Evening star., 1939-05-27

at the blooming of something she
"just threw on that dry, old bank"
Creeping phlox, creeping buttercup,
sedums, wild honeysuckle, high and
low bush huckleberry, high and low
bush cranberry, Glove pinks and
even digitalis. A yellow climbing
rose has wandered up the bank
and down again, and there is pink
rose blooming now right around the
violet blue, perky Siberian iris. An
ornamental grass grows on the knife
edge of the wall. The roots of all
these plants wander under the logs
and spikes, and it is easy to make
the compost stick up there now.
Novel System Of
Fertilizing.
No garbage man calls at this
house Down below the old camp
are three compost holes. This sea-
son the contents of the three-year-
old hole are being sifted over the
garden. Into the oneyear-old hole
goes all garbage, weeds and grass
cuttings. Next year the two-year-
old will be the three-year-old, and
the present three-year -old will ro-
tate back to the one-year-old hole.
Mr.. and Mrs. Richard, who love
to take their exercise and recrea-
ton in their garden, have learned
a great deal about soils from their
experience.
IF plant isn't happy in its 10
cation" says Mrs. Richards, hes not
going to show his little old face.
If one dies 1 try to find out the
cause" 1t is interesting to hear
her personalize her flowers. Perhaps
that is the secret of her success on
difficult terrain. She has learned
these things. Azaleas flourish in
acid soil, and bonemeal and lime
must be kept away from them.
Her lilac hedge, on the other hand,
must be fed lime twice a year
Madonna lilies like lime and del
phiniums and phlox must have it.
but the gold-band lilies cannot stand
it. PoenieS love bonemeal as they
start to grow in the early spring.
When planting poppy and babys
breath seeds in the sunny border of
the clearing Mrs. Richard puts them
first into a mixture of sand and
lime.
Woodland Pool
Lends Charm.
After touring this garden one
comes inevitably to rest by the pool
between a mimosa and a weeping
willow. Half way down the gentle
southeast slope, the pool gets enough
sun for water lilies. In it also
grows a purple iris from a Massa-
chusetts marsh The dragonfiies
especially love a water hyacinth
from the old Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal.
Above the pool under the dogwood
and judas trees flows little stream
let where wild flowers. forget-me-
nots and azaleas are at home. Step
ping stones are laid adequately but
unobtrusively through this woodland
glen. There are no straight, stiff
walks in this garden. The approach
to the front door of the house is
a double curve. There is no shin
ing white or "citified" furniture.
Rustic dark green benches are
plentiful and placed above and be-
low the viStaS.
Below the pool there is the long
sloping plateau of grass bounded by
the perennial and annhal borders
and the lilac hedge. The grass plot
is the one problem, but frequent
top dressings keep it going.
The woods lie still undisturbed
beyond the Richards hill. Into this
dark green backdrop Mrs. Richards
walks sometimes to study the
habits of plants. Then, when she
finds that some wildwood is being
sacrificed for building, she knows
what and how to transplant. From
Carderock on the Potomac, where
the naval testing base is being con-
structed, she brought home many
dogwood and judas trees and wild
azaleas. Most people, she says.
who do not know the dogwood and
judas trees plant them too deep.
Their fiber roots must be in leaf
mould near the surface for moisture.
She moved 81 judas trees without
any earth around their roots and
never lost one! Such things one
may learn on visit to this garden
in the woods.