ushes will have run together to such an extent that each
plant has lost its individuality. There will be a thicket of branches
which will constantly interfere with each other's well being, and
prevent healthy development. If you take the look ahead which I have
advised, you will anticipate the development of the shrub, and plant for
the future rather than the immediate present. Be content to let the
grounds look rather naked for a time. Three or four years will remedy
that defect. You can plant perennials and annuals between them,
temporarily, if you want the space filled. It will be understood that
what has been said in this paragraph applies to _different kinds_ of
shrubs set as single specimens, and not to those planted on the
"grouping" system.

In planting shrubs, the rule given for trees applies quite fully. Have
the hole for them large enough to admit of spreading out their roots
naturally. You can tell about this by setting the shrub down upon the
ground after unwrapping it, and watching the way in which it disposes of
its roots. They will spread out on all sides as they did before the
plant was taken from the ground. This is what they should be allowed to
do in their new quarters. Many persons dig what resembles a post-hole
more than anything else, and crowd the roots of the shrub into it,
without making any effort to loosen or straighten them out, dump in some
lumpy soil, trample it down roughly, and call the work done. Done it
is, after a fashion, but those who love the plants they set out--those
who want fine shrubs and expect them to grow well from the
beginning--never plant in that way. Spread the roots out on all sides,
cover them with fine, mellow soil, settle this into compactness with a
liberal application of water, then fill up the hole, and cover the
surface with a mulch of some kind. Treated in this way not one shrub in
a hundred will fail to grow, if it has good roots. What was said about
cutting off the ends on injured roots, in the chapter on planting trees,
applies with equal pertinence here. Also, about keeping the roots
covered until you are ready to put the plant into the ground. A shrub is
a tree on a small scale, and should receive the same kind of treatment
so far as planting goes. These instructions may seem trifling, but they
are really matters of great importance, as every amateur will find after
a little experience. A large measure of one's success depends on how
closely we follow out