The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-20
An Old- Fashioned Garden
77 7As it Alabama's sweet singer of

1 of Indiana, James Whitcomb Riley. 1 who wrote such beautiful things in
 the long ago about ld-fashioned i gardens?"
 At any rate, somebody did-and {
 was thinking of this some three
 weeks ago-just before l went to , New York for little visit-as I stood among the last summer roses and early autumn tuberoses, the plox and the anemone, the dahlias and tho Lantanas, the heliotrope and the
 moon flowers in MT. George Wards
 "old-fashioned flower garden" and I was thinking of how either of these
 delectable poets would have loved
 and would have adored singing their
 songs of gorgeous light and color.
 of nuances and shades--of sweet
 smelling jasmine and roseate-hued
 verbenas. as they vie with the vio-
 lets and the Sweet Elysium." and
 the saucy-eyed pansies for beauty.$
 You haven't seen a piece of "Lemcn
 Verbena' nor yet have you held with
 in your dainty finger tips a spray
 of Rose Geraniunl," I'll warrant,
 since the days when you used to live
 over in that little old town in Mis-
 sissippi or down In south Alabama
 or over in dear old rgia-where
 every house stood in the midst of a
 city block--with vine-clad, trellised
 arbors, winding flower beds and
 walks running through the gardens
 and stately magnolia trees and tow
 ering oaks springing from tiny
 acorns stood--and when your heart was as light as the beautiful thistle
 down. and your love of love and life was as carefree as the busy bees that fitted from flower to flower.
 Transforming an otherwise plain back yard" on city lot into a
 vision of loveliness, with & riot of color and an avalanche of beauty is what Mir Wards garden reveals in
 the summer time--a small space of ground, 50 by 100 feet, converted into 8 thing of beauty.
 Yes, 1 know you are probably say ing that you are surprised that as busy man as George Ward is has found time to dig and hoe and weed and spade in mere-flowers; but then you don't know that side of this manysided han. You know that George Ward made one of the very best chief executives that this city of Birmingham ever had, because he has brains, and because he is abso- lutely honest, and because his integ~ rity and his ability are unquestioned aS one of the most loyal and public-spir- ited citizens Birmingham has ever had; and now, since I'm telling you, you must know that the artistic ap- | peals to him as well as politics and | public life, for he loves music and 1 books and flowers and domestic | things-and a man who is as evenly | balanced as that--well--his hearts in | the right place-that's certain
 George Ward gave to Brming gham | a hint of his love of the beautifuH when. as mayor of this city, he in- and promoted the "Clty | BeautifuF' idea, back wonder in 1909, | and later in 1913 he enthusiastically the idea until more than , 1 ,000 City Beautiful clubs were formed, with many more organized, but unreported
 T was greatly impressed" said MT Ward, the afternoon when we stood | in his beautiful flower garden-laid out according to the old English plan of gar0ens-with narrow little grass imbedded walks. dividing off the 12 beds of flowers symmetrically and methodically, when I was in Europe and visited the old chateaux and pal aces over there, of what artistic gardening means to place-a city a village. There tradition plays a great part in these beautiful endeav- DTS, because, for hundreds of years. the most experienced landscape art ists, the best trained nurserymen, have been employed to beautify and keep beautiful the grounds around the old palaces and chateaux of Flu ropje.
 When bought. my home" Mir. Ward said, q found that I had on my hands very ugly old house, which I endeavored to cover up with vines and roses This led to q more ambitious idea on my part, namely, To transform the back of the prem ses into a more slightly plot for my neighbors and the passersby to look upon.
 Accordingly some six years ago." sIr. Ward continued. T went to work 70 plant a few flowers. This grew nto larger proportions than I had and the result is my present flower garden which I thor ,L ghly enjoy during my leisure mo- early in the morn nEs and late in the afternoons, after ! hard days work.
 q think 1t was Emerson who said hat he who knows what secrets and virtues are in the ground, the waters. md the heavens, and how to come u lntSt ID tiC AiSs | md royal man." Mir Ward quoted and l feel safe In makin the stdte- nent that probably no outdoor oc- .upation, not even golf gives so much pleasure as the cultivation of , lowers. Starting with tiny grains # seeds and placing them carefully n the suitable soil,A watching the conditions of air and moisture while he seeds are hidden below the and the gradual unfolding If the tiny seeding and later the { development of leaf. stem,