Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-03
Landscape Planning
For the Home Owner
BY ROSE GREEDY.
Landscape Architect.
The Blue Garden.

Those who want flowers of only one
color in their gardens usually have
distinct color preference In nina.
Sometimes 1t is a yellow garden, 10Y
its sunlight hues: sometimes 1t Is
white garden. for It's twilight erect
but often ii is a blue garden, LOT It's
beauty, as elusive as shadows. The blue
garden can be lovely. but it takes
more careful planning than any OF the
others because there is so little pure
blue among flowers. Perhaps TINS &C
counts for the delight with which we
greet the really blue flowers. flowers
like the fringed gentian, which Long.
fellow describes as blue, blue. as II
that Heaven let fall a flower from It's
cerulean wall"
If the garden must be composed or
true blue flowers. varying in color
from balest to darkest blue, but with
out trace of violet, its range would
be limited. With the introduction or
unusual plants. such a garden couid
be made a sight worth the eftort, out
because of the difficulties and expense
il would not be practical fer the small
house owner who must plan for him.
self, For him there is the wider field
of the blue and violet garden. garden
of all the perennialS which we loosely
call blue.
The color will commence in the
earliest Spring with the first little
bulbs blue scilas (SCilla sibericao. with
their nodding cups: glory of the snow
(ChianodoXal, with lifted flower faces,
and grape hyacinths muscari botry-
cides), with tight blue bells close TO
their stalks All these will bloom SO
early that they may be scattered
through the front of the border, Where
the perennials to come after Will ne
just commencing their growth. WITH
Of no low
plants will come into bloom-brlght
blue yeronicas. forget me nots, with
pale blue flowers, a delightful foil for
the darker blues, and to carry on the
paler blues the lovely flax Qinum per
enne), light and feathery, with a pro
fusion of flowers, lasting well INTO the
Summer Just back OF the edglne
plants, the stalks of the Virginia COW
slip (NertenSia Nirginical Will snow
mink buds with its bright blue flowers.
May will bring the first of the bell
flowers, the largest family or blue
Powered plants, ranging from the III
tie Scotch bluebell to the stately stalks
Of the chimney helltlOwer. They all
have their place in the blue garden,
but If the space is small the choice
will probably be confined to the best
of the group. The Scotch plueneil
fCanpanula rotundifolia) has deli
only tiny flowers axe usually accept
abler-in the CreviCeS of stone steps.
If it is planted in a corner, with per
haps one little flower drifting out to-
ward the center of the steps. it will
cling to the face of the stone so that
one steps over it without feeling it In
the way, and from the bottom of the
flight is large blue bells nodding on
slender 6.inch stems above light foil
age will be sharply etched against
the stone The harebell (Campanula
carpatica) has much of the same
beauty Of flower. hut is rather larger,
often s or 10 inches in height, and of
more compact growth. It's bell flowers
rise above a round mass of foliage
that remains in good condition all
Summer. and its bloom is persistent,
continuing well through the Summer
IL the flowers are not allowed to go to
seed It is an excellent edging plant,
both in the Original type. which has
flowers of medium violet blue, and in
some of its varieties In which deeper
blue has been developed. The peach
bells (Campanula persicifolia) grow to
a height OF 212 to 3 feet. with slender
leaves and tall stalks, around which
the believers are delicately set.
Their beauty should give them a place
In ,evey garden, and in the blue gar
: den they may be grown in profusion.
Canterbury bells, of shorter, sturdier
growth and larger flowers. are too
well known to need a description, but
because they are biennials, needing
constant replacing, unlike the peren-
malls Of the family, they are perhaps
less useful to the owner of the small
garden. Chimney bellflowers are open
to the same criticism. for though a
perennial they sometimes prove to be
hot Loot 1If
their 6-foot height and towering CHM
neys of bloom make them an effec-
tive flower for the blue garden.
Lovely as the bellfloWerS are, one
could not conceive of q blue garden
without delphiniumS From late May
or early June until almost frost they
can be kept in bloom, if planted IN
quantity and if the old stalks are cut
down as soon as they have finished
Towering and are heavily fortified to
induce a second growth. Among the
gold medal hybrids form and color
vary. Pale blues, deep blues and vio-
let's, blending beautifully together,
form a sea Of color. Because pure
blue flowers are SO rare it is worth
while to grow, in addition to the hy-
birds, the lovely pale blue delphinium
belladonna and its deep blue form,
delphinium bellamosum. The Chinese
delphinium Delphinium Chinensis), a
dwarf variety with loose branches and
bright blue flowers, is quite different
from the others, but should be planted
near the front Of the border for it's
own sake.
Midsummer will bring platycodon,
with large, fiat, blue bellffowers not
unlike those of the CampanuIas. and
the tall veronicas, with long spikes Of
blue flowers. The blue varieties of
tufted pansy Viola cornuta), which
have been blooming since Spring, will
still have a sprinkling of flowers, last
ing until the asters come into bloom.
For the Fall one may choose among
the hardy a.Sters. For bold effects the
New England asters cannot be sur.
passed, but they are sometimes too
coarse for the small garden. The
more delicate novi-Be1gi are excellent.
There are named varieties. Climax,
with lovely lavender blue flowers. and
blue gem, with flowers of a darker