The Washington herald., 1911-03-19

Neighbor. how does your garden grow
What have you done with that barrel
little strip of turf in front OF your house
or that gravel patch of a back yard o
yours? Is that stumpy little ragget
shrub sticking up so forlornly by tn,
sidewalk all the evidence of your low
of the beautiful or your talent as gar
dener you intend to give US? Do yol
intend that your ugly old wooden fenc
in the back yardshould serve only a.
the rendezvous of the midnight cats anC
the space between purely as a drying
ground for the weekly wash?
Or do these accompanying illustration
OF what can be done with little strip
OF lawns and back yards fire you will
the zeal of the veteran trowel wielder
and inspire you with impatience for tht
receipt of that seed catalogue you ar
going TO write for as soon as you ge
through reading this story?
If the latter. the first thing you wan
10 do is to write to the secretary of thC
Peoples Gard ens Association of Wash
ington. whose addreS is given in The
Washington Herald this morning, and
ask him for full particulars as TO how
this most interesting organization can
help you bCautify the little lawn or yard
left you by your landlord or builder.
For that is what this representative body
of Washington men and women have
united to accomplish They want to
interest every family in the city, occupy
ing a house, in the simple arts of ele-
mentary gardening: to show them how
their mesger little strips Of land. front
and back can be turned into veritable
bowers Of Eden by the expenditure of
a few spare dollars and some little effort
and patience.
Purposes of Association.
Here is tho way the association puts
its purposes:
ITO make the vacant lots of the city
available as gardens for those who have
no garden space OF their own; to build
up, wherever possible. recreation gar
dens for the use of the people of the
pcighborhood in which they are located:
to encourage the Identification of the
parkincs and back yards of the city,
and to stimulate a general interest in
the landscape gardening of the city and
surroundings
This is an ambitious enough pro
gramme surely. but with such magnifi-
the personnel of this association it can
scarcely be doubted that its purposes
eventually will be fulfilled. The associa-
ton is only a year or so old, but already
it has accomplished worders in the way
of interesting our people in the beauti-
fying Of their yards and front lawns.
Last summer a contest was conducted
in which a number of cash prizes were
coll
The best kept front lawn, without re-
gard to shrubs vines, or flowers.
The best results obtained from planting
shrubs, vines, and flowers in a back
yard
The best results obtained from planting
shrubs, vines, and flowers in front
yard.
The best results obtained from plant
ingS of shrubs, vines, and flowers within
the past year in a front yard.
The most attractive individual window
box in the city.
The best display of window boxes in
any residence in the city.
The most attractive garden in the city
where a gardener is employed.
To the janitOr keeping the most attrac-
tive school grounds
Professional florists and gardeners were
not allowed to compete in the first four
classes. Three prizes were offered for
each class, and 173 entries were made.
Those who competed for the prizes were
required to sign a formal application.
not later than September /. signifying
their desire to enter the contest and Civ
ing the location of their paintings,
which were inspected by a committee of
judges and photographs taken of the
lawns, flower gardens. and window boxes
of greatest merit carly in October
This summer a new competition will be
arranged, for which a much greater prize
fund has been contributed by patronesses
and others interested in the movement.
Will Teach You How.
Now is the time to start in. The spring
is really with us, despite the dying ef-
forts of old winter to make things dis
agreeable and during the next month
the seeds should be planted which in
May and June are going to transform
your lawns and back yards into little
glimpses of paradise.
II you don't know anything about gar
dening the association is prepared to teach !
you all you need to know without further |
expense than the 81 yearly dues as active
member of the organization, Arthur
Smith. a landscape gardener of wide
experience, both of this country and /
abroad. has been employed by the asso-
citation to supervise the work and to
advise individuals wishing to beautify
their grounds or desiring to convert their
back yards into flower gardens. He will |
call at your home, after you become a
member, show you which is the business
end or the garden trowel and how to
il, advise you as to your
choice of seeds 10 plant, according to
the character of your soil; and show you
Just how to plant and take care of the
various flowers decided upon.
We are so accustomed to hear visitors /
speak OF Washington as beautiful city
that we are wont to flatter ourselves
In the belief that Washington doesn't
need much more in the way of beautif-
cation. How sadly far behind a number
Of other American cities we are in tn,
matter OF landscape, street, and private
gardening was illustrated forciblv last
week In speech before the Chamber OF
Commerce by David Fairchild. presi-
dent OF the Peoples Garden Associatjon.
BY means OF stereopticon slides he
showed how vastly more beautiful were
The gardens and. lawEs Of the people OF