Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-04-16
EASTER At
THE CAPITOL
Floral Beauty Of The Ter
ritOrhI Grounds
IMPROVEMENTS UNDER WAY
Lawns Being Planted in
Rear of Building New
Irrigation System-Rose
Garden and Experimental
Work.
IMPROVEMENTS UNDER WAY

! If the calendar has worked no de-
cepuon, this is Easter morning. and
whether II is or not the Capitol
grounds are going To celebrate ii as
such. They are arrayed in a wealth
of brilliant colors such as can be
found at the Easter season nowhere
else than in Arizona gardens or in
the artificial bowers of man-made
Conservatives.
/ To enumerate the varieties of plants
that are now in bloom would be
something of a task, TO say nothing of
calling attention 70 the lawns and the
hundreds of trees and shrubs that all
lend their varying shades of green to
the picture. 1t is sufficient 10 say
that there are roses, verbenas. petu-
Mas dianthus, larkspur, sweet peas.
carnations, sweet Williams, and stocks.
each variety in infinite colors. and
these are only CONGRATULATIONS, for
there are scores of varieties in fewer
number that are now in flower For
instance, there are the big double pink
tinted pOppieS larger than a baseball
the little white border flowers. etc
Altogether the grounds were never
more beautiful, and in succeeding
years they will probably never be
less so. for great improvements are
now in progress Gardener James
Keen is planning for an exhibition a
year hence that will surpass today's
showing 10y at least 100 per cent The
west half of the grounds. that have
never been improved except by the
planting of large trees, have all been
laid out, leveled. irrigated and part of
the lawns planted. 4 year from now
they will probably be as brilliant with
the annual flowers as the front gar
dens are now
Visitors to the capitol in recent
weeks have noted something different,
and many of them perhaps have been
unable to discover what change has
been wrought. Nobody has seen the
grounds torn up, and yet there is
something missing. though the change
is an Improvement The secret is
that a few weeks ago Mr.. Keen and
his assistants fell to one evening and
chopped out, root and branch, the four
monster shocks of oleanders that
stood. two on each side of the main
entrance to the grounds. almost hiding
the building from view. Then they
filled up the holes nicely and trans
planted some spring flowers in the
vacant places, cleaned up all the de-
bris and behold there wasn't a sign
day later that the usual conditions
had been disturbed. except that things
looked different" and better. There
are just as many flowers, and one
can see the capitol building much
better as a background for the gar
dens.
Another change was the trimming Of
the myrtle hedges that line either side
Of the main entrance. The hedges
have not yet recovered from the sur
gerry. but they will in few weeks.
and when they do they will be all the
better for the operation" They were
getting too large, and as the plants
are old, much of the wood within
was dead and all Of it was bare of
leaves. They were cut back several
inches on the top and sides, and now
new leaves are springing out from
the main stems and in short time
all will be as green as ever.
The new improvements include the
installation of a system of sub-irriga-
with all the unsightly feed bitches,
and leaving only the little border
bitches on one or two sides, of each
lawn. from which the respective plats
are flooded when desired. This new
system is now in use in the south
half of the front part of the grounds
and is proving a success in every
way. It will soon be placed on the
north half of the grounds, making
lust that much more Improvement, TO
saw nothing Of being a more conven-
lent system of irrigation and easier
to care for.
The plating of the area on the
west of the building is practically
finished Grass has been sown on
some of the lawns and VIII he on
the others in a short time, the SOIL
being now in preparation. The walks
have all been nicely graded. The
scheme of the four triangular lawns
and one oval lawn, now seen in front,
next to the building, will be duplicated
Immediately in the rear. The lawns
further west will be of different size
and shape from those at the entrance
tn the grounds But there are other
things OF interest Oh tHS 6iO"'
IA the activities of the gardener. who
is constantly experimenting and I'M
proving. For instance, to the soulh-
west of the building and Immediately
adjoining the cactus garden, on the
west. Mr.. Keen has planted a little
rose garden of selected varieties, about
$50 plants in all. These occupy about
the space of one of the smaller lawns
and it is intended as a permanent
rose garden They were planted just
a few weeks ago. late in the spring
planting season, but notwithstanding
that fact quite a number OF the
strong plants are already sporting
few blossoms, even though they are