The Wilmington morning star., 1945-12-24
Christmas Gifts Made At Home Fill
Stockings Of Rural Carolina Folks

to nod greeting to those who pass
by?
These few fundamentals should
be remembered. The chief object
OF the home grounds is the house
another reason for repair and paint.
The house is the center of the
picture you are making. All plants
should be subordinate to the house
and in harmony with the house and
site. The most important of all
an unbroken velvety green lawn
no beds Of bulbs, no shrubs scat
tered here and there There is still
time to improve the lawn and per-
haps plant winter grass in the east.
The lawn is to the picture you are
making what the canvas is to the
artist.
Next to the green lawn, trees are
the most important featur of any
place-to me the most important.
Trees for background to your pic
ture, trees to frame lovely views
seen from windows or porches; for
screen planting; trees for shade
and shadow on the lawn; white and
scarlet and scarlet oaks, elms;
trees for winter green live oaks
in. the far east, magonlias if space
permits, hemlocks for the noun
tains, pines and cedars; and hol-
lies on all lawns. The lawn is never
too small for one berry bearing
holly.
Crab and hawthorn for spring
beauty; and for summer bloom,
crepe myrtle, the small tree so
beautiful in summer bloom, fall
color and body picturesque in win.
ter.
The most universally popular
small tree is the dogwood, lovely
as specimen or in groups sill
houetted against native cedars.
The Great Artist paints each
year a more beautiful picture than
any canvas ever held, with gorge
Gus colors spread in great panora-
mic beauty from the blue haze of
the mountains to, the ocean-lapped
shores of the east. I hope you are
planning to bring a tree for autumn
beauty to your grounds - sweet
gum, black gum, sourwood, pop
lar, hickory nut and>dogwood.
Screen planting is more impor-
tant than foundation planting. Very
few people have proper screen
lanting, but the majority overplant
the foundation. Don't plant shrubs
and trees without a reason. A few
well selected varieties suited to the
grounds are better than great
number, which often make small
place look like living advertise.
ments for a nursery. Where space
permits, screen borders are pref
tier if informal lin effect, with
bays and promontories, with an
occasional tree in the border to
give interest to the skyline. Small
trees may form the screen plant
ing, fruit trees are an excellent
choice. &c. .---..-~
Every home should have an out
door living room with grassy plot
and shade tree. There should
be a green. wall for privacy and
as a background for flowers and
garden furniture.
The outdoor living room area
may be either at the side Or rear
but always connected with the liv-
ing room of the house. It is in this
private area that the formal gar
den will be built, perhaps; an ex-
tension of the living room and on
an axis with it. -
1t is here that the pool may be
built-the bird bath or sun dial
placed-and jonquils, pinks, iris.
lilies - great drifts of the old
favorites and the newer beauties
all the color one wishes-a real
opportunity to. create beautiful
picture as the years bring new
knowledge of combinations.
Doesn't this provide opportuni'
ties for gifts of permanence and
beauty-and families working to-
gether to beautify our home
more joy and peace than all the
gifts of transitory value which clut
ter so many homes on Christmas
Day.
All old gardens, patterned after
English designs, were combina'
lions of vegetables. fruits and
flowers. The lovely simple garden
of the E. j. Gordons of Rocky