New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-02
w OMEA48
TIE BLUE GARDEN
Ill Summer Long 1t Blooms
OnIy in HeaUen's Color.

"Nothin but blue weeds! She must be
plumb crazy and spendn' money IKE
water" grunted the native" Il could
get a garden Just like hern for dollar.
and hear she's spendln over thousand
For the lands sakes. I'm thinkin' what
will them rich widows be kinkn' their
brains with next. I'm glad Dorindy amt
rich. fashionable or crazy-a gyarden OK
blue weeds: gee whizz!'
Just then the chauffeur announced that
the machine was in order again. so the
city girl TO whom the farmer had been
confiding his Impressions Of his rich neigh
boris blue garden had TO bid him half
reluctant farewell She confessed that she
would have listened cheerfuly to further
remarks from this native" who had seen
the famous blue garden toward which she
herself was travelling. When she reached
the home OF her friend. the owner or the
blue garden. she made straight for H. ana
this is what she found: ri0tous mass OF
blue shading into all the tirts OF lilac ana
deep purple. Some were indeed weeds.
deyeloped by the horticulturfst into BIOS
well known garden flowers, massed ef-
fectivelv in great patches, which gave
them a sp.endor unsuspected by those who
had previously seen only single, loneiy
little plants One thing above all others
the modern gardener has learned IL TO
mass his colors. Some OF the blue blossoms
belonged TO old-fashioned YARDS, as mo
farmers say which filed the air with
spicy fragrance which will always be as
ISOLATED in tho visitors mind with tho
lovely blue garden.
The hostess confessed that the inspira-
ton came from seeing Queen Margheritas
famous garden OF the same color. and that
when she came back from her European
trim she determined TO have one Ike H.
which should be a unique feature OF her
country place-one to attract interesting
nersona0es and make hers the most talked
OF place In the colony.
A list OF the flowers in that garden was
a surprise even 10 the girl. who was an
avowed lover of things that bloom. she
declared she never could have believed
there were 80 many blue blossoms In ex-
istence They bloomed in that garden In
rotation from early spring until fall, be-
ginning with the pretty, spicy scilla. 10
, which Long Island air seems especially
beneficial, as IL shows there a very rich
! hue Just a trihe later comes the grape
| hyacinth. which IS another glorious blue.
! and often grows wild. though al first al
ways escaped from the garden" An odd
| feature Of this plant is that the blue tint
! "fushes" into leaf and stem at the time OF
/ full bloom.
~
| blossom in captivity II one uses skill In
| transplantng 1t. It's companions in the
early spring are the japanese iris, the feur-
de-lys and violets. also pansies and ladies'
/ delights. Nuns flower or innocence does
well in a border If transplanted in the
| field sod and the blue columbine is effective
| as a background. Flax is a superb blue;
salpiglosses which is Of the pstunia family
and has a faint perfume, blooms beside
Canterbury bells, campanula, balloon flower
or the Japanese bell flower, and larkspur.
In addition there are bachelors buttons.
bluebell, harebell. succory or chicory.
monks hood (Which blooms until frosO,
| forget -me-not, lobelia, ageratum, lupine'
blue-eyed grass. tufted vetch. blue marsh
flag and the viper's bugloss, which is like
| the cardinal flower. only a heavenly blue;
prunella, Jacobs ladder, thyme, sage, mint,
basil majoram, clematis, wtstaria, passion
flower and the Chinese larkspur. or larks-
pur there are almost hundred varieties
The wild asters are in blue and purple and
the fringed gentian is true blue" Myrtle
and some small blue daisies are good for
borders, and there are many blue hya-
cinths and crocuses for the bulb bed. The
blue African lily is charming in clumps, as
are also blue anemoNes The Indian
quamash has large blue flowers and will
suit partly shady places. The cultivated
hepatica blooms very freely as does hello
trope when the ground suits them, but
both are fnicky. The hardy hydrangea
is always sure 70 be covered with masses
OF blue bloom. Even with this long list
given by the blue garden" mistress, there
are other plants she has still 10 get. OF
these she mentioned indigo, glechoma, the
ajuga reptans rubra, lungwort. hardy ever
lasting and speedwell
oddly enough" she concluded. there
are no shrubs bearing blue flowers but
there is a blue lowered climbing hydrangea
| that is lovely, and mean 10 have II soon.'