EW persons who daily pass attractive homes in the suburban districts of our large cities and the outlying country, realize that much of their charm is due to effects which require a comparatively small outlay in dollars and cents. Good taste, combined with a degree of skill that is within reach of most of us, represent the chief part of the investment. And yet—these little, inexpensive things are the very ones that produce the pleasing effects we are all striving after in our efforts to make home attractive. Most of them convey an impression of being made for use, not show. They are in a class with the broad-seated, wide-armed "old hickory" rockers with which we make our modern verandas comfortable nowadays, and the hammock swung in shady places, wherein one may lie and take his ease, and forget everything but the fact that it is sometimes a pleasant thing to be lazy—frankly, unblushingly lazy. It is a healthy indication in our American life when so many persons go in for getting all the comfort they can from outdoors in summer. Every home whose grounds are large enough to accommodate them ought to have benches here and there, made for comfort, rather than looks, garden-seats, summer-houses—all suggestive of rest and relaxation. In this chapter I propose to briefly describe a few such home-made features, hoping that the man or boy who has the "knack" of using tools to advantage, actuated by a desire to make home-environments pleasant, may be led to copy some of them.
Let me say, right here, that the work demanded in the construction of rustic features about the home is just the kind of work I would encourage boys to undertake. It will be found so enjoyable that it will seem more like play than labor. There is the pleasure of planning it—the sense of responsibility and importance which comes to the lad who sets out to do something "all by himself," and the delightful consciousness that what is done may result in making home more home-like, and add to the comfort and pleasure of those whose love and companionship go to make home the best place on earth.
SUMMER HOUSESUMMER HOUSE
In constructing summer-houses, bridges, and other rustic work, there should be a careful plan made before the work is begun. Never work "by guess." Go at the undertaking precisely as the mechanic sets about the construction of a house. Draw a diagram of what the structure is to be. A rough diagram will answer quite as well as any, provided it covers all particulars.
Figure out just how much material the plan calls for. Get this on the ground before anything else is done. The material required will be poles of different sizes and lengths, large and substantial nails, a few planks for floors and benches—possibly tables—and shingles for covering such structures as need roofing in, unless bark is used for this purpose. Of course bark gives more of a "rustic" look to a roof, but it is not an easy matter to obtain a good quality of it, and shingles, stained a mossy-green or dark brown, will harmonize charmingly with the rest of the building, and furnish a much more substantial roof than it is possible to secure with even the best kind of bark.
If possible, use cedar poles in preference to any other, for several reasons: First of all, they are more ornamental, because of their bark, which is more permanent than that of any other wood.They are light, and easy to handle, and take a nail as readily as pine. And then—their aromatic odor makes it a constant delight to work among them to those who like sweet, fresh, wild-woody smells. But all kinds of poles can be substituted for cedar if that is not obtainable. The kind of wood used in the construction of rustic work is not a matter of prime importance, though it may be, and is, largely a matter of taste. But when we cannot do as we would like to we must do the best we can.
Provide yourself with a good saw, a hammer, a square, and a mitre-box. These will be all the tools you will be likely to need. Use spikes to fasten the larger timbers together, and smaller nails for the braces and ornamental work of the design. Speaking of ornamental work reminds me to say that the more crooked, gnarled, and twisted limbs and branches you can secure, the better will be the effect, as a general thing, for formality must be avoided as far as possible. We are not working according to a plan of Nature's but we are using Nature's material, and we must use it as it comes from Nature's hand in order to make it most effective.
Take pains in making joints. If everything is cut to the proper length and angle, it will fittogether neatly, and only a neat job will be satisfactory.
Let me advise the reader who concludes to try his hand at the construction of rustic work to confine his selection of design to something not very elaborate. Leave that for wealthy people who can afford to have whatever their taste inclines them to, without regard to cost, and who give the work over to the skilled workman. I am considering matters from the standpoint of the home-maker, who believes we get more real pleasure out of what we make with our own hands than from that which we hire some one to make for us.
