Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-05-22
GARDENS IN THE CITY.
How to Beautify Your Front and
Back Yards.
Simple Designs for Plots - What
Plants Are Best - Window Gar
dens and Cheap Conservatives.

about two feet in width between the walk
and the fence. Close to the fence should
advise planting quick-growing climbers;
such as moonhowers, passlhoras, honey
suckles, German ivy, etc.
In this border, between the climbers and
the walk, | should suggest assorted bed
ding plants suck as petun1as, hellotrope,
ageratums, geranldms, coeus, lobellas,
pansies, salvias, etc. These plants will
cost on an average one dollar per dozen and
they should be set out In double line one
foot apart. Thus one dozen plants will oc
cupy space Of six feet.
Suppose your vacant plot of ground is
twenty-five by fifty feet in size. All the
space not to be occupied by the fower-bed
should be sodded, leaving room for the
necessary walks to the bed. This having
been done, lay out the bed in the center of
the plot, in the form of a circle, with a
diameter of seven feet. Within the inner
circle plant French cannas. This will
take about six plants, which will cost 81 so.
Plant the second circle with scarlet geran-
iums, taking twelve plants which will
cost one dollar. The outer circle should
be planted with coleus verschaffeltin, tax
ing fifty plants, at a cost of three dollars,
making a total of $3.50.
This can be modified in form and size
to suit the taste of the designer.
Now, we will suppose that the house
owner has plat fifty by one hundred feet
in size at his disposal He may have several
small beds similar in style to the one have
described, or if he be very ambitious he
can have one large bed of this style COW
ing a large space and naturally increasing
his plants. 1t is best, as a rule, to have
comparatively few colors and few varieties
of plants, as the amateur will have to
study the habit of each of these plants,
and if the colors be very ssmany the effect
by any mischance may be spoiled. The
lot sodded, or if that be not practicable,
the bed should have narrow border of
sod The plants should be distributed as
follows:
|. Coleus verschaffeltine crimson; 3.
Gearnium General Grant or other scarlets;
3. Geranium Queen Olga pink
Judging from the cost of the bed first
described the price of this bed may be cacu-
lated easily
All such planting must necessarily be
largely matter of taste, although, of
course, sharply contrasting colors make
the most striking effects. One important
point in all planting of this sort is to trim
so that they will form clean defined lines;
that is if they in growing overlap one
another they must be pinched back so that
each other shows clearly and distinctly
where they meet, also that the top growth
be so pinched back that the bed presents
a smooth and even surface.
Although the past winter has been ex-
tremely mild, the spring is very backward,
and even now the ground when turned up
Il Il L.,
should be no particular hurry in setting
out plants until the earth is so warm that
the clods crumble when touched by the
rake To work in wet soil gets the earth
in such condition that all during the
the result will be correspondingly disap
pointing.
Persons who do ret have green houses
can grow a good many plants ready to set
out In the spring In the windows on the
eastern and southern sides of their house,
in such rooms as are moderately warm.
Window gardening during the summer
months is made more successful In Eng
land than with US, owing to more tenn
perate climate, and hence it is there al
most universally practiced. In the cities
especially, where space is economical, the
buildings ST close together that there is
often no room for even a spear OF grass to
be grown, the only garden that is possible
is one formed of a box on the window sill.
This Is limited IN extent, as the space at
forded is only four or five feet in length
and from eight to ten inches in width,
with a depth for the soil of about six
inches.
These boxes are made Of great variety
of material such as wood, terra-cotta
iron, etc, according to the owners taste
and means.
As the boxes are usually too high up for
close inspection from the street, and as
the sides soon become draped with droop-
ing plants, an ordinary box of pine will
answer as well as a more expensive one.
1t should be put together very firmly and
lined with tin or zinc. Usually spaces
are left in the bottom to admit of the
water passing freely through. When this
is not done greater care is required in
watering
This box may be painted or it may be
covered with oilcloth of some small pat
term in which case it cannot be told at a
distance from box covered with tiles.
These window gardens in summer pro-
duce the finest effects when planted with
some dropping plants. For our climate,
during the summer months, when exposed
to full sun, strong and vigorous plants
must be selecced, such as trOpaloluns,
petunias, passihoras, etc, while the up
right plants may be double and single
geraniums, heliotropes, begonias and the
like.
For window boxes that will be used on
the shady side of the street use MOSES
(selaginelas), ivies of all sorts, cissus, trad
escantias, sedaur or stonecrops, fttonias,
moneywort, vincas, ivy-leafed geraniums,
smilax and Ginning fern. The upright
plants may be dracaenas of various sorts,
coladiums, rantas. centaureas, cebeverias.
ferns and other plants of striking form and
foliage.
The soil should be the same in quality
as that used for growing plants in pots,
if the box is exposed to the full rays of the
sun. or even partly so, covering the surface
of the soil with moss from the woods will
protect it from drying too quickly and
add materially to its appearance.
For those ambitious amateurs who want
to add Conservatives to their out
door flower beds will suggest two kinds.
The first can be built for $50 aid the
second would cost at least $780,
My conservatory is simply back We
randa closed in with glass frames Such a
conservatory may be built sor $50. provid-
ing cheap material is used and the house.
owner unites with his love of flowers q
decided taste for practical mechanics. As
to how it should be stocked the taste alC
means of the owner must be consulted
My second green house sAould be attach
ed 20 the house on any side save the north
If towering plants are to be grown Ferns