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AMATEUR GARDENCRAFT
[Illustration:
Not wholly in the busy world, nor quite
Beyond it, blooms the garden that I love
_Tennyson_]
AMATEUR
GARDENCRAFT
A BOOK FOR THE HOME-MAKER
AND GARDEN LOVER
BY
EBEN E. REXFORD
_WITH 34 ILLUSTRATIONS_
[Illustration]
PHILADELPHIA & LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
1912
COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY, 1912
PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA, U.S.A.
FOREWORD
The home that affords the most pleasure to its owner is the one which is
largely the result of personal effort in the development of its
possibilities. The "ready-made home," if I may be allowed the
expression, may be equally as comfortable, from the standpoint of
convenience,--and possibly a great deal more so,--but it invariably
lacks the charm which invests the place that has developed under our own
management, by slow and easy stages, until it seems to have become part
of ourselves.
Home-making is a process of evolution. We take up the work when
everything connected with it is in a more or less chaotic condition,
probably without any definite plan in mind. The initial act in the
direction of development, whatever it may be, suggests almost
immediately something else that can be done to advantage, and in this
way we go on doing little things from day to day, until the time comes
when we suddenly discover what wonderful things have been accomplished
by our patient and persistent efforts, and we are surprised and
delighted at the result. Were we to plan it all out before beginning it,
very likely the undertaking would seem so formidable that it would
discourage us. But the evolutionary process takes place so gradually, as
we work hand in hand with that most delightful of all companions,
Nature, that work becomes play, and we get more enjoyment out of it, as
it goes along, than it is possible to secure in any other way if we are
lovers of the beauty that belongs about the ideal home. The man or woman
who sees little or nothing to admire in tree, or shrub, or flower, can
have no conception of the pleasure that grows out of planting these
about the home--_our_ home--and watching them develop from tiny plant,
or seed to the fruition of full maturity. The place casts off the
bareness which characterizes the beginning of most homes, by almost
imperceptible degrees, until it becomes a thing of beauty that seems to
have been almost a creation of our own, because every nook and corner of
it is vital with the essence of ourselves. Whatever of labor is
connected with the undertaking is that of love which carries with it a
most delightful gratification as it progresses. In proportion as we
infuse into it a desire to make the most of any and everything that will
attract, and please, and beautify, we reap the reward of our efforts.
Happy is the man who can point his friends to a lovely home and say--"I
have done what I could to make it what it is. _I_ have done it--not the
professional who goes about the country making what he _calls_ homes at
so much a day, or by the job." The home that somebody has made for us
never appeals to us as does the one into which we _have put ourselves_.
Bear that in mind, and be wise, O friend of mine, and be your own
home-maker.
Few of us could plan out the Home Beautiful, at the beginning, if we
were to undertake to do so. There may be a mind-picture of it as we
think we would like it to be, but we lack the knowledge by which such
results as we have in mind are to be secured. Therefore we must be
content to begin in a humble way, and let the work we undertake show us
what to do next, as it progresses. We may never attain to the degree of
knowledge that would make us successful if we were to set ourselves up
as professional gardeners, but it doesn't matter much about that, since
that is not what we have in mind when we begin the work of home-making.
We are simply working by slow and easy steps toward an ideal which we
may never realize, but the ideal is constantly before us to urge us on,
and the home-instinct actuates us in all our efforts to make the place
in which we live so beautiful that it will have for those we love, and
those who may come after us, a charm that no other place on earth will
ever have until the time comes when _they_ take up the work of
home-making _for themselves_.
[Illustration: PILLAR-TRAINED VINES]
The man or woman who begins the improvement and the beautifying of the
home as a sort of recreation, as so many do, will soon feel the thrill
of the delightful occupation, and be inspired to greater undertakings
than he dreamed of at the beginning. One of the charms of home-making is
that it grows upon you, and before you are aware of it that which was
begun without a definite purpose in view becomes so delightfully
absorbing that you find yourself thinking about it in the intervals of
other work, and are impatient to get out among "the green things
growing," and dig, and plant, and prune, and train. You feel, I fancy,
something of the enthusiasm that Adam must have felt when he looked over
Eden, and saw what great things were waiting to be done in it. I am
quite satisfied he saw chances for improvement on every hand. God had
placed there the material for the first gardener to work with, but He
had wisely left it for the other to do with it what he thought best,
when actuated by the primal instinct which makes gardeners of so many,
if not the most, of us when the opportunity to do so comes our way.
I do not advocate the development of the aesthetic features of the home
from the standpoint of dollars and cents. I urge it because I believe it
is the _duty_ of the home-owner to make it as pleasant as it can well be
made, and because I believe in the gospel of beauty as much as I believe
in the gospel of the Bible. It is the religion that appeals to the finer
instincts, and calls out and develops the better impulses of our nature.
It is the religion that sees back of every tree, and shrub, and flower,
the God that makes all things--the God that plans--the God that expects
us to make the most and the best of all the elements of the good and the
beautiful which He has given into our care.
