The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming Part 34

"I spoke of the path to the schoolhouse with its slight curve. Landscape gardening may follow along very formal lines or along informal lines.

The first would have straight paths, straight rows in stiff beds, everything, as the name tells, perfectly formal. The other method is, of course, the exact opposite. There are danger points in each.

"The formal arrangement is likely to look too stiff; the informal, too fussy, too wiggly. As far as paths go, keep this in mind, that a path should always lead somewhere. That is its business--to direct one to a definite place. Now, straight, even paths are not unpleasing if the effect is to be that of a formal garden. The danger in the curved path is an abrupt curve, a whirligig effect. It is far better for you to stick to straight paths unless you can make a really beautiful curve. No one can tell you how to do this.

"Garden paths may be of gravel, of dirt, or of gra.s.s. One sees gra.s.s paths in some very lovely gardens. I doubt, however, if they would serve as well in your small gardens. Your garden areas are so limited that they should be re-spaded each season, and the gra.s.s paths are a great bother in this work. Of course, a gravel path makes a fine appearance, but again you may not have gravel at your command. It is possible for any of you to dig out the path for two feet. Then put in six inches of stone or clinker. Over this, pack in the dirt, rounding it slightly toward the centre of the path. There should never be depressions through the central part of paths, since these form convenient places for water to stand. The under layer of stone makes a natural drainage system.

"A building often needs the help of vines or flowers or both to tie it to the grounds in such a way as to form a harmonious whole. Vines lend themselves well to this work. It is better to plant a perennial vine, and so let it form a permanent part of your landscape scheme. The Virginia creeper, wistaria, honeysuckle, a climbing rose, the clematis and trumpet vine are all most satisfactory.

"Just close your eyes and picture a house of natural colour, that mellow gray of the weathered s.h.i.+ngles. Now add to this old house a purple wistaria. Can you see the beauty of it? I shall not forget soon a rather ugly corner of my childhood home, where the dining room and kitchen met.

Just there climbing over, and falling over a trellis was a trumpet vine.

It made beautiful an awkward angle, an ugly bit of carpenter work.

"Of course, the morning-glory is an annual vine, as is the moon-vine and wild cuc.u.mber. Now, these have their special function. For often, especially in school work, it is necessary to cover an ugly thing for just a time, until the better things and better times come. The annual is 'the chap' for this work.

"Along an old fence a hop vine is a thing of beauty. One might try to rival the woods' landscape work. For often one sees festooned from one rotted tree to another the ampelopsis vine.

"Flowers may well go along the side of the building, or bordering a walk. In general, though, keep the front lawn s.p.a.ce open and unbroken by beds. What lovelier in early spring than a bed of daffodils close to the house? Hyacinths and tulips, too, form a blaze of glory. These are little or no bother, and start the spring aright. One may make of some bulbs an exception to the rule of unbroken front lawn. Snowdrops and crocuses planted through the lawn are beautiful. They do not disturb the general effect, but just blend with the whole. One expert bulb gardener says to take a basketful of bulbs in the fall, walk about your grounds, and just drop bulbs out here and there. Wherever the bulbs drop, plant them. Such small bulbs as those we plant in lawns should be in groups of four to six. Daffodils may be thus planted, too. You all remember the grape hyacinths that grow all through Katharine's side yard.

"The place for a flower garden is generally at the side or rear of the house. The backyard garden is a lovely idea, is it not? Who wishes to leave a beautiful looking front yard, turn the corner of a house, and find a dump heap? Not I. The flower garden may be laid out formally in neat little beds, or it may be more of a careless, hit-or-miss sort.

Both have their good points. Great ma.s.ses of bloom are attractive.

"You should have in mind some notion of the blending of colour. Nature appears not to consider this at all, and still gets wondrous effects.

This is because of the tremendous amount of her perfect background of green, and the limitlessness of her s.p.a.ce, while we are confined at the best to relatively small areas. So we should endeavour not to blind people's eyes with clashes of colours which do not at close range blend well. In order to break up extremes of colours you can always use ma.s.ses of white flowers, or something like mignonette, which is in effect green.

"The old-fas.h.i.+oned flowers are lovely--sweet William, phlox, old-fas.h.i.+oned pinks, petunia, verbena, zinnia, marigold, mignonette, and poppy are always dear and sweet. Hollyhocks are charming. They represent a kind of guard for the garden. Stand this hollyhock phalanx up against a wall like naughty boys, close to the house, or by an old fence. They are so tall that they must be in the background. They grace it.

Otherwise they would overtop and shadow the other garden plants. If there is an old ash pile, an old dump or anything else unsightly, plant something tall before it. Hollyhocks would not do for this, since their foliage is too scanty. Castor beans are just the thing, however; and sunflowers, the old giant ones, are good, too. A screen is for screening, so that the foliage is of first consideration.

