Evening star., 1929-12-01
SPARE HOURS GIVEN TO FLOWERS
BY WIFE OF CONGRESS MEMBER
Mrs. Edward Browne Repaid
for Toll in
Grandeur.
Visits Old World Gardens and
Makes Home Spaces
Lovely.
BY GRETCHEN SMITH.

With the fragrance OF roses and a
vision of white phlox in an old-fash-
ioned garden clinging to the earliest
memories of her childhood, Mrs. Edward
E. Browne, wife of Representative
Browne of Waupaca, Wis, has devoted
the recreation hours of her life to the
study and cultivation Of flowers and
plants.
AS other women have spent their
moments of leisure attending tea par
ties or bridge games. Mrs. Browne has
gone forth into the gardens which have
surrounded her homes and weeded and
watered, tended and trained the plants
which repay with a profusion Of BIOS
SONS and a perfection of development
her love and labor.
Few women can say that in their
travels abroad, the gown shops Of Paris
or the jewelers. of the Rue de la Paix
held no lure for them. During her last
visit to Europe, two years ago, Mrs.
Browne did not even go to Paris. She
travelled instead to the flower gardens
of the Old World.
Nothing IN Europe" she will tell
you, "is more beautiful than the sight
of the wild flowers of the Tyrol in
Spring and the lovely old Andalusian
gardens of Spain. Some day am go
ing to have Spanish garden myself,
with little brick walks, an old we'll and
quantities of Calendulas and magenta
colored phlox. Then England-where
is there anything more beautiful than
the old English gardens with the holly
SpeciaIizes in PeOnies.
In her home at Chain-o Lakes, Wis,
Mrs. Browne has specialized in the cul-
tivation of peonies. She has more
than 100 varieties and states that one
Of her Claire du Bots plants had IS
large, perfectly formed blooms at one
time. Lady slippers. that dainty little
blossom usually considered q fairly
short-stemmed plant, grows in Mrs.
Brownies garden to the height of her
waist. The iris, which Mrs. Browne
calls "the poor mans orchid" also is
found in riot of color bordering the
walks and hedges of Mrs. Brownies 40
acre estate in Wisconsin. Although a
faithful old gardener has assisted her
for many years in the cultivation of
her flowers and plants, Mrs. Browne
personally supervises and directs the
turning of the soil to detecting the
tiniest weed which might be found
obtruding in the rich soil of her flower
beds.
"Soil!"-that Mrs. Browne will tell
you. is the secret of horticultural sue
cess.
A Chicago gardener and florist. at
tracted by the fame Of Mrs. Brownies
beautiful gardens, visited the home on
Chain-o'- Lakes.
Never" he said, have seen such
wonderful soil"
That replied Mrs. Browne, sis be-
cause give it plenty of fertilizer. In
my soil every year put loads of leaves,
all the kitchen garbage and all the
wood ashes from the stoves and fire.
places. Ta this add plenty Of mari.
which is decayed shell from the nearby
lakes. This supplies the lime which
our sandy loan in Wisconsin needs. I
find also that if you properly work the
soil Of a garden, it will take the place
of rainfall in the dry season."
Once Barren Grounds.
Ten years ago, when Mr.. and Mrs.
Browne first took the pretty white house
at No. Z Underwood street, Chevy Chase
the grounds were barren of plants or
flowers. For several years now the
Browne home in Maryland has been
noted among flower lovers for the beau