Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-19
KEEP FERNS IN WINTER
SIMPLE DIRECTIONS BY A LOVER
OF FLOWERS.
Garden Spot Of Wild Blossoms-No
Trouble II One II Fond Of
Plants.


She was little dumpy, middle-aged wo-
man. whose business in life seemed to be
to make people feel at home and to impart
information. She never waited for an In
PRODUCTION. but. with her knitting in hand
seemed always at leisure and always on the
watch for listener. One day her mono
logue took this form:
Good morning. Been for an early walk
oh. yes. just driving through the country
and stopped here for a week or SO. And
now. you've been up the road for a stroll.
How do / know? Why, by the ferns you've
brought back.
wish you could take some home? Why,
bless your heart, there's nothing to hinder,
If you choose to take the trouble, and 1t
isn't trouble, but real pleasure, il you
love the dear things. They wilt so easily,
you say? Not If you make good selec-
ton and pack them properly" (Here she
settled herself Comfortably
You can keep them all winter. I always
do, and when there comes on spell of bad
weather l give a tea party ana drive away
everybody's blues with my decorations.
make centerpiece for my table, arrange
the ferns in vases and jardinieres, pin them
on the lace curtains and make my rooms
as cheerful as summer woodland nook,
and it doesn't cost anything, but is simply a
matter of knowing how.
"Will 1 disclose my secret? Why, GER
tafnly! I pack the ferns in envelope boxes.
l select the sword fern, or any having thick.
green fronds, and 1 am careful to get all
sizes and to pick them before the frost
comes. 1 never pull them up by the roots,
but cut the little seedy stalks with shears.
Then l lay them smoothly in the box and
pack them down closely fill the box full,
lay tissue paper over the top, put on the
cover and tie it down. Upon reaching home
l place the box in the cellar or on the bot
tom Of the icebox, and the ferns within keep
fresh for months.
Hemlock All Winter.
I'm the same way 1 carry hemlock twigs
and branches home and keep them all win
ter The ends 1 set in water. I have a
tubful of hemlock in the cellar. 1t not only
keeps, but grows, the fresh, light green
tassel-like tips Of the twigs being nearly as
pretty as flowers. Many people believe a
hemlock bouquet in a room to be preventive
of colds. l am inclined to agree with them.
But the woods are full Of other things
than ferns continued the little woman.
You can get wild lily and Jack-in-the- pull
pit bulbs and set them out in some shady
corner Of your grounds, and they will repay
you In flowers year after year. They re-
quire no care whatever, as you can set
them out in your lily bed.
POSSIBLY you haven't lily bed. Oh,
that's great pity. Nothing about my lit
tie home gives me more satisfaction than
patch Of no account land not far from the
barn. had it ploughed one spring and
set out there all the lilies on the premises
the common, deep yellow garden lily, with
it's long. ribbon-like leaves; the tiger lily,
the June lily the f1eur-de-luce. Beside
these you might plant In your bed with
good success needle-and-thread, day lilies
and the callas that you have had all winter
In the house and want TO put somewhere
to rest. Gladioli bulbs, too, could 20 in
them no
until fall your lily bed will be an attraction
In mine have also sown hollyhocks. Some
Of the stalks are over ten feet tall and the
vari-colored blossoms add to the display.
Border Of Hardy Plants.
"A border Of hardy plants is always de-
sirable. although it s little work to get
1t started. There are the spiraeas-dig up
the wild ones The larkspur, monkshead,
bee-in-a-bonnet, Venus-in-her-car and the
columbines-don't forget the columbines.
Nothing can be more delicate than the COM
mon wild red ones. have yellow ones that
bloom from June to frost, so dainty and
airy that it Is hard to decide whether they
are flowers or fairies or tiny BIRDS
"A bed Of sweet herbs is delight the
whole year as you will see. For hardy
plants there are tanSy, NORWOOD sweet
goldenrod, southernwood balm. bergamot,
camomile, feverfern, sweet balSam lovage,
sage, horehound, sweet clover, snuff grass
catn1p, lavender and summer savory They
can be sown each year. The flowers and
foliage are always nice for boquets, but I
pick the leaves, dry them all together and
put them in bags with hops, for pillows
They are panacea for headache and Sleep
lessness, and 1 make little bags filed with
the dried leaves and flowers for my linen
press and bureau drawers. They are a re-
lief from moth balls and quite as effective.
A guest not grateful for a sachet Of your
own making as souvenir is not worthy Of
yo efforts to entertain.
Then there's the out of the way corner
for wild flowers. They will all pay for Gull
tivation-fern, daisy, goldenrod. Solomon S
seal, spiraea and sweetbrier, not forgetting
the giant double thistle. Never believe that
the arbutus or Mayflower cannot be culti-
waited. Take up the plants without dis
turbing the roots and set them out with
great care in secluded place; water them
occasionally and let them alone. 1t seems
as II they are as shy as the wild part
ridge or the squirrel, and as If they shrink
away when you venture to look at them.
Mine are In an angle Of the fence behind
the shrubbery, and are thus we'll shaded.
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