Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-03-27
Hotv to Gay %. Ea6 pians . FIewsr

How to lay 0as sn6 plant . FIewsr
In giving directions for the above purposes
we intend them for such Of our readers as have
poyed eSeT Or but
where the supervision is that of the lady OF the
house. Those who have extensive country
need d ashoueS thew Viii proo
ably find some serviceable hints herein.
1t is not always practicable to control the
se q has foyer 70 g garden IN sp ga ths Sc
uation of the house, its Surroundings or other
circumstances, and is generally in direct con-
sguisy with It. :. Where 1t can be controlled, the
the points ranging from east to west. Next to
these Is direct easterly exposure, next west
erly one; northerly one Is to be avoided,
II at all possible, as few plants thrive in such
position. The exposure, the grade of the land,
the character Of the soil, and many other local
circumstances so control the laying out of the
garden that 1t is not possible to give such eX-
plict directions as will suit every case, and COM
nonsense must adapt the instructions TO the
varying circumstances.
The best soil for flower garden Is sandy
loan, although a large number OF plants can be
i've i've subsoil Heavy. clayey soils should
material largely Incorporated with them
to render them more friable. II the
subsoil is wet, or is liable to have stagnant
clear water can be had, it may be Incorporated
into the garden for the OF growing
PRODUCING feature seldom seen in flower
gardens in this country. piece Of Doggy,
land can often be u utilized na for
saddle;aower: cgp''ipediun', Or iady.s.slip::
our lilies Which grow OWN in moist places, ferns
and many other plants of similar character. A
rock or two can also be utilized, especially
II they have. clefts or assures in them; for
these being filled, If not already filled, with suit
able earth, can be planted with many plants
that delight in such situations or trailing vines,
such as Anepelopsts, can be planted around the
The walks should never be less than thirty
inches wtde-three feet is better-and If the gar
den Is OF any considerable size, they should be
made lower than the flower beds. If at all sunk
en-, they look like diminut1ve dry bitches; and as
the water from the beds will run into them
after every shower Of rain, it takes a day at
least for them to dry sufficiently to be walked
on. They also have a tendency to drain the
water from the beds, which in dry time is
very Injurious to the plants. Where the material
can be had, the walks should be made with any
good binding gravel three or more inches thick,
well rolled or beaten down, the soil underneath
being removed to a corresponding depth. II
this cannot be had an artificial mixture OF peb-
bleS or finely broken stone, with enough tena-
ciouS clay to make them adhere together, may
be used. But loose pebbles or loose broken
stoIe should never be employed, as they are
very unpleasant to walk upon. Ii nothing bet
ter can be had, spent tan or sawdust may be
used.
den should be placed as near the house as pos
sible-if adjoining 1t, SO much the better-so
that it may be looked upon from the principal
rooms and its beauties enjoyed without expos
ing the inmates to the heat Of the midday sun.
AS the house necessarily is composed of geo.
metrieal forms, the garden, to be in harmony
with 1t, should also be laid out In the same style;
therefore, all Serpentine and similar lines should
be avoided, and only lines derived from the
square, the circle, or the oval, either separately
or in combination. AS the garden is an arti-
fetal creation, 1t should be treated accordingly.
When, however, there Is no garden proper, and
the flower beds are laid out alongside Of the
walks circumyenting the lawn or crossing it,
the beds should partake of the character of the
lines of the walks. Flower beds should not ex-
coed four or five feet In width, as when wider
they have to be stepped on in the operations OF
it is Necessary to step On them piece Of board
should be laid on the surface
Edgings are best made Of dwarf box, where it
Is hardy, although thyme and similar dwarf
plants are sometimes used, but they should be
kept down, dwarf and narrow, so as only to
show small line of demarkatiOn between the
only two inches projecting above the surface,
will answer good purpose. When grass edg-
fngs are used, they should not exceed four TO
six inches In width, and should be kept to the
proper width by the frequent use Of the knife or
a vergtng iron. When first made, the beds
should have good dressing Of well-rotted ma
nure, and should be well spaded with spading
fork; indeed, spade should never be used after
the beds are planted, for some of the plants are
sure to have their crowns cut off and their roots
| destroyed. Never allow the center Of the bed to
be made more than two inches higher than the
sides; in our own practice we always make the
beds level. When raised up one or two feet, as
we often see them, they look like barrowfuls of
soil dumped on the lawn, and as the rain runs
on them as fast as it falls the plants in the Gen.
ter suffer for lack OF moisture and those on the
edge suffer from an OyerpluS.
When vases or rustic baskets are introduced
| into the beds, they should have fiat stone or
other suitable foundation to stand On. Although
they may not have any artistic merits, yet they
! are works OF ornamentauion, and as such should
have position in accordance with the purposes
| for which they are used, and should not be
| treated as commonplace tiower-pots.
AS we have suggested that the flower garden
should be so placed as to be looked upon from
| the windows of the house, the planting should
be such as to produce continual succession of
flowers from the first appearance Of spring until
| frost In october or November. To accomplish
this the mixed style Of planting should be
adopted: that is to say, planting the beds
with bulbs. herbaceous plants, beddlng-out
The first to come into bloom are crocuses,
scillas, hyacinths, tulips, and the running
phloxes, with some autumn-sown ANNALS.
| followed by most of the hardy perennials II
| the bedding out plants are planted out sutf1-
GENTLY early, they Will come into bloom as the
perennialS are passing away; such of the first
as have curious cOlored foliage will show
masses OF color; many of the summer blooming
ANNALS, with Zonai geraniumS, verbenaS, ETC.,
will show their brilliant colors; as the summer
passes away. they will be REINFORCED by the
summer blooming bulbs such as gladiolus and
the tuberoSe to be succeeded as autumn ap-
proacheS by SaIviaS dahlfaS and chrySanthe-
NUNS. 1t is not necessary to give extended
lists Of plants suitable for such garden, as the
catalogues OF our leading seedmen and florists
contain full particulars as to height, color
time OF Towering and cultivation OF most of
them.
Plants with heavy foliage like p;eonias, should
never be planted in the same bed with plants of
more delicate foliage, but should be set in
groups by themselves, but at sufficient distance,
plant from plant, to permit of lilies, giadioluS.
and dahlias to be planted among them in order
to take away the SameneSs of their green when
done blooming. Cannas should always be
planted by themselves, and so should such
strong-groWing grasses as the ravenna grass,
the ulalias, and arundos, as their foliage does
not harmonic with exOgenOuS plants. Neither
should any roses except tea-roSeS, nor any
shrubs except they areEery dwarf, be planted
In flower beds. as they are sure to rob the
smaller plants of the nutriment that belongs to
them. They should always be planted In
groups by themselves.
By following out and adapting these sugges-
tons, flower garden fifty to a hundred feet
square, or even border on each side of the
road leading from the road or street, can be
made an affair Of enjoyment for at least seven
months in the wear for some DlantS will al.