Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-04
THE FLOWER GARDEN.
Cultivation of the Beauties Of Nature
That Delight Us All.
HOW TO KEEP BOUQUETS FRESH.
A Visit to the Strickland Sisters in County
Kent, England.
CARE OF PLANTS DURING WINTER
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH. F..

| One memoraole summer many years ago
1 went to visit school friend of mine who
then lived at place called Farnham, situ-
ated in the lovely little county of Kent.
Most of nv readers know, presume, that
nowhere in England do flowers bloom more
luxuriantly than in this spot Indeed,
Kent is often called the ''Flower-garden of
Old England"
1t was one morning in June-the month
of roses, the time when all things bloom,
when earth looks gayest clad in her silvery
green-that Mr.. Hincks, my little friends
father, invited US to take long drive.
awe will go through Farnham park to
the village, take the long route home and
see our two celebrities" he said, know.
ingly.
"What celebrities?' asked curiouslyj
but no answer was vouchsafed; and present.
ly all was forgotten save the lovely land
scape. We drove along between the most
| lovely banks of honeysuckIe, rose and sweet
brier until we entered the shady oak avenue
leading to the Bishops palace. Here all
was trim and in perfect order. Old FASH
Ioned flowers were growing in their straight
beds just where they had been planted
century ago, and crowded each other
so closely they scarcely seemed to
have room to blossom. On one
side of the palace there still stands
an old stone bench, encircled by the green
arms of old, old trees, where once, in the
rosy light of early morning or the fragrant
dusk of twilight, eager, soft, loving voices
discussed the brightness Of the days to come
or the happiness of days gone by. All, mel
IS he ST1O.
shine is as golden as of yore, but the rose
has faded long ago from my lady's cheek,
and the silvered head of the good Bishop of
Winchester lies low in the ancient burying
ground at the end OF the village street.
THE OLD BETTER THAN THE NEW.
I think the old-fashioned gardens stir
within us feeling which the handsomely
arranged modern ones, with their blaze of
color and stiffness of massing fail to excite.
A charming picture of just such quaint
| garden suddenly met our childish eyes that
morning. Fruit trees, especially the pink
singed, exquisite apple blossoms, were inter-
mixed with vegetables and flowers. Honey
| Suckle and sweet peas, sWeetbrier and iasa-
| mine clustered abundantly over the walls,
| filling the air with fragrance and almost
raVishing the senses with their sweet per-
| lume. Back of the gate, which shut off this
| secluded paradise from the outside world;
and size made you fully aware OF their pres
ence.
Certain characters and associations al
ways seem to belong to certain flowers, and
the little elderly ladies engaged in clipping
and digging round their plants as we drove
up to the pretty cottage that sunny morn
ing have ever since been associated in my
mind with quaint oid-time flowers. They
were introduced as miss Agnes" and
Miss Mary" and it was not until after we
had left them, smiling and bowling on their
doorstep, that I discovered they were
the famous Strickland" sisters, the writer's
of the Queens of England"
81 owe much of the glory of my flowers"
said Miss Agnes, whose hair was silvery
even then, "to my compost heap"
''Indeed; and OF what does it consist ?''
asked Mr.. Hineks.
"Odjs and ends of vegetables; ashes,
feathers from my chickens, old brine,
pounded bones, and contributions from nv
waste paper baskets. L also put wood ashes
and iron into the ground at the roots of my
blossoming flowers and leaves"
So spoke Miss Strickland; and my own
later experience proves the correctness of
her statement.
Pinks of all varieties, forget-me-nots, all
kinds of daisies, eampanula, petunias, and
Yerbenas, are all perennials, which, though
they die down at the approach OF winter,
still retain life at the roots and
spring up with renewed beauty and
vigor at the first appearance of mild
spring weather. Violets are cousins-german
to pansies, and need rich, strong soil, and
thrive famously on fowl manure. They do
not care for sunshine, but do crave plentyof
water in the morning. They are usually at
their best in May, though often cultivated
in pots for winter use. L have kept them in
the ground all winter, on the sunny side of
IL. 81 tad Xhorv, al 81
sunk into the earth about two feet.
You can use bottomless box with q
glass cover, which should slant and always
be raised on sunny days. When cold
weather has at last come, tine plants must be
covered with dry leaves. When you want
them to bloom remove this covering. When
the days and nights are extra cold, piece
of carpet should be placed over the box.
Follow these directions carefully, and you
will be rewarded bv having violetS at Christ
mas. T.is is the English plan and proves
quite successful in this climate. Mignon-
cite, ''little darling" is the poor mans
flower as well as the poets, gives q constant
succession of bloom; so also do sweet peas.
balsams, asters and chrysanthemums. An
nuals take longer to arrive at the blossom
ing period, and are not so certain as shrubs
and vines, but no one considers his list Of
flowers complete without these.
Nothing in the way of flowers repays one
for small outlay to the same extent az
geranums; double, single and foliage Varie-
ties will in themselves form a garden.
Sandy soil, good garden soil, decayed leaf
and old COW manure will produce fine,
large blossoms in abundance. There is
pure white Variety, '.Reine des Vierges,"
lQueen OF Virgins, which is exquisite. A
bed shaded from this to pale and rosy lines
would make delightful show to the eye
and be always pleasing with its perfect har-
moay.
The scarlet geranium should be placed by
itself or only In con Junction with the white;
and the double should be grown alone as
thus only can their beauty be seen to the
best advantage.
Geraniums bloom admirably IN winter IL
taken up early in October and placed in
sunny window. If you would preserve cus
flowers as long as possible 90 not tie them
in punches, but arrange loosely. Always
use a knife pair OF shears ior cutting
woody plants, such as roses and camelias.
1t is far better to gather your flowers than
to let them wither upon the stems Cool
rooms keep flowers fresh, and theremoval of
each flower as it fades will preserve the
others. 1 have known hot water
To restore flowers to freshness,
even with dropping petals; and
ammonia added to the water will revive
them quickly. 1t is good plan for those
given to botanizing to carry close fitting
tin case, wet sponge and a basket. Put
-. s,na N flowers in the case insert thA