226 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[August, 



The driver was a German. Passing a very 

 pretty farmer's garden the casual observation 

 was made that the garden was very pretty. 

 "Dat ish zo," he replied; "dey haf viniins dere. 

 Vere dey haf vimins, viewers alv.ays ish." The 

 editorial brain has not yet been able to decide 

 whether the great increase of gardening taste 

 has been due to the happy increase in the num- 

 ber of ladies, or whether any one of the other 

 agencies should have the palm in this contest- 

 Perhaps all, and more, may have had some 

 share in the good result. At any rate, let each 

 advocate and the friends of each view join in 

 congratulations that our lovely art is being so 

 generally appreciated. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



THE ADORNMENT OF SMALL YARDS. 



BY MISS A. G. 



The limited dimensions of city and town yards 

 frequently deter their owners from thinking 

 them worthy of adornment; yet a judicious use 

 of time, and a small amount of money, would 

 soon make them "nooks of loveliness.'' Flori- 

 culture develops a taste for simple and enduring 

 pleasures. The study of nature, and the appre- 

 ciation of her beauty, give a life-long and ever- 

 increasing investment in interests that widen 

 and deepen as life goes on. 



In laying out small yards, it is well to remem- 

 ber that simple plans are best for small spaces. 

 Where graceful or peculiar outlines are desired, 

 they are best shown by being set in grass, and 

 should have space enough to make them quite 

 distinct. I have seen large gardens entirely 

 spoiled by a series of many-shaped beds and 

 narrow paths. These give only a confusion of 

 outline and mingling of plants that hide, in- 

 stead of reveal, beauty. I have seen, on 

 the contrary, a touch of grandeur given to a 

 yard of good dimensions, by simply setting a 

 large circle in the centre of a square plat of 

 grass, the circle being filled and bordered with 

 gay flowers. Another, seen in Nice, and fifty 

 feet square, was made by peculiar but gracefully 

 outlined beds to have the effect of much larger 

 grounds, a place being given for shrubbery ; a 

 row of tall but slender-growing trees on each 

 side ; a bed of roses; other beds containing tall 

 plants, with borders of flowers, and a hedge that 

 made alcoves of each corner next to the street; 



I one contained seats and the other a child's 



' swing; next to the house grew a beautiful screen 



; of Heliotrope. 



j If the front yard is very small, it can be much 



I improved by placing high-growing plants or 



i vases filled with flowers, in each of the corners 



nearest the house. A straight path down the 



! centre is best, with grass on either side reaching 



J to the fence, or to a very narrow bed beside it. 



1 Set a circular bed on each side and at each end, 

 I . • 



with an oval bed between them. If there is a 



high wall on one side, it is best to let the grass 

 I come up close, leaving spaces for vines to run 

 j up the wall; any but a wide bed is out of pro- 

 portion to a house or high wall. 



In back yards, borders around the fence, with 

 long beds on each side of a centre path econo- 

 mize space, and leave room between the beds 

 for grass plots, which give a good background 

 for the flowers, and also benefit them by the 

 added moisture they give and retain. Do not 

 put a path on each side of the bed, as it has a 

 stiff appearance. I mention these only as 

 suggestions of experience, but there are many 

 plans to use with good effect, if space can be 

 had. 



Where the ground rises, or falls, terraces have 

 a picturesque effect, especially if steps of stone 

 are used, with vases at the head or foot, or both 

 if a balustrade is added. I have seen half of 

 a city side yard terraced to reach the back part; 

 a grassy slope forming one side, which descended 

 to a short avenue of pear trees running east and 

 west. This changed the monotony of a flat 

 space into a picture. The walls held a swaying 

 mass of greenery, while the beds in front and on 

 the terrace were almost dazzling with the splen- 

 dor of flowers. 



If the fences or walls are unsightly, they should 

 be covered with carefully trained vines, as they 

 are, aside from their beauty, the best relief for 

 the gayety of flowers. 



Where yards are divided by an open fence, 

 light vines, not too closely planted, are very 

 pretty and take away the formal appearance of 

 a long straight line. Barclayana (white, rose 

 and purple). Morning Glories, Cypress (scarlet 

 and white), Sweet Peas (purple), and the single- 

 flowered Clematis, Thunbergia (buff and white), 

 the Allegheny vine, etc., are all suitable. To 

 these for high fences can be added Bignonia 

 grandiflora and B. capreolata, White Jessamine 

 (south of Philadelphia), Akebia quinata (a 

 Japanese vine bearing brown sweet-scented 