In one of the illustrations accompanying this chapter is shown a combination summer-house and arbor that is very easily made, and that will cost but little. The picture gives so clear an idea of framework and general detail that a description does not seem necessary. As a considerable weight will have to be supported by the roof, when vines have been trained over it, it will be necessary to use stout poles for uprights, and to run substantial braces from them to the cross-poles overhead. The built-in seats on each side add greatly to the comfort of the structure, and invite us to "little halts by the wayside," in whichto "talk things over," or to quiet hours with a book that would lose half its charm if read indoors, as a companion. The original of this picture is built over a path that is sometimes used as a driveway, and is known as "the outdoor parlor" by the family on whose grounds it stands. You will find some member of the family there on every pleasant day, throughout the entire season, for it is fitted out with hammocks and swinging seats, and a table large enough to serve as tea-table, on occasion, with a cover that lifts and discloses a snug box inside in which books and magazines can be left without fear of injury in case of shower or damp weather. Tea served in such surroundings takes on a flavor that it never has indoors. The general design of this summer-house, as will readily be seen by the illustration, is simplicity itself, and can very easily be copied by the amateur workman.
It often happens that there are ravines or small depressions on the home-grounds over which a rustic bridge could be thrown with pleasing effect, from the ornamental standpoint, and prove a great convenience from the standpoint of practicality. If there is a brook there, all the better, but few of us, however, are fortunate enough to be owners of grounds possessing socharming a feature, and our bridges must be more ornamental in themselves than would be necessary if there was water to add its attraction to the spot.
A PERGOLA SUGGESTIONA PERGOLA SUGGESTION
One of the most delightful summer-houses I have ever seen was largely the result of an accident. An old tree standing near a path was broken down in a storm, some years ago, and a portion of its trunk was made use of as a support for one side of the roof. On the opposite side, rustic arches were used. The roof was shingled, and stained a dark green, thus bringing it into color-harmony with its surroundings. Over the roof a Wistaria was trained, and this has grown to such size that but few of the shingles are to be seen through its branches. About this spot the home-life of the family centres from April to late October. "We would miss it more than any part of the dwelling," its owner and builder said to me, when I asked permission to photograph it. I could readily understand the regard of the family for so beautiful a place, which, I have no doubt, cost less than one of the great flower-beds that we see on the grounds of wealthy people, and see without admiring, so formal and artificial are they, and so suggestive of professional work duplicated inother gardens until the very monotony of them becomes an offence to the eye of the man or woman who believes in individuality and originality.
Rustic fences between lots are great improvements on the ordinary boundary fence, especially if vines are trained over them. They need not be elaborate in design to be attractive. If made of poles from which the bark has been taken, they should be stained a dark green or brown to bring them into harmony with their surroundings.
Screen-frames of rustic work, as a support for vines, to hide unsightly outbuildings, are far preferable to the usual one of wood with wire netting stretched over it. They will cost no more than one of lattice, and will be vastly more pleasing, in every respect.
Gateways can be made exceedingly pleasing by setting posts at each side of the gate, and fashioning an arch to connect them, at the top. Train a vine, like Ampelopsis, over the upper part of the framework, and you make even the simplest gateway attractive.
A garden-seat, with a canopy of vines to shade it, may not be any more comfortable,as a seat, than any wooden bench, but the touch of beauty and grace imparted by the vine that roofs itmakes it far more enjoyable than an expensive seat without the vine would be to the person who has a taste for pleasing and attractive things, simply because it pleases the eye by its outlines, thus appealing to the sense of the beautiful. Beauty is cheap, when looked at from the right standpoint, which is never one of dollars and cents. It is just these little things about a place that do so much to make it home-like, as you will readily see if, when you find a place that pleases you, you take the trouble to analyze the secret of its attractiveness.
The pergola has not been much in evidence among us until of late. A rapidly increasing taste for the attractive features of old-world, outdoor life in sunny countries where much of the time is spent outside the dwelling, and the introduction of the "Italian garden" idea, have given it a popularity in America that makes it a rival of the arbor or summer-house, and bids fair to make it a thing of permanence among us.
