The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-01-11
For THE FLORAL DEPARTMENT.
Flowers For the Busy Woman.

her longing for flowers because stern
voiced conscience assures her that house.
hold duties must not be neglected for her
own qualification, and unnecessarily de-
prives both herself and her family OF the
innocent and elevating pleasure derived
from beautiful surroundings.
In this country, where there are so
many pretty growing things one won
ders at the many barren and unadOrned
places-onecans scarcely call them homes
which disfgure our piney woods. Taking
it for granted that our busy woman has
come to Florida in search OF health for
herself or some OF her family, having
heard in the dear Northern home that
'There's iron in our Southern breeze,
Our pines are trees of healing
and fully realizing the despairing home
sickness that has taken possession OF her
whole being, feel like encouraging her to
think that an attractive home may be
made with even her unpromising sur
ronndings, and but little expenditure OF
labor. money and time. Her hands are
already iull of the first, the unappeas.
able appetite OF the orange tree demands
all. yea, more, of the second than is OBJ
tainable, while her days slip away in the
unaccountable manner Of quicksilver be-
tween closed fingers. The first thing for
which her home sick soul will long is
green grass, but unless she possesses
some means for irrigating, the sooner
she makes up her mind to the inevitable
the better, for without water agreen lawn
in our thirsty sand is an impossibility.
But for weeks in the spring her yard may
be blazing with practically unlimited
variety of phlox, which, when once soWn,
may be depended upon to take care of
itself year after Year, provided fowls are
not kept on the lawn. Vincas, red and
white, need no care beyond the sowing,
and will come on after the phlOx and
compensate in a measure, with their dark
green foliage, the lack OF grass. Verbenas
and petunias are pretty and bloom for
O. while, but need water and cultivation.
[ do not recommend any OF the ANIMALS
whose manifold virtues and beauties are
so seductively displayed in the florists
catalogues. They are lovely, but a delu
sion and a snare to the busy woman.
Perhaps zinnias and margolds may be
excepted, for they, like the phlox, may be
trusted to their own devices. But she
need not mourn for her ANIMALS, SO many
other things are beautiful and scarcely
any trouble to cultivate. There is large
class of lilies and amarylses, which when
once put in the ground stay there, and
will bloom, increase and multiply with
scarcely any attention, and for weeks in
theearly summer fill the evening air with
their sweet, delicate perfume. The ALA
manda and hibiscus are old stand-bys in
this locality and give a succession OF i'm
mense, snowy flowers from frost to frost.
If the busy woman had time to protect
them, they need not freeze. But no mat
ter. they soon come up again. The So
called water hyacinth asks for nothing
Init a. tub of water in which to display
it's spikes of dainty, lavender, iris-like
flowers. In the way of shrubs, the Olean-
der. Grape myrtle and iasmnes take the
lead for hardness and general salts
faction. AS there are several different