The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-21

monize in beauteous effect.
 Visitors who see the "Italian Gar den" of MT. and Mrs. Massey's are its perfection of detail and it's grace and symmetry-and the effect is one of beauteous lines and exquisite har- mony.
 There are hundreds upon top of hundreds of smaller gardens-as well as other large ones-in Bir- mingham which are a credit to the city as we'll as to the individual owners--and for CIV town--or rather I might say a young" town there is no more beautiful landscap- ing anywhere .n America or greater perfection in gardening than right here in Birmingham.
 There has been a recrudescence of the garden. A few years ago the garden passed out of the sight of all but a few enthusiasts in the ru- ral districts. In the city it's so'e
 
 squares. then hideously and inar- tistieally decorated with eoleus and other unpleasant plants. There were, to be sure, q few sickly bor- ders planted here and there against fence. An occasional bed containiag geraniums decorated some backyart but the garden as completed, sn thought-out and worked-out scheme had disappeared.
 There were wonderful gardens in England. In America the only won derful ones were those of rich peo- pie, whose gardeners. when one set of flowers were through blooming. bought another set from the florist and placed them in the beds--and those were not gardens.
 So it seems from these and other signs that the garden has come into it's own again.
 Even the city woman is now ashamed of a backyard which shows only garbage cans and slime-covered green bricks. Even she studies cat alogues, and reading, tries to dis cover what plant thrives best in soil composed of two parts stones and one part clay.
 As q means of grace. making a gar den is an excellent thing. It teaches patience, 1t teaches optimism: It reduces the hips and the waistline; 1t renews agility;fit drives away dull 1 care; it improves the disposition: 1t clears the perspective; it strength- ems the nerves.
 There's a wonderful hihiio~ - about gardens, and the amateur reads the books eagerly bee more enthusiastic by the moment. There is, for instance, Frances | Hodgson Burnett's "rhe Secret Gar den,s a story for children over which grown-ups hang entranced, and it l has moral
 | And there is chafming garden | book by the author of "The Commu- l ter's Wife and two Hardy Garden books--called Hurdy Gurdy books in the secrecy of the family-by help full Mrs. Ely, and a dozen others- all 1 of which incites the amateur to greater efforts and harder work than l she has ever done before. Gardeners believe that there Is | such a thing as the growing touch l Everyone has heard of the magit. | people who can stick anything into the ground and have it flourish i'm mediately like green bay tree.'
 We'll. the garden authorities do not | believe much in the growing touch" apparently. They seem to believe l that when things growS easily and 1 quickly for gardener it i s because the earth with which she has to deal l is fertile and her beds are properly i prepared and not because there Is q ] miracle in her touch. They talk of 1 fertilizers and drainage and sand and 1 clay until the head swims. The amateur gardener must pre- | pare her soul for disappointments. l She must read the seedmans cata- l logues with mental reservations. She must possess herself of patience She must be shod with the gospel of If at first you don't succeed. try, try 1 again
 1 Eash growing green thing has it's 1 own special enemies. She must 1 learn how to deal with those enemies without throwing herself into such : rage as to induce apoplexy