The question is frequently asked by those who have read about pergolas, but have never seen one, as to wherein they differ from the ordinary arbor. The difference is more in location, material, and manner of construction than anything else. They are generally built of timber that canbe given a coating of paint, with more or less ornamental pillars or supports and rafters, and are constructed along definite architectural lines. They are, in fact, ornamental structures over which vines are to be trained loosely with a view to tempering the sunshine rather than excluding it. The framework of the arbor, as a general thing, is considered secondary to the effect produced by it when the vines we plant about it are developed. But, unlike the Americanized pergola, the arbor is almost always located in a retired or inconspicuous part of the home-grounds, and is seldom found connected with the dwelling. To get the benefit of the arbor, or the summer-house we evolve from it, we must go to it, while the pergola, as adapted by most of us, brings the attractive features of out-door life to the house, thus combining out- and in-door life more intimately than heretofore. One of the illustrations accompanying this chapter shows a very simple pergola framework—one that can be built cheaply, and by any man or boy who is at all "handy with tools," and can be used as a plan to work from by anyone who desires to attach a modification of the pergola proper to the dwelling, for the purpose of furnishing shade to portions of it not provided with verandas. It willrequire the exercise of but little imagination to enable one to see what a charming feature of the home such a structure will be when vines have been trained over it. There are many homes that would be wonderfully improved by the addition of something of this kind, with very little trouble and expense. It is to be hoped that many a housewife can prevail on the "men-folks" to interest themselves on pergola-building on a small scale, as indicated in the illustration, for practical as well as ornamental reasons. Anything that will take the occupants of the dwelling out of doors is to be encouraged. Especially would the women of the household enjoy a vine-shaded addition of this kind, during the intervals of leisure that come during the day, and the head of the family would find it an ideal place in which to smoke his evening pipe. In several respects it can be made much more satisfactory than a veranda. It can be made larger—roomier, and there will be more of an out-door atmosphere about it because of its airiness, and the play of light and shade through the vines that clamber overhead. Pergolas of elaborate design need not be described here, as they properly belong to homes not made attractive by the individual efforts of the home owner. They are betteradapted to the grounds of wealthy people, who are not obliged to consider expense, and who are not actively interested in the development of the home by themselves.
A SIMPLE PERGOLA FRAMEWORKA SIMPLE PERGOLA FRAMEWORK
What vines would I advise for use about arbors, summer-houses, and pergolas?
The Wild Grape, though not much used, is one of our best native vines. It has the merit of rapid growth, entire hardiness, luxuriant foliage and delightful habit, and when in bloom it has a fragrance that is as exquisite as it is indescribable—one of those vague, elusive, and yet powerful odors so characteristic of spring flowers. You will smell it—the air will be full of it—and yet it will puzzle you to locate it. The wind will blow from you and it will be gone. Then a breeze will blow your way, and the air will suddenly be overpoweringly sweet with the scent shaken free from blossoms so small as to be hardly noticeable unless one makes a careful search for them. Then, too, the fruit is not only attractive to the eye in fall, but pleasant to the taste of those who delight in the flavor of wild things, among whom we must class the robins, who will linger about the vine until the last berry is gone.
GARDENER'S TOOL-HOUSEGARDENER'S TOOL-HOUSE
Another most excellent vine for covering thesestructures is our native Ampelopsis, better known as American Ivy, or Virginia Creeper. This vine is of exceedingly rapid growth, and will accomplish more in one season than most other vines do in two or three years. Its foliage is beautiful at all times, but especially so in late autumn when it takes on a brilliance that makes it a rival of the flower. In fact, every leaf of it seems all at once to become a flower, glowing with scarlet and maroon of varying shades, with here and there a touch of bronze to afford contrast and heighten the intensity of the other colors. This vine is perhaps the best of all vines for use on rustic structures, because it takes hold of rough poles and posts with stout little tendrils or sucker-like discs which ask for no assistance from us in the way of support.
Another most charming vine is Clematispaniculata. This is a variety of the Clematis family of comparatively recent introduction, quite unlike the large-flowering class. It has white flowers, small individually, but produced in such enormous quantities that the upper portions of the vine seem to be covered with foam, or a light fall of snow. They will entirely hide the foliage with their dainty, airy grace, and you will declare, when you first see the plant in fullbloom, that it is the most beautiful thing you ever saw in the way of a vine. And not the least of its merits is its habit of flowering at a time when most vines have passed into the sere-and-yellow-leaf period. September and October see it in its prime. Its foliage, of dark, rich, glossy green, furnishes a most pleasing background against which its countless panicles of white bloom stand out with most striking and delightful effect. I have no knowledge of a more floriferous vine, and I know of no more beautiful one. As a covering for the pergola attached to the house it is unrivalled.