In the preparation of this book I have had in mind the fact that
comparatively few home-owners who set about the improvement of the
home-grounds know what to do, and what to make use of. For the benefit
of such persons I have tried to give clear and definite instructions
that will enable them to work intelligently. I have written from
personal experience in the various phases of gardening upon which I have
touched in this book. I am quite confident that the information given
will stand the test of most thorough trial. What I have done with the
various plants I speak of, others can do if they set about it in the
right way, and with the determination of succeeding. The will will find
the way to success. I would not be understood as intending to convey the
impression that I consider my way as _the_ way. By no means. Others have
accomplished the same results by different methods. I simply tell what I
have done, and how I have done it, and leave it to the home-maker to be
governed by the results of my experience or that of others who have
worked toward the same end. We may differ in methods, but the outcome
is, in most instances, the same. I have written from the standpoint of
the amateur, for other amateurs who would make the improvement of the
home-grounds a pleasure and a means of relaxation rather than a source
of profit in a financial sense, believing that what I have to say will
commend itself to the non-professional gardener as sensible, practical,
and helpful, and strictly in line with the things he needs to know when
he gets down to actual work.
I have also tried to make it plain that much of which goes to the making
of the home is not out of reach of the man of humble means--that it is
possible for the laboring man to have a home as truly beautiful in the
best sense of the term as the man can have who has any amount of money
to spend--that it is not the money that we put into it that counts so
much as _the love for it_ and the desire to take advantage of every
chance for improvement. Home, for home's sake, is the idea that should
govern. Money can hire the work done, but it cannot infuse into the
result the satisfaction that comes to the man who is his own home-maker.
But not every person who reads this book will be a home-maker in the
sense spoken of above. It will come into the hands of those who have
homes about which improvements have already been made by themselves or
others, but who take delight in the cultivation of shrubs and plants
because of love for them. Many of these persons get a great deal of
pleasure out of experimenting with them. Others do not care to spend
time in experiments, but would be glad to find a short cut to success.
To such this book will make a strong appeal, for I feel confident it
will help them to achieve success in gardening operations that are new
to them if they follow the instruction to be found in its pages. I have
not attempted to tell all about gardening, for there is much about it
that I have yet to learn. I expect to keep on learning as long as I
live, for there is always more and more for us to find out about it.
That's one of its charms. But I have sought to impart the fundamental
principles of it as I have arrived at a knowledge of them, from many
years of labor among trees, and shrubs, and flowers--a labor of
love--and it is with a sincere hope that I have not failed in my purpose
that I give this book to
THE HOME-MAKER AND THE GARDEN-LOVER.
THE AUTHOR.
CONTENTS
PAGE
THE LAWN: HOW TO MAKE IT AND HOW TO TAKE CARE
OF IT 17
PLANTING THE LAWN 34
SHRUBS 49
VINES 68
THE HARDY BORDER 81
THE GARDEN OF ANNUALS 97
THE BULB GARDEN 116
THE ROSE: ITS GENERAL CARE AND CULTURE 128
THE ROSE AS A SUMMER BEDDER 149
THE DAHLIA 156
THE GLADIOLUS 166
LILIES 172
PLANTS FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES 176
ARBORS, SUMMER-HOUSES, PERGOLAS, AND OTHER GARDEN
FEATURES 189
CARPET-BEDDING 205
FLOWERING AND FOLIAGE PLANTS FOR EDGING BEDS AND
WALKS 216
PLANNING THE GARDEN 223
THE BACK-YARD GARDEN 220
THE WILD GARDEN 234
THE WINTER GARDEN 243
WINDOW AND VERANDA BOXES 250
SPRING WORK IN THE GARDEN 257
SUMMER WORK IN THE GARDEN 264
FALL WORK IN THE GARDEN 268
BY WAY OF POSTSCRIPT 272
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
"NOT WHOLLY IN THE BUSY WORLD, NOR QUITE BEYOND
IT, BLOOMS THE GARDEN THAT I LOVE" _Frontispiece_
PILLAR-TRAINED VINES 8
IVY, CLIMBING ROSES, AND COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE 34
A BIT OF INFORMAL BORDER 37
SHRUBS ALONG THE DRIVEWAY 44
SNOWBALL 57
AMERICAN IVY AND GERANIUMS 60
HONEYSUCKLE 73
JAPAN IVY GROWING ON WALL 75
SHRUBS AND PERENNIALS COMBINED IN BORDER 83
OLD-FASHIONED HOLLYHOCKS 88
THE PEONY AT ITS BEST 90
A BIT OF THE BORDER OF PERENNIAL PLANTS 92
A BED OF ASTERS 106
BED OF WHITE HYACINTHS BORDERED WITH PANSIES 125
HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSE 130
ROSE TRELLIS 136
RAMBLER ROSES 142
DOROTHY PERKINS ROSE--THE BEST OF THE RAMBLERS 145
TEA ROSE 152
CACTUS DAHLIA 160
A GARDEN GLIMPSE 170
AURATUM LILY 174
THE ODDS AND ENDS CORNER 180
SUMMER HOUSE 191
A PERGOLA SUGGESTION 195
A SIMPLE PERGOLA FRAMEWORK 198
GARDENER'S TOOL-HOUSE 200
A BORDER OF CREEPING PHLOX 220
IN SUMMER 224
IN WINTER 224
PORCH BOX 238
PORCH BOX 254
PLANTING TO HIDE FOUNDATION WALLS 272
The Illustrations are reproduced from photographs by J. F. Murray.
