Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-06
'THE HOME GARDEN FOR
PLEASURE AND PROFIT
Plans for Colorful Flower Beds
By JOHN BARTRAM

TTERE, folks, are a few designs and
j i hints for garden beds, inspired by the
following letter:
Friend John Bartram-TalSing ad-
vantage of your interesting column,
I am writing 20 ask you II you would
help me to design a 10foot square
plot; something colorful, which, II
planted at once would bloom during
the summer. Also something to har-
monize with scarlet sage. BY so doing
you will greatly oblige, II. S, i.
L. p. requests information as to proper
time and distance to plant scarlet sage and
cannas. Alice wants to know some sure
to-grow plants (from seed) for a small
bed. Zimmerman wants directions for n
small bed (size unstated) featuring red
and yellow flowers.
All flower beds should be dug TO the
depth Of two feet and earth raked and
fined into q mellow, friabe condition
a hstful of It should be firm enough to
form lump carrying the finger prints, yet
friablc enough to crumble If rubbed gently
between the fingers. The soil should be
enriched with bone meal, ground sheep
manure or well-rotted stable manure,
thoroughly spaded in.
For II, s. f. two plans have been de-
signed, one somewhat elaborate and cost
ing fair sum of money; the other more
simple, but attractive In design and at n
less expenditure. The combination in
each is based on cannas and scarlet sage.
There are no difficult curves, stars or
scrolls, which usually are beyond the skill
of the amateur. A measuring tape and
n good eye are ali that will he necessary
TO attain symmetrical results and the
achievement will he n constant joy In con-
tlnuous bloom In the centre of plan No.
/ is a caladium esculentum: the cost of a
bulb is 25 cents This is the pivot OF a
nr on MI taI ff1 tNyp
These will cost from 81 to So dozen,
according to the variety selected and
whether the roots OF growing plants are
used
Next, working outward. is a series OF
rows of scarlet sage, about 120 plants
being called for, at tho rate Of So per
100. The finishing edge is n single row,
ell around, Of coleus, the requirement be-
ing 120 or so; the cost being 81 per 100.
The cannas should be planted about one
foot and a half apart, the sage about six
inches, the coleus about four inches. In
each of the four corners is n group of half
n dozen scarlet geraniums, costing about
81 per dozen. The cannas can be bought
as rhzomes, at n discount in price of
about 20 per cent, up to the beginning of
April. About April 10 they come in grown
form, which will make the Towering sea-
son earlier. The scarlet sage can be
brought up from seed, but this will delay
Towering results. 1t is best to buy the
coleus in plant form and the geraniums
also, Ask for coleus in which bright
red prcdominates in ordering.
The following are ideal varieties of
Gamma for the bed: Conomlngo fiery scar
let flowers and bronze foliage growing
six feet Wabash four feet, bronze foliage,
Carmine flower unusually large; William
Saunders also bronze leaved and with a
vivid red flower The standard scarlet
sage, Saliva spendens, should be used for
the rows nearest the canuas, then should
be used Zurich n dwarfed form, or Golden