In the southern belt of our northern states, where the Wistaria is hardy enough to withstand the winter, no more satisfactory flowering vine can be chosen for a pergola covering. Its habit of growth and flowering seems perfectly in harmony with the primary idea of the pergola. It will furnish all the shade that is needed without shutting out the sunshine entirely, and its pendant clusters of lavender-blue flowers are never more pleasing than when seen hanging between the cross-bars of the pergola.
If the person who builds a summer-house or a pergola is impatient for results it will be well to make use of annual vines for covering it thefirst season, though something of a more permanent nature should always be planned for. One of our best annuals, so far as rapidity of growth is concerned, is the Wild Cucumber, of which mention was made in the preceding chapter. Because of its rapid development, the usefulness of the plant for immediate effects will be readily understood. But it is valuable only as a substitute for something more substantial and should not be depended on after the first season. It lacks the dignity and strength of a permanent vine.
The Morning Glory will be found very effective for a first-season covering. This vine is prodigal in its production of flowers. Every sunny day, throughout the season, it will be covered with blossoms, so many in number that they make a veritable "glory" of the forenoon hours.
Another excellent annual is the Japan Hop. This will perhaps afford better satisfaction than the Wild Cucumber or the Morning Glory, because its foliage bears some resemblance to that of the hardy vines of which I have spoken. In other words, it has more substance and dignity, and therefore seems more in harmony with the structure over which it is trained. Its leaves have a variegation of creamy white on a dark greenground. This makes it as ornamental as if it were a flowering plant.
Every home ought to have its "playhouse" for children. If fitted with screens to keep out mosquitoes, the younger members of the family, especially the girls, will literally "live in it" for six months of the year. I would suggest fitting it with canvas curtains to shut out wind and rain. I would also advise making it of good size, for the children will take delight in entertaining visitors in it, and a tiny structure is not convenient for the entertainment of "company." Such a building can be made as ornamental as any arbor or pergola at slight cost, when vines are used to hide the shortcomings of its material and construction. Be sure it will be appreciated by the little folks, and quite likely some of the "children of a larger growth" will dispute its occupancy with them, at times, if there is no other building of its kind about the place.
ARPET-BEDDING is not the most artistic phase of gardening, by any means, but it has a great attraction for many persons who admire masses of harmonious and contrasting colors more than the individual beauty of a flower. Therefore a chapter on this subject will no doubt be gladly welcomed by those who have seen the striking effects secured by the use of plants having ornamental or richly colored foliage, in our large public parks, and on the grounds of the wealthy.
Let me say, just here, that the person who attempts what, for want of a better name, might be called pictorial gardening, is wise if he selects a rather simple pattern, especially at the outset of his career in this phase of garden-work. Intricate and elaborate designs call for more skill in their successful working out than the amateur is likely to be master of, and they demand a larger amount of time and labor than the average amateur florist will be likely to expend upon them.And the fact should never be lost sight of that failure to give all the care needed brings about most discouraging results. This being the case, select a design in which the effect aimed at can be secured by broad masses of color, depending almost wholly on color-contrast for pleasing results. Bear in mind that this "school" of pictorial art belongs to the "impressionistic" rather than the "pre-Raphaelite," about which we hear so much nowadays, and leave the fine work to the professional gardener, or wait until you feel quite sure of your ability to attempt it with a reasonably good show of success.
Some persons are under the impression that flowering plants can be used to good effect in carpet-bedding. This is not the case, however. In order to bring out a pattern or design fully and clearly, it is absolutely necessary that we make use of plants which are capable of giving a solid color-effect. This we obtain from foliage, but very few flowering plants are prolific enough of bloom to give the desired result. The effect will be thin and spotty, so never depend on them. Quite often they can be used in combination with plants having ornamental foliage in such a manner as to secure pleasing results, but they always play a secondary part in this phase of gardening.
The best plants to use in carpet-bedding are the following:
Coleus, in various shades of red, maroon, and scarlet, light and dark yellow, green and white, and varieties in which colors and shades of color are picturesquely blended.