* * * * *
THE LAWN: HOW TO MAKE IT AND HOW TO TAKE CARE OF IT
The owner of the average small home seldom goes to the expense of
employing the professional gardener to do the work of lawn-making.
Sometimes he cannot afford to do so. Sometimes skilled labor is not
obtainable. The consequence is, in the majority of cases, the lawn,--or
what, by courtesy, is called by that name,--is a sort of evolution which
is an improvement on the original conditions surrounding the home, but
which never reaches a satisfactory stage. We see such lawns
everywhere--rough, uneven, bare in spots, anything but attractive in a
general way, and but little better than the yard which has been given no
attention, were it not for the shrubs and plants that have been set out
in them. The probabilities are that if you ask the owner of such a place
why he has no lawn worth the name, he will give one or the other of the
reasons I have made mention of above as his excuse for the existing
condition of things about the home. If you ask him why he has not
undertaken the work himself, he will most likely answer that he lacks
the knowledge necessary to the making of a fine lawn, and rather than
experiment with it he has chosen to let it alone.
Now the fact is--lawn-making has nothing mysterious about it, as so many
seem to think. It does not call for skilled labor. It need not be an
expensive undertaking. Any man who owns a home that he desires to make
the most of can make himself a lawn that will be quite as satisfactory,
in nearly every instance, as the one made by the professional
gardener--more so, in fact, since what we make for ourselves we
appreciate much more than that which we hire made for us. The object of
this paper is to assist home-makers in doing just this kind of work. I
shall endeavor to make it so plain and practical that anyone so inclined
can do all that needs doing in a satisfactory manner. It may not have
that nicety of finish, when completed, that characterizes the work of
the professional, but it will harmonize with its surroundings more
perfectly, perhaps, and will afford us quite as much pleasure as the
work of the expert.
If the house has just been built, very likely everything about it is in
a more or less chaotic condition. Odds and ends of lumber, mortar,
brick, and all kinds of miscellaneous building material scattered all
over the place, the ground uneven, treeless, shrubless, and utterly
lacking in all the elements that go to make a place pleasing and
attractive. Out of this chaos order must be evolved, and the evolution
may be satisfactory in every way--if we only begin right.
The first thing to do is to clear away all the rubbish that clutters up
the place. Do not make the mistake of dumping bits of wood into hollows
with the idea that you are making a good foundation for a lawn-surface.
This wood will decay in a year or two, and there will be a depression
there. Fill into the low places only such matter as will retain its
original proportions, like brick and stone. Make kindling-wood of the
rubbish from lumber, or burn it. Get rid of it in some way before you
begin operations. What you want, at this stage of the proceedings, is a
ground entirely free from anything that will interfere with grading the
surface of it.
If the lot upon which the house stands is a comparatively level one--or
rather, was, before the house was built--it is generally easy to secure
a slope from the house on all sides, by filling in about the building
with the soil thrown up from the cellar or in making excavation for the
walls. If no excavation of any kind has been made--and quite often,
nowadays, foundation walls are built _on_ the ground instead of starting
a foot or two below the surface,--a method never to be advised because
of the risk of injury to the building from the action of frost in the
soil,--it may be necessary to make the lot evenly level, unless one goes
to the expense of filling in. A slight slope away from the house-walls
is always desirable, as it adds vastly to the general effect. Enough
soil to secure this slope will not cost a great deal, if it does not
happen to be at hand, and one will never regret the outlay.
If the ground is very uneven, it is well to have it ploughed, and
afterward harrowed to pulverize the soil and secure a comparatively
level surface. Do not be satisfied with one harrowing. Go over it again
and again until not a lump or clod remains in it. The finer the soil is
before seed is sown the better will be the sward you grow on it.
If the surface of the yard is _not_ uneven, all the grading necessary
can be done by spading up the soil to the depth of a foot, and then
working it over thoroughly with, first, a heavy hoe to break apart the
lumps, and then an iron rake to pulverize it.
I say nothing about drainage because not one lot-owner in a hundred can
be prevailed on to go to the trouble and expense of arranging for it. If
I were to devote a dozen pages to this phase of the work, urging that it
be given careful attention, my advice would be ignored. The matter of
drainage frightens the home-maker out of undertaking the improvement of
the yard, nine times out of ten, if you urge its importance upon him. If
the location is a rather low one, however, it is a matter that ought not
to be overlooked, but it is not so important if the lot is high enough
for water to run off speedily after a shower. If any system of drainage
_is_ arranged for, I would advise turning the work over to the
professionals, who thoroughly understand what ought to be done and how
to do it. This is a matter in which the amateur must work to a
disadvantage when he undertakes to do it for himself.
