Evening star., 1933-08-19
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

peal Of. the spectacle, whether On the
stage or In the garden.
Many star" indeed, could wish TO
make the impression created in the
sensitive, artistic mind by the sight Of
a fine bush loaded down with great
peonies, such as Festima Mazima, to 60
no further.
No one has ever. seen the gladiolus
varieties who has never seen them
grown to perfection. II these blooms, In
any named variety, can be grown to a
stalk Of so many inches long, with 30
many flowers Of such and such q size,
then no lesser measurements will quite
do. The flowers may be pretty. at any
number Of inches, but only the maxi
mum blooms live up to the variety's
reputation.
This Is the one point. above all,
wherein gardening in shade fails. This
fine. wine-purple sladiolus, old but
faithful to gardeners, does nicely here
beneath the trees, but when one re-
calls how finely it may do in sun he
realizes that this Is but Q reflection of
something glorious.
Wherefore, one may say, and keep
on saying, that II newcomers to the
garden next year ut is too late for all
those already possessed Of gardens) wish
to have the finest flowers, they must
select yards In full sun all day long.
Not that one may not have many
fine blossoms in half-sun, but that the
yield In such gardens cannot compare
With that In really sunny places.
No one would advise the removal of
trees to let sunshine in. Trees are too
important plants, In their own rights,
and provide such a softening effect for
homes, which, after all, are houses,
that they must be left where they are
enough to possess them. One never
misses a tree until it Is blown down,
truly, but then one misses 1t very much
There has been too much stress, In
recent years, on the difference between
a house" and . home" There isn't
all that difference, except as Q way OF
thought. Actually, q good house has all
the "makings" Of Q good home in II,
and is the basis for all home happiness
A little less interior decoration. q little
less foundation planting. Q house Is still
home, as long as the root doesn't
leak!
Trees are needed around the average
house, to soften straight lines, to con-
ceal them IN part. to help make the
outside as artistic as the homeowner
attempts to make the inside. Let q
good tree come down, and even the
most obtuse will see the difference.
The shady garden has problems all
Its own. The frst thing the owner
should ~aGmit to himself Is that he is
more or less wasting his time by per-
sistent efforts to grow most Of the an
nual flowers.
With the exception OF the honest
marigolds, the zinnias and the petuni1s,
and just q few others. ANIMALS belong
solely in sunshine. They will grow in
semi-shade, but will not do well, and
many of them will give only few bios
SONS where they should have produced
hundreds.
1t Is Disappointing to try Golden
Clean nasturtiums, and to get hand
full Of flowers, when one should be able
to grow a bankful Wonders were
promised for this variety. but in semi
shade 1t Is anything but q good grower
The fault lies in a stubborn effort to
grow the wrong things in the wrong
places. The gardener Is wasting his
time. his ground. his money. He reaps
disappointment. when, II he had stuck
to marigolds, his shady garden would
have been spangled with stars.