"A wild-flower garden is a good scheme, too. What is lovelier? Bank in a north corner full of these. Hepatica, columbines, anenome, bellflower, b.u.t.terfly weed, turtle head and aster represent wild flowers which bloom from March through October. I can see that north corner now. Miriam has planned to have one, and has really done the work this fall.

"The water garden is another good thing to try with just the right setting. A place at the end of a slope of land, near some drooping trees, a bit shaded would be right. The garden Philip made is a pattern for you all to follow.

"Finally, let us sum up our landscape lesson. The grounds are a setting for the house or buildings. Open, free lawn s.p.a.ces, a tree or a proper group well placed, flowers which do not clutter up the front yard, groups of shrubbery--these are points to be remembered. The paths should lead somewhere, and be either straight or well curved. If one starts with a formal garden, one should not mix the informal with it before the work is done.

"At one time we said a little about poor taste in garden furnis.h.i.+ngs.

Painted kettles, old drain pipes, whitewashed bricks, and edgings of sh.e.l.ls seemed to us then a bit fussy and crude. So, too, is a summer house stuck out on the front lawn, a rustic seat all by itself in an open spot, an archway which forms an arch over nothing. The summer house should be placed in the side yard, or in the rear in a spot where trees lend it a background. If its use is that of a resting spot for your mother, she certainly would not wish it right out on the front lawn. If the house is for children to play in, then again it is not for the front of the house. An appropriate place is near the garden where it makes a cool place to rest after labour, a spot from which to view the beauties of the garden, and a charming place to serve afternoon tea.

"A good general plan to follow in this landscape work is to see what natural charms your place has, and then try to increase and help these.

'Help Nature' is a good watchword. Even though the garden plan is to be a formal one, the natural resources and setting of your place should be kept in mind. The little we did last year on the school grounds was a bit of landscape garden work. I did not call it that to you then, for if I had you would have been scared off. Philip's work in his backyard was of the same nature. The girls' flower garden was a bit of formal work. I guess, too, the outdoor bulb planting which Albert scorned might come under the same head. So you see you have been landscape gardeners without knowing it. To continue to be, all we have to do is to go on somewhat along the general lines I have spoken of to-night. Different committees have prepared a number of tables which should help you much in matters of selection."

GARDEN OF CONSTANT BLOOM BY MONTHS -------------------------------------------------------------- NAME COLOUR HEIGHT SPECIAL POINTS -------------------------------------------------------------- _March_

Columbine Red 1 ft. Grows on rocky places. Graceful flower.

Hepatica White 6 in. Early spring flower. Ready to blossom Blue under the snow. Last year's Pink leaves shelter flower.

Saxifrage White 8 in. Grows in rocky, sandy places.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- _April_

Bluebell Blue 16 in. Likes rock soil and sun.

Dwarf Iris Blue 1 ft. A good border plant. Does not require any special soil. Spreads.

Moss Pink Pink 6 in. Likes full sun. Spreads rapidly.

Violet Blue 6 in. Good soil. Plant in either sun or shade.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- _May_

Lily-of- White 9 in. Grows under trees, spreads rapidly.

the-Valley Flowers fragrant. Cut flower effect.

German Iris Different 2 ft. The best of flags for general planting purposes.

Forget- Blue low Thrives on moist soil. Planted with me-not tulips follows them in bloom.

Chinese Different 4 ft. The earliest of peonies. Good in Peony borders.

Myrtle Blue low Grows even in shade and poorly drained soils. Spreads rapidly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- _June_

Bleeding Pink 2 ft. A hardy plant. Needs moist, good Heart soil. Good border plant.

Foxglove Purple 4 ft. Perennial which self sows. Effective in backgrounds. Likes shade.

Garden Peony Crimson 3 ft. The real old-fas.h.i.+oned peony. Good border plant. Large blossoms.

Larkspur Blue 4 ft. Good for borders and backgrounds.

The finest of blue flowers.

Sweet Different 2 ft. A self sewing perennial. Bright William colours. Good for ma.s.sing. Sweet and constant bloomer.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- _July_

Baby's White 3 ft. Grows in rocky soil. Use for formal Breath bouquets.

b.u.t.terfly Orange 2 ft. Likes full sunlight and dry soil. Fine Weed colour effect.

Perennial Different 2-5 ft. Good for borders and cut flowers.

Phlox Spiked Pink 3 ft. Belongs in wet swamp lands. Will Loosestrife grow in borders.

Hollyhock Different 6 ft. Use for backgrounds and borders.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- _August_

Aster, New Blue 4 ft. Grows in any soil. The best of tall England asters.

Golden Glow Yellow 6 ft. Grows in any soil and spreads rapidly.

Good background.

j.a.panese White Climber Rapid flowering vine. Use on trellis.

Clematis Sweet flowers.