If there are hollows and depressions, fill them by levelling little
hummocks which may be found on other parts of the ground, or by having
soil drawn in from outside. In filling low places, beat the soil down
solidly as you add it. Unless this is done--and done well--the soil you
add will settle, after a little, and the result will be a
depression--not as deep as the original one, of course, but still a
depression that will make a low place that will be very noticeable. But
by packing and pounding down the earth as you fill it in, it can be made
as solid as the soil surrounding it, and in this way all present and
future unevenness of the soil can be done away with. It is attention to
such details as these that makes a success of the work, and I would urge
upon the amateur lawn-maker the absolute necessity of working slowly and
carefully, and slighting nothing. Undue haste and the lack of
thoroughness will result in a slovenly job that you will be ashamed of,
before it is done, and so disgusted with, on completion, that you will
not feel like doing the work over again for fear another effort may be
more unsatisfactory than the first one. Therefore do good work in every
respect as you go along, and the work you do will be its own reward when
done.
It is impossible to put too much work on the soil. That is--you cannot
make it too fine and mellow. The finer it is the finer the sward will
be. A coarse, lumpy soil will always make an unsatisfactory
lawn-surface.
Most soils will need the addition of considerable manure, and poor ones
will need a good deal. To secure a strong, luxuriant stand of grass it
is very essential that it should be fed well. While grass will grow
almost anywhere, it is only on rich soils that you see it in perfection,
and the ideal lawn demands a sward as nearly perfect as possible.
But I would not advise the use of barnyard manure, for this reason: It
contains the seeds of the very weeds you must keep out of your lawn if
you would have it what it ought to be,--weeds that will eventually ruin
everything if not got rid of, like Dandelion, Burdock, and Thistle, to
say nothing of the smaller plants that are harder to fight than those I
have made mention of. We cannot be too careful in guarding against these
trespassers which can be _kept_ out much easier than they can be put to
rout after they have secured a foothold. Therefore I would urge the
substitution of a commercial fertilizer for barnyard manure in every
instance. Scatter it liberally over the soil as soon as spaded, or
ploughed, and work it in with the harrow or the hoe or rake, when you
are doing the work of pulverization.
If you do not understand just what kind of fertilizer to make use of,
tell the dealer as nearly as you can the nature of the soil you propose
to use it on, and he will doubtless be able to supply you with the
article you require. It is always safe to trust to the judgment of the
man who knows just what a fertilizer will do, as to the kind and
quantity to make use of. Soils differ so widely that it is not possible
to advise a fertilizer that will give satisfaction everywhere. This
being the case, I advise you to consult local authorities who understand
the adaptation of fertilizers to soils before making a choice.
April is a good month in which to seed the lawn. So is May, for that
matter, but the sooner the grass gets a start the better, for early
starting will put it in better condition to withstand the effects of
midsummer heat because it will have more and stronger roots than
later-sown grass can have by the time a demand is made upon its
vitality.
Sowing lawn-grass seed evenly is an undertaking that most amateurs fail
in. The seed is light as chaff, and every puff of wind, no matter how
light, will carry it far and wide. Choose a still day, if possible, for
sowing, and cross-sow. That is--sow from north to south, and then from
east to west. In this way you will probably be able to get the seed
quite evenly distributed. Hold the hand close to the ground, filled
with seed, and then, as you make a circular motion from right to left,
and back again, let the seed slip from between your fingers as evenly as
possible. A little experimenting along this line will enable you to do
quite satisfactory work. You may use up a good deal of seed in
experimenting, but that will not matter. One common mistake in
lawn-making is to use too little seed. A thinly-seeded lawn will not
give you a good sward the first season, but a thickly-seeded one will.
In fact, it will have that velvety look which is one of the chief charms
of any lawn, after its first mowing. I would advise you to tell the
dealer of whom you purchase seed the size of your lot, and let him
decide on the quantity of seed required to make a good job of it.
In buying seed get only the very best on the market. But only of
reliable dealers. By "reliable dealers" I mean such firms as have
established a reputation for honesty and fair dealing all along the
line. Such dealers have to live up to their reputations, and they will
not work off upon you an inferior article as the dealer who has, as yet,
no reputation to live up to may, and often does, charging you for it a
price equal to, or beyond, that which the honest dealer would ask for
his superior grade of seed. In order to have a fine sward it is
absolutely necessary that you must have good seed. Cheap seed--and that
means _poor_ seed, _always_--does not contain the varieties of grasses
necessary to the making of a rich, deep, velvety sward, and it almost
always _does_ contain the seeds of noxious weeds which will make your
lawn a failure. Therefore patronize the dealers in whose honesty you
have ample reason to have entire confidence, and buy the very best seed
they have in stock.
After sowing, roll the surface of the lawn to imbed the seed in the
soil, and make the ground firm enough about it to retain sufficient
moisture to insure germination. In three or four days the tiny blades
ought to begin to show. In a week the surface will seem covered with a
green mist, and in a fortnight's time you will be able to see, with a
little exercise of the imagination, the kind of lawn you are going to
have. If the season is a dry one it may be well to sprinkle the soil
every day, after sundown. Use water liberally, and keep on doing so
until rain comes or the plants have taken hold of the moister soil below
with their delicate feeding-roots.
I would not advise mowing until the grass is at least three inches high.