Achyranthes, low-growing plants in mixtures of red, pink, yellow and green.
Alternatheras, similar to Achyranthes in habit, but with red as a predominating color. Both are excellent for working out the finer details of a design.
Pyrethrum—"Golden Feather"—with feathery foliage of a tawny yellow.
Centaureagymnocarpa,—"Dusty Miller,"—with finely-cut foliage of a cool gray.
Geranium Madame Salleroi—with pale green and white foliage. This is a most excellent plant for use in carpet-bedding because of its close, compact habit of growth, and its very symmetrical shape which is retained throughout the entire season without shearing or pruning.
It must be borne in mind by the amateur florist that success in carpet-bedding depends nearly as much on the care given as on the material used. In order to bring out a design sharply, it is necessary to go over the bed at least twice a week andcut away all branches that show a tendency to straggle across the boundary line of the various colors. Run your pruning shears along this line and ruthlessly cut away everything that is not where it belongs. If this is not done, your "pattern" will soon become blurred and indistinct. If any intermingling of colors "from across the line" is allowed, all sharpness of outline will be destroyed.
The plants must be clipped frequently to keep them dwarf and compact. Make it a point to keep the larger-growing kinds, such as Coleus, Pyrethrum and Centaurea, under six inches in height rather than over it. Alternatheras and Achyranthes will need very little shearing, as to top, because of their habit of low growth.
In setting these plants in the bed, be governed by the habit of each plant. Achyranthes and Alternatheras, being the smallest, should be put about four inches apart. Give the Coleus about six inches of lee-way, also the Centaurea. Allow eight inches for Madame Salleroi Geranium and Pyrethrum. These will soon meet in the row and form a solid line or mass of foliage.
So many persons have asked for designs for carpet-bedding, that I will accompany this chapter with several original with myself which haveproved very satisfactory. Some of them may seem rather complicated, but when one gets down to the business of laying them out, the seeming complications will vanish.
In laying out all but the star-shaped and circular beds, it is well to depend upon a square as the basis to work from. Decide on the size of bed you propose to have, and then stake out a square as shown by the dotted lines in design No. 1, and work inside this square in filling in the details. If this is done, the work will not be a difficult one.
No. 1.No. 1.
Design No. 1 will be found easy to make and admits of many pleasing combinations and modifications. Each gardener who sees fit to adopt any of these designs should study out a color-scheme of his own. Knowing the colors of thematerial he has to work with it will not be difficult to arrange these colors to suit individual taste. I think this will be more satisfactory than to give any arbitrary arrangement of colors, for half the pleasure of gardening consists in originating things of this kind, rather than copying what some one else has originated, or of following instructions given by others. This does not apply so much to designs for beds as it does to the colors we make use of in them.
No. 2.No. 2.
In the designs accompanying this chapter it will be seen that simple plans are made capable of producing more elaborate effects by making use of the dotted lines. Indeed, one can make these designs quite intricate by dividing the different spaces as outlined in No. 2. A plain centre with a plain point, as shown ina, shows the bed in its very simplest form. Ing,c, andd, we see these points with three different arrangements suggested, and the dotted line in the central portion indicates a change that can be made there that will add considerably to the effectiveness of the design. A little study of other designs will, I think, make them so plain that they can be worked out with but little trouble.
No. 3.No. 3.
I would suggest that before deciding on anycolor-combinations, a rough diagram be made of whatever bed you select and that this be colored to correspond with the material you have to work with. Seeing these colors side by side on paper will give you a better idea of the general effect that will result from any of your proposed combinations than you can get in any other way, and to test them in this manner may prevent you from making some serious mistakes.
No. 4.No. 4.
It will be necessary to go over the beds every day or two and remove all dead or dying leaves. Neatness is an item of the greatest importance in this phase of gardening, or any other, for that matter.
No.5.No.5.
Large plants can be used in the centre of any of these designs, if one cares to do so, with very good effect. For this purpose we have few plants that will give greater satisfaction than the Dahlia. Scarlet Salvia would be very effective if yellow Coleus were used about it, but it would not please if surrounded with red Coleus, as the red of the plant and the red of the flower would not harmonize. A Canna of rich, dark green would make a fine centre plant for a bed in which red Coleus served as a background. One of the dark copper-colored varieties would show to fine effect if surrounded with either yellow Pyrethrum or gray Centaurea.
