The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1936-03-19
THE GARDEN

BY Ferdinand Wiener

Nothing Is worse, I think, thar
the garden or gardener who Is
deadly monotonous with the same
ness of things, year in and year
out. Such completeness Of consist
ency Is boresome. Your garden
should express a healthy prejudice
that is hearty enough to fulfill
your own personality or individual
ity, rather than follow a book pat
tern so to say.
The wealth Of plant material
available today has scarcely been
touched. There are likely thous-
and species worthy of cultivation
for every one in common use. To
be smugly complacent, would Ill be-
fit us, when we consider how little
we know, and how much we have
to learn Of the different materials
available.
A certain well-known humorist
said that he once took a survey OF
yards and gardens in the state OF
Indiana and the result was that
seven out Of ten gardens contain
Spirea Vanhoutei." This shrub is
justly popular for several reasons
but there Is not much of a thrill In
going past homes In the spring
time, when you just know long be-
forehand, that you'll meet masses
and masses Of one same consistent
thing. If variety is the spice of life,
1t certainly makes itself felt in the
garden and about the home.
Most of us plant the same thing
right along because we feel we can
not get along without 1t, and never
stop to think that splash here
and there of something else will Of
ten create much pleasanter at
mosphere and enforcement. Ina
CINE a flower show, where all the
flowers are Of the same color!
In other words, thy something
different In setting out, for in
stance, another shrub or two this
spring, instead Of planting some
thing we already have, or perhaps
the neighbor has, let's be original.
In the shrub called Deutzia, we
find one of the most useful shrubs
, in the nursery. The Deutzias are
hardy and floriferous, and not too
fastidious about general conditions.
There are several varieties, the hor-
ticultural variety Pride of Roches-
ter is one of the best known in the
nursery trade. It is a tall, upright
shrub, 6 to 8 feet high, blooming
in May to June. The double white
flowers are large, slightly tinted.
The foliage Is luxusious, the bush
of fine habit, and altogether it is
plant anyone can be proud of to
plant on the home grounds. 1t
should be pruned annually by cut
ting out the oldest stems from the
center of the clump. The top should
never be sheared. Fine shrub for
partial shade.
Forsythia is seldom seen in the
north. True, most Of the Forsythias
are not suited in our climate, al
though in closely protected situa-
tons, they may do quite we'll
However, I wish to call attention
to Forsythia intermedia spectacle.
Is which is reasonably hardy. II
should be planted in a sunny, pro.
tected location on fairly dry soil
This shrub Is fine in large masses
The variety spoken Of here, is one
of the first shrubs to bloom in
spring, being literally covered with
bright golden flowers before the
leaves appear. The foliage is fine
too. It is useful for borders, en-
trance or foundation paintings. II
grows rapidly and soon attains a
height of five to six feet.
The Forsythia is also known as
Golden Bell. 1t should be pruned
Immediately after Towering, but
never cut back at the ends of the
twigs. Instead, the older stems
should be cut back quite close to
the ground. I know of a planter in
Morrison County, who has a For
sythia that Is success with him
The Honeysuckles are a genus of
popular and desirable shrubs. Some
Of them may be "old-fashioned,"
but they never lose their admirers.
The common Honeysuckle that is
generally planted is the Tartarian
Honeysuckle. One of the best spec
les in the whole family Is Morrow's
Honeysuckle. 1t is a hardy and
, vigorous plant, makes q dense bush
up to eight feet high with interlac.
ing twiggy branches, good foliage
and an abundance of pale pink
flowers, which are followed by red
berries. It Is rather difficult to
prune, but severe pruning Of old
wood every two or three years will
give improved results.
The Wahoo or Burning-Bush
(Euonymus atropurpurea) is use.
full shrub "a native of the northern
states, and should be more gener.
ally planted. Growing up to eight
| feet tall. its chief heal,ty is In the