Then clip lightly with a sharp-bladed mower. Just cut away the top of
the grass. To mow close, while the grass is getting a start, is the
worst thing you can do. When it begins to thicken up by stooling out,
then, and not _till_ then, will you be warranted in setting the mower so
that it will cut closely. But never _shear_ the sward, as some do. You
will never have a turf like velvet if you do that. Let there be an inch
and a half or two inches of the grass-blade left.
The importance of having good tools to work with, in taking care of the
lawn, ought not to be overlooked. A mower whose blades are dull will
_tear_ the grass off, and make it look ragged, as if gnawed away by
animals feeding on it, while the mower whose blades are of the proper
sharpness will cut it as evenly and as neatly as if a razor had been
applied to it. You cannot appreciate the difference until you have seen
a specimen of each, and compared them.
Some persons advocate raking the lawn after each mowing. Others advise
leaving the clippings to act as a sort of mulch. If the clippings are
allowed to remain, they wilt, and this will detract from the appearance
of the sward for a short time, but by the next day they will not be
noticeable. Raking as soon as mowed makes the lawn more immediately
presentable. I have never been able to see any great deal of difference
in the two methods, except as to appearance, therefore I would advise
the lawn-owner to try both methods and adopt the one that pleases him
most. If a rake is used, let it be one with blunt teeth that will not
tear the sward. There is such a rake on the market, its teeth being made
of bent wire. On no account use a sharp-toothed iron rake. That is sure
to injure the sward.
Be regular in your attention to the lawn. Do not let the grass get so
tall that the mower will not do a good job in cutting it. This
necessitates mowing at regular intervals. If you mow only once a week, I
would advise the use of the rake, as long grass-clippings are always
unsightly because they remain on top of the sward, while short clippings
from frequent mowing sink into it, and are soon out of sight.
In case the lawn is neglected for a week or more, once going over it
with the mower will not make it very presentable. Mow, and then rake,
and then go over it again, cutting _across_ the first swaths. The second
cutting will result in an even surface, but it will not be as
satisfactory as that secured by _regular_ mowings, at intervals of two
or three days.
It is a most excellent plan to scatter bonemeal over the surface of the
lawn in midsummer, and again in fall. Use the fine meal, as the coarse
article is not readily assimilated by the soil. There is little danger
of using enough to injure the sward. Injury generally results from not
using any.
Many lawn-owners, with a mistaken idea of neatness, rake up the leaves
that scatter themselves over the sward in fall, thus removing the
protection that Nature has provided for the grass. Do not do this. Allow
them to remain all winter. They will be entirely hidden by the snow, if
any falls, and if there is none they are not unsightly, when you cease
to think of them as litter. You will appreciate the difference between a
fall-raked lawn and one on which leaves have been allowed to remain over
winter, when spring comes. The lawn without protection will have a
brown, scorched look, while the other will begin to show varying tints
of green as soon as the snow melts. Grass is hardy, and requires no
protection to prevent winter-killing, but a covering, though slight,
saves enough of its vitality to make it well worth while to provide it.
The ideal lawn is one in which no weeds are found. But I have never seen
such a lawn, and never expect to. It is possible to keep weeds from
showing much if one has a thick, fine sward, but keen eyes will discover
them without much trouble. Regular and careful mowings will keep them
within bounds, and when the leaves of large-foliaged plants like the
Burdock and Thistle are not allowed to develop they do not do a great
deal of harm except in the drain they make upon the soil. Generally,
after repeated discouragements of their efforts to assert themselves,
they pine away and finally disappear. But there will be others always
coming to take their places, especially in the country, and their
kindred growing in the pastures and by the roadside will ripen seed each
season to be scattered broadcast by the wind. This being the case, the
impossibility of entirely freeing a lawn from weeds by uprooting them or
cutting them off will be readily apparent. One would have to spend all
his time in warfare against them, on even a small lawn, if he were to
set out to keep them from growing there. Therefore about all one can do
to prevent large weeds from becoming unsightly is to constantly curb
their aspirations by mowing them down as soon as they reach a given
height.
The Dandelion and the Plantain are probably the worst pests of all,
because their seeds fill the air when they ripen, and settle here,
there, and everywhere, and wherever they come in contact with the ground
they germinate, and a colony of young plants establishes itself. Because
the Burdock and Thistle attempt to develop an up-reaching top it is an
easy matter to keep them down by mowing, but the Dandelion and Plantain
hug the soil so closely that the mower slips over them without coming in
contact with their crowns, and so they live on, and on, and spread by a
multiplication of their roots until they often gain entire possession of
the soil, in spots. When this happens, the best thing to do is to spade
up the patch, and rake every weed-root out of it, and then reseed it. If
this is done early in spring the newly-seeded place will not be
noticeable by midsummer.
We frequently see weed-killers advertised in the catalogues of the
florist. Most, if not all, of them will do all that is claimed for them,
but--they will do just as deadly work on the grass, if they get to it,
as they do on the weed, therefore they are of no practical use, as it is
impossible to apply them to weeds without their coming in contact with
the sward.