No. 6.No. 6.
Ageratum, with its delicate lavender-blue flowers, can be made extremely attractive in combination with yellow Coleus. A pink Geranium surrounded with gray Centaurea would be delightful in the harmony that would result from a combination of these colors.
No. 7.No. 7.
Nos. 7 and 8 illustrate the simplest possible form of bed. No. 7 is designed for plants to be set in rows. In a bed of this kind floweringplants can be used more effectively than in any of the others. Pink, white, and pale yellow Phlox would be very pretty in such a combination. No. 8 would be quite effective if each of the five sections were of a different color of Coleus. Or the whole star might be of a solid color, with a border of contrasting color. Red Coleus with Madame Salleroi Geranium as a border would look well. So would yellow Coleus edged with Centaurea.
No. 8.No. 8.
E do not lay as much stress on edging beds and walks with flowering plants as formerly, but the practice is a most pleasing one, and ought not to be neglected. It is one of the phases of gardening that has been allowed to fall into disuse, to a considerable extent, but there are already signs that show it is coming back to its old popularity, along with the old-fashioned flowers that are now more in favor than ever before. This is as it should be.
A bed without a pretty border or edging always seems incomplete to me. It is as if the owner of it ran short of material before it was finished. The bit of lace or ribbon that is to add the last touch of grace and beauty to the gown is lacking.
Especially is a border of flowering plants satisfactory if kinds are selected which bloomthroughout the greater part of the season. The plants we make use of in the centre of the bed are not always attractive before they come into bloom, neither are they that after they have passed their prime, but a pretty edging of flowers draws attention from their shortcomings, and always pleases.
One of our best flowering plants for edging purposes is Candytuft. It comes into bloom early in the season, and blooms in great profusion until the coming of frost. Keep it from developing seed and it will literally cover itself with bloom. I would advise going over it twice a week and clipping off every cluster of faded blossoms. This answers two purposes—that of preventing the formation of seed, and of removing what would be a disfigurement to the plant if it were allowed to remain.
There are two varieties of Candytuft in cultivation—one white, the other a dull red. The white variety is the one most persons will select, as it harmonizes with all other plants. But the red sort is very pleasing when used with harmonious colors. I last year saw a bed of Nasturtium bordered with it, and the effect was delightful. Its dull color blended well with the richer, stronger tones of the Nasturtium flowers,and gave them an emphasis that was suggestive of the effect of dull, rich colors used in old rugs in heightening and bringing out, by contrast, the brighter colors.
In using Candytuft for edging, set the plants about a foot apart. I would advise two rows of them, placing the plants in such a manner that they alternate in the rows. Do not attempt to train them. Let them do that for themselves. One of their most attractive features is their lack of formality when allowed to grow to suit themselves. Very pleasing results are secured by using the white and red varieties together, the colors alternating. If the centre of the bed is filled with "Golden Feather" Pyrethrum and these two Candytufts are used as an edging, the effect will be very fine as the dull red admirably supplements the greenish-yellow color of the Pyrethrum, while the white relieves what, without it, would be too sombre a color-scheme.
Sweet Alyssum is excellent for edging purposes. Its general effect is quite similar to that of the white Candytuft, but it has greater delicacy of both bloom and foliage, and the additional merit of a delightful fragrance.
Ageratum is lovely for edging beds of pink Geraniums, its soft lavender tones being in perfect harmony with their color. It is equally satisfactory when used with pale rose Phlox Drummondi, or the soft yellow shades of that flower. Combine the three colors in a bed and you will have something unusually dainty and delightful. One of the prettiest beds I saw last summer was filled with Sweet Alyssum, and edged with Ageratum. If there was any unfavorable criticism to be made, it was that a touch of some brighter, stronger color was needed to relieve its white and lavender. A free-flowering rose-colored Geranium in its centre, or a pink Verbena, would have added much to the general effect, I fancy. As it was, it was suggestive of old blue-and-white Delft, and the collector of that ware would have gone into raptures over it.
