Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-24
Flower-Loving Germans.

The house In which the conversation took
place WAS in a thckly populated German
section. where. for several blocks, backward
gardens are the rule and not the exception
Many Of these houses are owned by German
tailors, who usually live with their families
In apartments on the second floor. The
houses are mainly Of the fOur-sto rN variety
and accommodate eight families. two on a
foor. As a rule. they are clean. well kept
and in good order.
Out of dozen more OF the gardens
there was only one to which tenants Of tha
house had contributed to any important cx-
tent. All the rest owed their existence to
landlords who had brought with them from
Europe love for flowers and growing
things and who take a sort of phlagyuattu
pleasure in the Joy which the gardens give
TO their tenants. Houses of this kind ara
IN great demand, and many of the tenants
have occupied their present apartments for
years. II is significant that I'm going
through houses To which these gardens be-
long not a single dirty apartment was
found. Various organizations for social bet
terment might find In this fact n hint for
enlarged work In civic heautifying. for
to host Of people
Glory and Woodbine.
All of the gardens were inclosed by low
picket fences. In size the plots averaged
about fifteen feet square In every one
were lle pln noWerS 1nat are Dear TO north
ern people because of their association.
Formal arrangement was liked by the Ger
mans, and the small plots were mostly cut
into circular and triangular beds outlined
by copings of brick or rows of clam shells.
Every garden stood example of what
a rev pennies and a moderate amount of
labor could accomplish in agriculture. Ow-
ing to a change of landlords. some Of the
gardens had become q tangle of weeds and
plants which had sprung from former SOW
fngs But even those were charming com
pared with the usual barren tenement
house yard.
There was slight variation in the gardens.
Morning glory vines and woodbine covered
the fences and in some cases ran riotously
over ambitious efforts in the way OF trei-
Uses and the like. Petunias. the common
crimson variety. bloomed freest where
there had been the least gardening. They
are such grateful flowers" as the Soung
Swiss girl expressed II. land so sweet, es-
pecially when the dew is on them" Scarlet
geraniums and crimson petunias not infre-
quently hobuobbed in the same bed but
when Mowers are at a premium as is the
case on the East Side, no bloom is discour-
aged. Then, too. yellow coreopsis grew
everywhere In profusion and served as a sort
of peacemaker in bringing some degree of
harmony out of warlike clashings of color
There Were rose bushes and ladyslippers
and celandine. and zinnias, and all the
other 'posies" that the Observation-Disclosures
of the present generation used To cherish
and mingle i'm "nosegays."
One garden, which showed a little more
originality than the rest, had the path from
the gate bordered with dwarf sunf1owers
and at each corner Of every plot there was
a low. implanted wooden post, with board
attached, on which stood a pot of gera-
NUNS. Almost without exception In the
rear windows Of every house which over
looked a garden there was a display Of
thrifty house plants.