Ants often do great damage to the lawn by burrowing under the sward and
throwing up great hummocks of loose soil, thus killing out large
patches of grass where they come to the surface. It is a somewhat
difficult matter to dislodge them, but it can sometimes be done by
covering the places where they work with powdered borax to the depth of
half an inch, and then applying water to carry it down into the soil.
Repeat the operation if necessary. Florists advertise liquids which are
claimed to do this work effectively, but I have had no occasion to test
them, as the borax application has never failed to rout the ant on my
lawn, and when I find a remedy that does its work well I depend upon it,
rather than experiment with something of whose merits I know nothing.
"Prove all things and hold fast to that which is good."
Fighting the ant is an easier matter than exterminating weeds, as
ant-hills are generally localized, and it is possible to get at them
without injuring a large amount of sward as one cannot help doing when
he applies liquids to weeds. The probabilities are, however, that ants
cannot be entirely driven away from the lawn after they have taken
possession of it. They will shift their quarters and begin again
elsewhere. But you can keep them on the run by repeated applications of
whatever proves obnoxious to them, and in this way you can prevent
their doing a great deal of harm. To be successful in this you will have
to be constantly on the lookout for them, and so prompt in the use of
the weapons you employ against them that they are prevented from
becoming thoroughly established in new quarters.
PLANTING THE LAWN
When the lawn is made we begin to puzzle over the planting of trees and
shrubbery.
What shall we have?
Where shall we have it?
One of the commonest mistakes made by the man who is his own gardener is
that of over-planting the home-grounds with trees and shrubs. This
mistake is made because he does not look ahead and see, with the mind's
eye, what the result will be, a few years from now, of the work he does
to-day.
[Illustration: IVY, CLIMBING ROSES, AND COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE]
The sapling of to-day will in a short time become a tree of good size,
and the bush that seems hardly worth considering at present will develop
into a shrub three, four, perhaps six feet across. If we plant closely,
as we are all inclined to because of the small size of the material we
use at planting time, we will soon have a thicket, and it will be
necessary to sacrifice most of the shrubs in order to give the few we
leave sufficient room to develop in. Therefore do not think, when you
set out plants, of their _present_ size, but of the size they will have
attained to five or six years from now. Do not aim at immediate effect,
as most of us do in our impatience for results. Be content to
_plant_--and _wait_. I shall give no diagrams for lawn-planting for two
reasons. The first one is--no two places are exactly alike, and a
diagram prepared for one would have to be so modified in order to adapt
it to the needs of the other that it would be of little value, save in
the way of suggestion, and I think suggestions of a general character
_without the diagram_ will be found most satisfactory. The second reason
is--few persons would care to duplicate the grounds of his neighbor, and
this he would be obliged to do if diagrams were depended on. Therefore I
advise each home-owner to plant his lawn after plans of his own
preparation, after having given careful consideration to the matter.
Look about you. Visit the lawns your neighbors have made, and discover
wherein they have made mistakes. Note wherein they have been successful.
And then profit by their experience, be it that of success or failure.
Do not make the mistake of planting trees and shrubs in front of the
house, or between it and the street. Place them somewhere to the side,
or the rear, and leave a clear, open sweep of lawn in front of the
dwelling. Enough unbroken space should be left there to give the sense
of breadth which will act as a division between the public and the
private. Scatter shrubs and flower-beds over the lawn and you destroy
that impression of distance which is given by even a small lawn when
there is nothing on it to interfere with the vision, as we look across
it.
Relegate shrubs to the sides of the lot, if you can conveniently do so,
being careful to give the larger ones locations at the point farthest
from the street, graduating them toward the front of the lot according
to their habit of growth. Aim to secure a background by keeping the big
fellows where they cannot interfere with the outlook of the little ones.
If paths are to be made, think well before deciding where they shall be.
Some persons prefer a straight path from the street to the house. This
saves steps, but it gives the place a prim and formal look that is never
pleasing. It divides the yard into two sections of equal importance,
where it is advisable to have but one if we would make the most of
things. In other words, it halves things, thus weakening the general
effect greatly. A straight path is never a graceful one. A curving
path will make you a few more steps, but so much will be gained by it,
in beauty, that I feel sure you will congratulate yourself on having
chosen it, after you have compared it with the straight path of your
neighbor. It will allow you to leave the greater share of the small lawn
intact, thus securing the impression of breadth that is so necessary to
the best effect.
[Illustration: A BIT OF INFORMAL BORDER]
I have spoken of planting shrubs at the sides of the home-lot. If this
is done, we secure a sort of frame for the home-picture that will be
extremely pleasing. If the shrubs near the street are small and low, and
those beyond them increase in breadth and height as they approach the
rear of the lot, with evergreens or trees as a background for the
dwelling, the effect will be delightful. Such a general plan of planting
the home-grounds is easily carried out. The most important feature of it
to keep in mind is that of locating your plants in positions that will
give each one a chance to display its charms to the best effect, and
this you can easily do if you read the catalogues and familiarize
yourself with the heights and habits of them.