For a permanent edging, for beds, paths, and the border, Bellisperennis, whose popular name is English Daisy, is one of the best of all plants. It is entirely hardy. It blooms early in the season. It is wonderfully generous in its production of flowers. These are small, and very double, some pink, some almost white, produced on short stems which keep them close to the ground and prevent them from straggling. Its thick, bright green foliage furnishes a charming background against which the blossoms display themselves effectively. It is a plant that does well everywhere, and is always on good termswith everything else in the garden, as will be seen by the illustration that shows it in full bloom, along with Pansies and Hyacinths. Because of its compact, non-straggling habit it is especially useful for bordering paths and the border, permitting the use of the lawn-mower or the rake with perfect freedom. Plants should be set about eight inches apart. If you have but few plants of it and desire more, pull the old plants apart in spring and make a new one out of each bit that comes away with a piece of root attached. By fall the young plants will have grown together and formed a solid mass of foliage, with a great many "crowns" from which flowers will be produced the following season. Florists can generally furnish seedling plants in spring, from which immediate effects can be secured by close planting.
A BORDER OF CREEPING PHLOXA BORDER OF CREEPING PHLOX
One of the best—if notthebest—plants for all-around use in edging is Madame Salleroi Geranium. It is quite unlike any other Geranium of which I have any knowledge, in general habit. It forms a bushy, compact plant, and bears a solid mass of foliage. No attention whatever is required in the way of pruning. The plant trains itself. The ordinary flowering Geranium must be pinched back, and pruned constantly to prevent it from becoming "leggy," but there isno trouble of this kind with Madame Salleroi. Its branches, of which there will often be fifty or more from a plant, are all sent up from the crown of the plant, and seldom grow to be more than five or six inches in length. Each branch may have a score of leaves, borne on stems about four inches long. These leaves are smaller than those of any other Geranium. Their ground color is a pale green, and every leaf is bordered with creamy white. This combination of color makes the plant as attractive as a flowering one. It is a favorite plant for house-culture in winter, and those who have a specimen that has been carried over can pull it apart in May and plant each bit of cutting in the ground where it is to grow during summer, feeling sure that not one slip out of twenty will fail to grow if its base is inserted about an inch deep in soil which should be pinched firmly about it to hold it in place while roots are forming. Set the cuttings about ten inches apart. By midsummer the young plants will touch each other, and from that time on to the coming of frost your border will be a thing of beauty, and one of the delightful things about it will be—it will require no attention whatever from you. Never a branch will have to be shortened to keep it within bounds. No support will be needed. The plants will take care of themselves. I havenever had a plant that is easier to grow. It harmonizes with everything. Seen against the green of the lawn it is charming. All things considered, it is an ideal plant for edging. In combination with scarlet and yellow Coleus it is exceedingly effective, because of its strong color-contrast.
Most amateur gardeners are familiar with the various merits of Coleus, Alternatheras, Achyranthes, "Golden Feather" Pyrethrum, and Centaureamaritima, better known as "Dusty Miller" because of its gray foliage. These are all good, when properly cared for, when used for edging beds and borders. Especially so when used with Cannas, Caladiums, and other plants of striking foliage, where their rich colors take the place of flowers.
Phloxdecussata, commonly known as "Moss Pink" because of its fine foliage and bright pink flowers, is a most excellent plant for the hardy border, because it stands our winters quite as well as the hardiest perennials. Early in spring it will cover itself with charming blossoms that are as cheerful to look at as the song of the robin or the blue bird is to hear. It is a lovable little thing, and has but one rival among early-flowering plants for edging, and that rival is the English Daisy.
HE flower garden not being one of the necessities of life, in the usual sense of the term, people are likely to consider the making of it of so little importance that it is hardly worth while to give the matter much consideration. Consequently they simply dig up a bed here and there, sow whatever seed they happen to have, and call the thing done.
A haphazard garden of that sort is never satisfactory. In order to make even the smallest garden what it ought to be it should be carefully planned, and every detail of it well thought out before the opening of the season.
To insure thoroughness in this part of the work I would advise the garden-maker to make a diagram of it as he thinks he would like to have it. Sketch it out, no matter how roughly. When you have a map of it on paper you will be able to get a much clearer idea of it than you can obtain from any merely mental plan.
