The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-02


 lawn and garden in the town.
 Mrs. Downey, whose word regarding flowers and their cultivation is regarded as at once reliable and authentic, was chatting with me the other day about how she transformed the rear of her att tractive Twentieth Street Home from a barren lot into a most artistic and beau tiful flower garden.
 "In the treatment of my lot" said Mrs. Downey, T have employed all my ener- gies toward the flower garden. The front of my home l have only used as land scape lawn, with grass and shrubbery. Some one said to me recently that front yard without flowers and shrubbery looked like man without his collar, the most important thing being left off, but in spite of that have carried out my plans so that my flower garden is located in the , rear of my home on a 50 foot square. The really had wonderful luck with my gar den. Of course, it requires eternal vigil ance to make a garden perfect and keep 1t so, but then it isn't a duty, but pleasure, if one cares for flowers as l do. love growing things-plants, shrubs, vines, flowers, everything of that sort, more than anything in the world, and the greatest pleasure I have is my garden.
 How dld you go about starting your garden on so small space?" l asked.
 You have no idea what an immense garden you can make on 50 foot lot said Mrs. Downey. "f believe l have nearly every sort of flower you can pos sibly mention in my garden For in stance, 1 started my garden by tearing down the unsightly fence around my place and building wire fence, covering it with honey sucSles l have three different varieties, the pink tinted, yellow wood bine, and red woodbine-and the fence be- ing oyer feet high, it encloses the gar den entirely and makes very pretty background. Violets border the beds and jonquils, buttercups and crocuses form golden border with the vioets. In be- tween these 1 have a bit of a vegetable garden, onions, radishes and lettuce" They've gotten in mighty good com pany, to be so homely." l suggested They have very nice manners" said Mrs. Downey,s and never presume upon the society of the flowers. Outside of these, there are daffodils and hyacinths, and among the flowers that follow close l ly upon these, when 1t comes to early l Spring blossoms, are the Bleeding Heart, | Peonies, Lilies of the ValleS, and then my beautiful roses. l have nearly every variety, the Jacqueminots being among the earliest boomers Anybody who lcves | flowers at all can grow roses-if they only | have a little patience"
 | up to a short time ago I had an idea ! that all Pink Roses were LaFrance and all red ones Jacques,' I suggested, but somehow when l hear flower culturists reeling off their names like the old wom- an in the shoe must have done with her numerous children, l know full well that there are many more besides.'
 Certainly" was the answer. You come to know them in an instant, if you are at all familiar with the cultivation 1 of roses Back of my roses in my gar den I have quantities of old fashioned Marigolds, Snap Dragons, and Cosmos Then my Dahias and Chry ysanthemums grow in great profusion, I believe l get more real pleasure out of the Dahlas than any of the other flowers. They are such q grateful sort of flower, and are never in the least disappointing. Last year l had Nasturtiums in my garden up | to Christmas. Wasn't that remarkable. i And my Sweet Peas grow seven feet | high. We had to uses a ladder last year ] to climb up and cut them. Besides all these. I have a bed of Parsley the year ! tpuuN, UNu IkSi dS lluEH AllIll us l Cdil l possibly use for all purposes l have an | Asparagus bed which yields a nice little supply of Asparagus, but I use it mainly ! as a deeoraton--the Asparagus Fern be- 1 ing particularly graceful. In the fall, of course, the vines arc covered with, red berries"
 Its almost unbelievable, that all this could be done on 50 foot city lot" l ventured.
 T haven't called your attention to our grape arhor," said Mrs. Downey as she pointed ont a lattice work frame. which in the summer is covered with Scupper- nong vines and from which she gets quan- titles of grapes. The arbor is 20 feet from the House and makes a pretty path way to the flower garden just beyond
 There is scarcely month during the year. said Mrs, Downey, "when we are without flowers of some sort or descrip- tion In the Spring and Summer every vase, bowl and ornament in my house is filled with beautiful flowers. don't like small bouquets of flowers. I love them a great uantities-arm'sfull of them-- and 1t is such a pleasure to arrange them and work with them. In fact. I don't know what I'd do without my little flower garden-its such joy to me-"