If your lot adjoins that of a neighbor who has not yet improved his
home-grounds, I would advise consulting with him, and forming a
partnership in improvement-work, if possible. If you proceed after a
plan of your own on your side of the fence, and he does the same on his
side, there may be a sad lack of harmony in the result. But _if_ you
talk the matter over together the chances are that you can formulate a
plan that will be entirely satisfactory to both parties, and result in
that harmony which is absolutely necessary to effective work. Because,
you see, both will be working together toward a definite design, while
without such a partnership of interests each would be working
independently, and your ideas of the fitness of things might be sadly at
variance with those of your neighbor.
Never set your plants in rows. Nature never does that, and she doesn't
make any mistakes. If you want an object-lesson in arrangement, go into
the fields and pastures, and along the road, and note how she has
arranged the shrubs she has planted there. Here a group, there a group,
in a manner that seems to have had no plan back of it, and yet I feel
quite sure she planned out very carefully every one of these clumps and
combinations. The closer you study Nature's methods and pattern after
them the nearer you will come to success.
Avoid formality as you would the plague if you want your garden to
afford you all the pleasure you can get out of it. Nature's methods are
always restful in effect because they are so simple and direct. They
never seem premeditated. Her plants "just grow," like the Topsy of Mrs.
Stowe's book, and no one seems to have given any thought to the matter.
But in order to successfully imitate Nature it is absolutely necessary
that we familiarize ourselves, as I have said, with her ways of doing
things, and we can only do this by studying from her books as she opens
them for us in every field, and by the roadside, and the woodland nook.
The secret of success, in a word, lies in getting so close to the heart
of Nature that she will take us into her confidence and tell us some of
her secrets.
One of the best trees for the small lawn is the Cut-Leaved Birch. It
grows rapidly, is always attractive, and does not outgrow the limit of
the ordinary lot. Its habit is grace itself. Its white-barked trunk,
slender, pendant branches, and finely-cut foliage never fail to
challenge admiration. In fall it takes on a coloring of pale gold, and
is more attractive than ever. In winter its delicate branches show
against a background of blue sky with all the delicacy and distinctness
of an etching. No tree that I know of is hardier.
The Mountain Ash deserves a place on all lawns, large or small. Its
foliage is very attractive, as are its great clusters of white flowers
in spring. When its fruit ripens, the tree is as showy as anything can
well be. And, like the Cut-Leaved Birch, it is ironclad in its
hardiness. It is an almost ideal tree for small places.
The Japanese Maples are beautiful trees, of medium size, very graceful
in habit, and rapid growers. While not as desirable for a street tree as
our native Maple, they will give better satisfaction on the lawn.
The Purple-Leaved Beech is exceedingly showy, and deserves a place on
every lawn, large or small. In spring its foliage is a deep purple. In
summer it takes on a crimson tinge, and in fall it colors up like
bronze. It branches close to the ground, and should never be pruned to
form a head several feet from the ground, like most other trees. Such
treatment will mar, if not spoil, the attractiveness of it.
Betchel's Crab, which grows to be of medium size, is one of the
loveliest things imaginable when in bloom. Its flowers, which are
double, are of a delicate pink, with a most delicious fragrance.
The White-Flowering Dogwood (_Cornus florida_) will give excellent
results wherever planted. Its white blossoms are produced in great
abundance early in spring--before its leaves are out, in fact--and last
for a long time. Its foliage is a gray-green, glossy and handsome in
summer, and in fall a deep, rich red, making it a wonderfully attractive
object at that season.
The Judas Tree (Redbud) never grows to be large. Its lovely pink
blossoms appear in spring before its heart-shaped leaves are developed.
Very desirable.
Salisburia (Maiden-Hair). This is an elegant little tree from Japan. Its
foliage is almost fern-like in its delicacy. It is a free grower, and in
every respect desirable.
Among our larger trees that are well adapted to use about the house, the
Elm is the most graceful. It is the poet of the forest, with its
wide-spreading, drooping branches, its beautiful foliage, and grace in
every aspect of its stately form.
As a street-tree the Maple is unexcelled. It is of rapid growth,
entirely hardy anywhere at the north, requires very little attention in
the way of pruning, is never troubled by insects, and has the merit of
great cleanliness. It is equally valuable for the lawn. In fall, it
changes its summer-green for purest gold, and is a thing of beauty
until it loses its last leaf.
The Laurel-Leaved Willow is very desirable where quick results are
wanted. Its branches frequently make a growth of five and six feet in a
season. Its leaves are shaped like those of the European Laurel,--hence
its specific name,--with a glossy, dark-green surface. It is probably
the most rapid grower of all desirable lawn trees. Planted along the
roadside it will be found far more satisfactory than the Lombardy Poplar
which is grown so extensively, but which is never pleasing after the
first few years of its life, because of its habit of dying off at the
top.
The Box Elder (Ash-Leaved Maple) is another tree of very rapid growth.
It has handsome light-green foliage, and a head of spreading and
irregular shape when left to its own devices, but it can be made into
quite a dignified tree with a little attention in the way of pruning. I
like it best, however, when allowed to train itself, though this would
not be satisfactory where the tree is planted along the street. It will
grow anywhere, is hardy enough to stand the severest climate, and is of
such rapid development that the first thing you know the little sapling
you set out is large enough to bear seed.
