i8 9? . 



' GARDENING. 



53 



li* 



Sa 



.1 



\h 



?$ 1 



, C »»», — -r 







A BACK-YARD GAHDEN IN COLORADO. 



May. It begins to grow very early and 

 can be seen forcing its shoots through the 

 frozen ground; at this stage of its growth 

 great care has to be taken that the tender 

 flower spike does not get frozen, as the 

 water stands in the heart of the plant, 

 but this seems to do it no harm as long 

 a> the water don't freeze. We use a bell- 

 glass to protect ours and when the plant 

 gets too large for this we use a barrel 

 until all danger of frost is over. 



It likes a well drained soil but plenty of 

 water should be given in its growing sea- 

 son, which is from early in spring till 

 July; it then goes to rest for the season 

 and no more water should be given. 

 Each plant should have a strong stake to 

 support the tall flower stalk, as it is lia- 

 ble to be broken by the winds. The 

 flower -talk grows to a height of six to 

 eight feet and on its summit a dense 

 raceme of peach colored flowers nearly 

 two inches across. It lasts in flower for 

 some time as the flowers do not open all 

 at once. We notice that most of the 

 working roots are near the surface, hence 

 no other plants should be planted among 

 them as the roots are liable to be injured. 

 A mulch of rotted manure in the early 

 spring will help them, and good protec- 

 tion should be given in winter. Some- 

 thing should also be provided to shed the 

 rains. Any little nursing you may give 

 them you will be well repaid, for when 

 they are in flower you will find them to 

 be one of the most beautiful and stately 

 plants you have in your garden. 



Pittsburg, Pa. David Fraser. 



ft BflCK-yflRD OflRDEN. 



We illustrate in this number a back- 

 yard garden belonging to Dr. Howard E. 

 Gates, Colorado Springs, Colo. No one 



can look at this picture without remem- 

 bering Alfred Austin's charming expres- 

 sion "The moment I enter a garden I 

 know at once whether it is the owner's 

 garden, or the gardener's garden. Nearly 

 all large and costly gardens are garden- 

 er's gardens and on my part I would not 

 take them as a gift." It is easily seen 

 that this plot of ground receives the per- 

 sonal care of its owners, who tend to it 

 with loving interest, und whose atten- 

 tions are amply repaid by the wealth of 

 bloom it produces. 



Here in a climate where the hot dry sun 

 burns the petals of gladioli and other 

 flowers so that it is necessary to fasten 

 cheese cloth over them at times, and 

 where unusual care is required in water- 

 ing, we find a spot that otherwise would 

 be bare and unsightly, "blossoming like 

 the rose." Why is this? It is because the 

 owner posesses a love for the inmates of 

 his garden, and attends to them person- 

 ally. Any one having a plot of ground at 

 their command can have the same luxu- 

 riance of growth in it, the same healthful 

 out-door pleasure that this gentleman 

 evidently enjoys in the care and main- 

 tenance of his garden, if they so desire. A 

 few seed, a small outlay for perennials, a 

 spade and weeding tools, a little patience 

 and energy and a desire to do, all backed 

 by a love for it, will soon produce a floral 

 mine whose dividends can be depended 

 upon. 



The illustration shows about one-fifth 

 of the entire garden. Here, Rudbeckia 

 Golden Glow, a moisture loving plant 

 that under ordinary care attains a height 

 of about six feet, grows nearly ten feet, 

 requiring the lady picking its flowers to 

 use an eight foot step ladder. If every 

 back yard in this great country of ours 



were like this one our nation would be a 

 much happier one. 



DflflLIflS AND COSMOS. 



The absence of frost at Egandale up to 

 the present time, October 15, has given 

 us an opportunity of enjoying the cosmos 

 and dahlias. So far all the "early bloom- 

 ing cosmos" I have tried have been fail- 

 ures. The flowers come early enough, 

 but the stems are devoid of the thickly- 

 set, feathery foliage that is so attractive 

 in the old style. They are like the regular 

 cosmos after it has been taken into the 

 greenhouse before the frosts, where the 

 flower stems run up for light, and where 

 the same amount of foliage- intended 

 under natural conditions to clothe four 

 inches of stem, is made to clothe ten. 

 Plants of the regular cosmos grown in 

 8-inch pots and kept severely pinched 

 back until the middle of August, are now 

 quite decorative for porch uses. 



In no preceding year have the dahlias 

 been so fine. Last spring I read Mr. 

 Lawrence K. Peacock's book entitled 

 "The Dahlia." It inspired a desire to try 

 again a flower that jack Frost had so 

 many times destroyed for me just as thev 

 were about to fulfill the promises their 

 buds implied. I became interested in the 

 t3"pe known as "Decorative cactus 

 dahlias" and procured some varieties 

 representing about all the rangeof colors, 

 and should they never bloom again they 

 have repaid for themselves many times 

 over in the wealth of bloom they "have so 

 far given. I give below the names of the 

 varieties I am growing, any of which 

 may be chosen by amateurs with a feeling 

 that they will get something choice: 

 Nymphea, Countess of Pembrook, Mrs. 



