use of deciduous shrubs in the informal border. Here the rules given previously for selecting shrubs according to their height and other characteristics apply.
Some of the coniferous evergreens are useful in practically every section of the United States. Their rich foliage, pungent odor, beauty of color, variety of form and habit and evergreen character has earned for them the title, "Aristocrats of the Plant World." In regions where they thrive, their use as walls of greenery is most desirable for outdoor living rooms. Evergreens do not thrive near large industrial centers where smoke is prevalent.
If we have an unsightly view to screen and want it screened throughout the year evergreens are a good choice. If we want a rich background for flowers or for a garden feature such as a seat or birdbath, there is no foliage more lovely or suitable than evergreens. If our outdoor living room plan calls for a spire-like tree as an accent or contrasting form, there are numerous types of evergreens that will fill the bill perfectly adding privacy for our outdoor living rooms.
Our informal walls of greenery are almost sure to be more beautiful if some evergreens are used and there are numerous varieties of every name and nature suited for formal hedges to beautify our outdoor living rooms.