I like the idea of giving each home a background of evergreens. This for
two reasons--to bring out the distinctive features of the place more
effectively than it is possible to without such a background, and to
serve as a wind-break. If planted at the rear of the house, they answer
an excellent purpose in shutting away the view of buildings that are
seldom sightly. The best variety for home-use, all things considered, is
the Norway Spruce. This grows to be a stately tree of pyramidal habit,
perfect in form, with heavy, slightly pendulous branches from the ground
up. Never touch it with the pruning-shears unless you want to spoil it.
The Colorado Blue Spruce is another excellent variety for general
planting, with rich, blue-green foliage. It is a free-grower, and
perfectly hardy. The Douglas Spruce has foliage somewhat resembling that
of the Hemlock. Its habit of growth is that of a cone, with light and
graceful spreading branches that give it a much more open and airy
effect than is found in other Spruces. The Hemlock Spruce is a most
desirable variety for lawn use where a single specimen is wanted. Give
it plenty of room in which to stretch out its slender, graceful branches
and I think it will please you more than any other evergreen you can
select.
It must not be inferred that the list of trees of which mention has been
made includes _all_ that are desirable for planting about the home.
There are others of great merit, and many might prefer them to the kinds
I have spoken of. I have made special mention of these because I know
they will prove satisfactory under such conditions as ordinarily prevail
about the home, therefore they are the kinds I would advise the amateur
gardener to select in order to attain the highest degree of success.
Give them good soil to grow in, and they will ask very little from you
in the way of attention. They are trees that anybody can grow, therefore
trees for everybody.
In planting a tree care must be taken to get it as deep in the ground as
it was before it was taken from the nursery. If a little deeper no harm
will be done.
Make the hole in which it is to be planted so large that all its roots
can be spread out evenly and naturally.
Before putting it in place, go over its roots and cut off the ends of
all that were severed in taking it up. Use a sharp knife in doing this,
and make a clean, smooth cut. A callus will form readily if this is
done, but not if the ends of the large roots are left in a ragged,
mutilated condition.
[Illustration: SHRUBS ALONG THE DRIVEWAY]
When the trees are received from the nursery they will be wrapped in
moss and straw, with burlap about the roots. Do not unpack them until
you are ready to plant them. If you cannot do this as soon as they are
received, put them in the cellar or some other cool, shady place, and
pour a pailful of water over the wrapping about the roots. Never unpack
them and leave their roots exposed to the air for any length of time. If
they must be unpacked before planting, cover their roots with damp moss,
wet burlap, old carpet, or blankets,--anything that will protect them
from the air and from drying out. But--get them into the ground as soon
as possible.
When the tree is in the hole made for it, cover the roots with fine
soil, and then settle this down among the roots by jarring the trunk, or
by churning the tree up and down carefully. After doing this, and
securing a covering for all the roots, apply a pailful or two of water
to firm the soil well. I find this more effective than firming the soil
with the foot, as it prevents the possibility of loose planting.
Then fill the hole with soil, and apply three or four inches of coarse
manure from the barnyard to serve as a mulch. This keeps the soil moist,
which is an important item, especially if the season happens to be a
dry one. If barnyard manure is not obtainable, use leaves, or
grass-clippings--anything that will shade the soil and retain moisture
well.
Where shall we plant our trees?
This question is one that we often find it difficult to answer, because
we are not familiar enough with them to know much about the effect they
will give after a few years' development. Before deciding on a location
for them I would advise the home-maker to look about him until he finds
places where the kinds he proposes to use are growing. Then study the
effect that is given by them under conditions similar to those which
prevail on your own grounds. Make a mental transfer of them to the place
in which you intend to use them. This you can do with the exercise of a
little imagination. When you see them growing on your own grounds, as
you can with the mind's eye, you can tell pretty nearly where they ought
to be planted. You will get more benefit from object-lessons of this
kind than from books.
On small grounds I would advise keeping them well to the sides of the
house. If any are planted in front of the house they will be more
satisfactory if placed nearer the street than the house. They should
never be near enough to the dwelling to shade it. Sunshine about the
house is necessary to health as well as cheerfulness.
Trees back of the dwelling are always pleasing. Under no circumstances
plant them in prim rows, or just so many feet apart. This applies to all
grounds, large or small, immediately about the house. But if the place
is large enough to admit of a driveway, a row of evergreens on each side
of it can be made an attractive feature.
The reader will understand from what I have said that no hard-and-fast
rules as to where to plant one's trees can be laid down, because of the
wide difference of conditions under which the planting must be made.
Each home-owner must decide this matter for himself, but I would urge
that no decision be made without first familiarizing yourself with the
effect of whatever trees you select as you can see them growing on the
grounds of your neighbors.
Do not make the mistake of planting so thickly that a jungle will result
after a few years. In order to do itself justice, each tree must have
space enough about it, on all sides, to enable it to display its charms
fully. This no tree can do when crowded in among others. One or two fine
large trees with plenty of elbow-room about them will afford vastly
more satisfaction than a dozen trees that dispute the space with each
other. Here again is proof of what I have said many times in this book,
that quality is what pleases rather than quantity.