Evening star., 1909-05-01

lHc dLIdtCui gal
dener will want to start work on his
flower garden. Here is where most of
the mistakes of amateur gardening are
apt to be made. Because those having In
charge the work of gardening parks. the
grounds about public buildings and the
| like cling to the idea of formal masses,
carpet beds and similar splotches of color.
congruous or incongruous. as the case
may be, set in the centers of stretches
Of lawn. many amateurs come to the
conclusion that these are the ideal forms
for the home garden and lawn. Let the
amateur who is just beginning to beautify
a yard. as we'll as the gardener of more
experience. disabuse his. her or their
minds Of this mistaken idea.
Careless overcrowding.
Formal gardening OF this sort undoubt-
edly has its place. II the one making the
garden inclines in that direction in taste.
But II this Is the case. let the carpet beds
the stars and crescents and maltese
crosses, etc.-be made in the back yard,
where they will not affront the eyes of
such ideas should be at perfect liberty to
enjoy them-nay, further. he should have
all the enjoyment to himself. There is
nothing more beautiful than stretch.
close clipped. well rolled. we'll kept green
sward. Such a stretch disfigured with
set beds of plants, breaking the SYM
metry and interrupting the eye, become
at once unpleasant and irritating.
Even when the carpet beds are not
used. lawn or yard may be completely
ruined by the careless overcrowding or
displacement of shrubs. trees or foliage
or flower masses. To form a perfect.
symmetrical whole the garden must have
purpose. Whatever is planted in 1t must
bear a definite relation to the completed
garden and must help to carry out the
general plan else there is no continuity,
no purpose, to the scheme, and 1t becomes
merely a collection of individual speci-
mens-a sort of arboricultural museum
rather than garden.
The advice cannot be too frequently
reiterated to make a definite plan OF the
whole garden before beginning the actual
work. Survey the yard In all its aspects;
select and make note OF the spots where
the sunshine is most intense and or long
est duration: note those places, IL any,
where surrounding trees or adjacent walls
throw shade. If there are spots where
the ground is higher than elsewhere, note
them: likewise the lower spots, which
are likely to be more moist. Then, when
you know the ground thoroughly. sketch
on paper the tentative plan for the gar
den Place on paper the trees, shrubs,
vines, perennials, ANNALS. etc. that seem
most fitted for each particular location,
and then work the plan over. making
such changes as suggest themselves, un-
til finally the whole plan Is sketched com
plete in detail Even after this Is done
the amateur will doubtless f1nd 1t neces-
sary, from time to time. to make changes
as the grounds are planted, but such al
terations are easily made. Plants may
be taken up and transferred to other 10
cations where they promise TO do better
or TO work into the ensemble more ad-
vantageously. The gardener who is sat
t.aa xvit roSI1tS obtained in sim
gle summers work Is not the one to
whom these suggestions will appeal-such
a one Is too likely to be uninterested. too
careless and slovenly ever to be even
reasonably successful or to make a really
bea utiful. eye-satisfyinG garden.
Making the Background.
Backgrounds are as necessary in gar
den as they are in a painting. Indeed.
the gardener who looks on his work as
an artist looks on a painting is the gar
dener who succeeds in producing truly
beautiful results. A little way back the
remark was made that there is nothing
more beautiful than well made. well
kept lawn. This Is absolutely true, but
| a lawn Is neither well made nor well kept
| when II Is merely plain of smoothly
rolled and close-clipped turf, ending in
center Of the lawn must be kept clear IL
IL is TO be handsome, but there must be
something to break 1t. to indicate di-
vision to set limit. as II were. II the
lawn Is to fulfill its function as a true
setting for the home. Here Is where the
background comes in. Trees and shrubs
are to be chosen for planting around the
confines of the lawn as the background
is worked up in a picture. and Towering
plants, borders, masses. clumps, well
planned and SO Distributed as to have
proper relation to the background act I'm
| the complete whole as does the mat In
the picture.
For background purposes there Is moth
ing to surpass the evergreen. Low-grow-
Ing types should be chosen for small
grounds: larger ones are only suitable
where the grounds are considerable in