After locating your beds, decide what kind of flower you will have in each one. But before you locate your plants study your catalogue carefully, and make yourself familiar with the heights and habits of them. Quite likely this will lead to a revision of your mental diagram, for you may find that you have proposed to put low-growing kinds in the rear of tall-growing sorts, and tall-growing kinds where they would seriously interfere with the general effect.
Bear in mind that there is always a proper place for each plant you make use of—if you can find it. The making of a working diagram and the study of the leading characteristics of the plants you propose to use will help you to avoid mistakes that might seriously interfere with the effectiveness of your garden.
Do not attempt more than you are sure of your ability to carry through well. Many persons allow the enthusiasm of the spring season to get the better of their judgment, and lead them into undertaking to do so much that after a little the magnitude of the work discourages them, and, as a natural result, the garden suffers seriously, and often proves a sad failure. Bear in mind that a few really good plants will give a hundredfold more pleasure than a great many mediocreones. Therefore concentrate your work, and aim at quality rather than quantity. Never set out to have so large a garden that the amount of labor you have to expend on it will be likely to prove a burden rather than a pleasurable recreation.
IN SUMMERIN SUMMER
IN WINTERIN WINTER
Do not attempt anything elaborate in a small garden. Leave fancy beds and striking designs to those who have a sufficient amount of room at their disposal to make them effective.
I would advise keeping each kind of plant by itself, as far as possible. Beds in which all colors are mixed promiscuously are seldom pleasing because there are sure to be colors there that are out of harmony with others, and without color-harmony a garden of most expensive plants must prove a failure to the person of good taste.
I would not, therefore, advise the purchase of "mixed" seed, in which most persons invest, because it is cheaper than that in which each color is by itself. This may cost more, but it is well worth the additional expense. Take Phlox Drummondi as an illustration of the idea governing this advice: If mixed seed is used, you will have red, pink, mauve, scarlet, crimson, violet, and lilac in the same bed,—a jumble of colors which can never be made to harmonizeand the effect of which will be very unpleasant. On the other hand, by planning your bed in advance of making it, with color-harmony in mind, you can so select and arrange your colors that they will not only harmonize, but afford a contrast that will heighten the general effect greatly. For instance, you can use rose-color, white and pale yellow varieties together, or scarlet and white, or carmine and pale yellow, and these combinations will be in excellent harmony, and give entire satisfaction. The mauves, lilacs, and violets, to be satisfactory, should only be used in combination with white varieties. I am speaking of the Phlox, but the rule which applies to this plant applies with equal force to all plants in which similar colors are to be found.
If there are unsightly places anywhere about the grounds aim to hide them under a growth of pretty vines. An old fence can be made into a thing of beauty when covered with Morning Glories or Nasturtiums. By the use of a trellis covered with Sweet Peas, or a hedge of Zinnia, or of Cosmos, we can shut off the view of objectionable features which may exist in connection with the garden. Outhouses can be completely hidden in midsummer by planting groups of Ricinus about them, and filling in with Hollyhocks, and Delphinium, and Golden Glow, and othertall-growing plants. In planning your garden, study how to bring about these desirable results.
Keep in mind the fact that if you go about garden-making in a haphazard way, and happen to get plants where they do not belong, as you are quite likely to do unless you know them well, you have made a mistake which cannot be rectified until another season. This being the case, guard against such mistakes by making sure that you know just what plant to use to produce the effect you have in mind.
Plan to have a selection of plants that will give flowers throughout the entire season. The majority of annuals bloom most profusely in June and July, but the prevention of seed-development will force them into bloom during the later months.
Plan to have a few plants in reserve, to take the places of those which may fail. Something is liable to happen to a plant, at any time, and unless you have material at hand with which to make good the loss, there will be a bare spot in your beds that will be an eye-sore all the rest of the season.
Plan to have the lowest growers near the path, or under the sitting-room windows where you can look down upon them.
Plan to have a back-yard garden in which togive the plants not needed in the main garden a place. There will always be seedlings to thin out, and these ought not to be thrown away. If planted in some out-of-the-way place they will furnish you with plenty of material for cutting, and this will leave the plants in the main garden undisturbed.