The Minneapolis journal., 1901-04-03

| the value Of 500 were distributed at the close
OF flower and vegetable contest to which
all the pupils Of the public schools Of Car
thage, Mo-, were eligible except the children
OF professional florists or gardeners. Prizes
were offered for boys vegetable gardens, for
general vine planting, for the greatest "im-
proVement In the appearance of homes by
artistic use Of vines" for aster growing and
for aster bouquets. Also during the last sum-
1ner the South Park Improvement Club Of
Dayton, Ohio offered series of prizes for
front and side yards back yards, vine plant
Ing, window and porch boxes, boys vegetable
gardens, vacant lots, best-planted premises
along steam railroads, best floral division be-
tween yards and best general appearance
from middle OF street to middle Of alley.
Good Taste Is "a Requisite.
The chief objection brought to bear by the
ordinary householder when his wife and
daughter want to plant something is the in
creased difficulty Of manipulating the lawn
mower-the favorite suburban household god,
which prefers a straight to devious path.
TO spangle his grounds with bushes to be
lodged, after the present accepted manner
or distributing trees and shrubbery would
furnish him with legitimate grievance.
There are enough fearful examples ready
made to last for generation. To construct
another would be bitter irony that any self
Once change the regulation polka dotted
door yard to an open lawn outlined and
framed by massed shrubbery and the de-
lighted man OF the house will never allow the
speckled effect to be repeated on his prem
1ses II 1t is so great an advantage from the
purely utilitarian viewpoint OF the manipula-
tor OF the lawn mower how much greater
from the higher point Of view of esthetic
beauty, from the actual pleasure OF some
thing charming to look at every day in the
year from ones own windows? Is not a small
expanse Of fresh green turf across which the
shadows come and go better than the hit
and-miss style?
Try It, Shrubs and plants gathered togeth-
er in a border Of irregular width are not only
more beautiful in themselves and well out OF
the way of the lawn mower. but they are far
more easily cared for than when scattered
about. They should all be hardy plants, and
they should all be planted in carefully pre-
pared bed, straight on its outer boundary
next to street or division fence, and irregular
on its inner boundary, against the lawn In
such big bed-so unlike the ordinary flower
bed-may be gathered many towering shrubs
that should be chosen to give bloom at differ
ent seasons, some small trees at the back Of
the border, where there is room without too
greatly croWding or shading plants Of smaller
size, ana enough herDaceous perennials such
as irises, oriental poppies, peonies, delphini-
un1S, pnloXeS japanese anemOnes and dozens
OF others just as lovely but less we'll known
TO give succession Of flowers from June till
frost cuts the last lingering anemone from
its stem. The season may be heightened at
the other end, so to speak, by using early
towering bulbs, such as scillas, snowdrops,
crocuses and narcissus. Nor should summer
towering bulbs be omitted Some of the
best lilies also the hardest and they
thrive better and look better in such a border
than anywhere else.
Following Natures Plan
Just you try this plan Big or little, any
garden so arranged is far and away ahead
of the crammed and disorderly array of in
diyidual shrubs usually found scattered about
what should be an open lawn. Now, when
the border is made and the shrubs set out
do give the poor things chance for their
lives That is, do not try to improve on
natures plan Of making each species and
often each variety unlike all other species;
do not try to carve them all into the same
form. Let them alone till they have an op-
portunity to show their characteristics-show
what they were intended to be like BY the
time they have accomplished this their style
will be found to be so much better than
anything that can be impaired with pruning
shears that their future VIII be secure Every
two or three years the Oldest wood can be
cut OUT entirely and the new allowed TO
take its place; such pruning as that is legiti-
mate, and so is the removal of dead wood