Jor December, 1920 



395 



The Argument for Wild Gardening 



HERBERT DURAND 



WILD Ciardeniny may be briefly defined as the use 

 of native trees, evergreen — both large-leaved and 

 coniferous — shrubs, vines ferns and wild flowers, 

 to produce pleasing landscape efl:'ects in woodland, mea- 

 dow and bog, or on barren hillsides, outcroppings of rock, 

 etc. It involves but little construction work, no exten- 

 sive preparation of soil, and no cultivation or care after 

 planting. 



On many country estates there are wooded areas, rock 

 ridges, uncultivated fields, or perhaps marshy spots 

 through which a brook meanders — any or all of which 

 may, with tasteful treatment and the use of native plants, 

 be made the most exquisitely beautiful features of the 

 place. The expenditure involved is surprisingly moderate 

 as compared with other forms of gardening. 



Even the home owner with only a small plot of ground 

 suitable for gardening can usually find some shaded spot 

 in which he may enjoy the beauties of many of our native 

 ferns and flowers provided their simple but exacting soil 

 requirements are complied with. 



In Wild Gardening are used primarily the plants that 

 are already growing on the premises or are indigenous 

 to the vicinity. These are supplemented by choicer and 

 larer things that will grow and thrive under existing 

 soil and climatic conditions. 



Frequently there are old fields and pastures formerly 

 under cultivation but now overrun with natural growth — 

 old grotesque apple trees, bayberry, dogwood, shadbush, 

 red cedars, huckleberries. Everything of this sort is pre- 

 served and utilized, thus very materially reducing the 

 cost of planting material. 



Some estate owners are fortunate in possessing a 

 brook, or pool, or perhaps an old millpond which can 

 quickly and inexpensively be transformed into a water 

 garden in which our charming pond lilies, pickerel weeds, 

 irises, arrowheads and other aquatics will flourish, while 

 the banks can be clothed with pussy willows, white 

 birches, alders and other beautiful shrubs under which 

 will thrive moisture-loving ferns and such brilliant flow- 

 ering plants as the cardinal flower, the closed gentian and 

 the marsh marigold. 



A boggy place is an ideal location for azaleas, sweet 

 pepper bushes, wild roses, American holly, the high-bush 

 huckleberry and a host of gorgeous orchids and flowers 

 like the showy lady's slipper, meadow sweet, meadow 

 beauty, manv violets, the meadow lily, the turk's cap lily. 

 and even the loveliest of all wild flowers — the fringed 

 gentian, colonies of which may be established in such 

 places by sowing the seed as soon as possible after it be- 

 comes ripe in late Fall. 



There is a wide difference between the planting of a 

 cultivated garden and Wild Gardening. The former im- 

 plies plowing, harrowing, grading and raking; then 

 putting in as many vegetable or flowering plants, 

 shrubs or evergreens as the space or stilted plan will 

 permit : then weeding and hoeing, watering and pruning, 

 .staking and spraying— altogether an expensive and 

 interminable task. Wild Gardening, on the other hand, 

 involves simply the cleaning up of the place by destroynig 

 and removing brambles and briers, rank weeds, dead or 

 unsightly trees and shrubs and other undesirable objects, 

 the intelligent deforestation of thickly growing woodlands 

 and the laving out of paths and trails. This preliminary 

 work accom])iished the new planting is, as a rule, confined 

 to spots of special interest becau.sc of unusual beauty and 

 convenience, or the presence of some natural feature of 



peculiar charm — such as a spring, a striking rock forma- 

 tion, a natural forest glade, or a lovely vista. 



And it should be borne constantly m mind that no at- 

 tempt should ever be made at cultivation or coddling, 

 pruning or spraying wild plants or planting — that here 

 such things as plows and shovels, hoes and rakes, stakes 

 and trellises, must be rigidly tabooed. The upkeep of 

 such gardens is therefore practically nothing. Further- 

 more, the great majority of our indigenous plants will, 

 by seed or underground runners, propagate themselves 

 and increase and multiply as the years go by, thus adding 

 to the beauty and the naturalness of the surroundings. 



The Winter months are best for studying country 

 places and planning wild plantings because of the ab- 

 sence during the ^^'inter of foliage, weedy growths and 

 vines which prevent easy access to and free open views 

 of the areas to be treated. This is also the best season to 

 determine what locations are suited for special treatment, 

 to prepare lists of plants, and to place orders for them, 

 so they will have priority and be fowarded promptly as 

 soon as the Spring planting season opens. 



Finally, everyone who establishes in congenial loca- 

 tions, colonies of our rarely beautiful but fast disappear- 

 ing wild flowers and ferns, is not only providing a never- 

 failing present source of enjoyment but is helping to pre- 

 vent their extinction and to preserve them in all their 

 refined and delicate beauty for future generations. 



AMERICAN WILD FLOWERS 



LJOMER D. HOUSE, our State Botanist, calls atten- 

 tion to the need of conservation of wild flowers, be- 

 cause, wiih the increase of automobile traffic, motorists, 

 particularly the thoughtless, have been uprooting, break- 

 ing down and gathering these beauties of wild life by the 

 armful for the fleeting pleasure of a few hours. 



Mr. House points out that our byways and woodlands, 

 formerly attractive through their wealth of true Ameri- 

 cans, become the abiding place of burdock, thistles, mus- 

 tard, ragweed and numerous other obnoxious aliens. Fur- 

 thermore, the trouble does not end with the mere change of 

 plant life, but the insects, animals and bird life also suffer 

 a marked change, adding nothing to the attractiveness of 

 the byways and woodlands. The forest primeval gives 

 protection, home and sustenance to a remarkably varied 

 life : it aft'ords shade, recreation and homes to many birds ; 

 it shelters shrubs, wild flowers and animals. 



Not long ago the State of Connecticut had to place 

 placards throughout the hills and valleys calling attention 

 to the widespread destruction of wild flowers, such in- 

 roads being made that the State was being denuded of 

 those plants which, by reason of their size and colors, are 

 conspicuous objects to the ordinary observer. In New 

 York State the trailing arbutus has been especially perse- 

 cuted. New York has a profusion of wild flowers. The 

 number of wild flowers described and illustrated in "Wild 

 b'lowcrs of New York" is slightly less than four hundred, 

 and this does not include all plants with conspicuous or 

 attractive colorings which might be called wild flowers. 



Trailing arbutus, jack-in-the-pulpit, the wild-calla, blue 

 flag, poi^onia. wild pink, marsh marigold, buttercup, flow- 

 ering dogwood, mountain laurel and white daisy_ give 

 ])leasurc to the observer whether he is hiking or riding, 

 and a little thought fulnes? and restraint on the part of the 

 passerbv will make the landscape more attractive for all 

 who follow. — Xczv ]'(»■!: Sun. 



