10 ORNAMENTAL GARDENING 
a beauty spot, and at the same time make for themselves pretty 
homes. It doesn’t require much to make an attractive home; 
many a man wastes a hundred thousand on buildings and grounds 
which, in the end, are perfectly hideous. A little taste, a little 
good sense and judgment and a small amount of careful study 
will go a long way farther towards making an attractive home 
than a large sum of money without them. I think it is far better 
even to servilely copy after that which is beautiful than to orig- 
inate that which is ugly. If you cannot design a tasteful house 
and grounds take your time and look around: in every neigh- 
borhood some one will be pretty sure to have an attractive home. 
Talk with the owners of such places, ask for suggestions. I am 
sure that almost any one in Florida with such a place would be 
willing to help others who are to be their neighbors to make nice 
homes. No one of taste wants a monstrosity of a house or 
grounds near him; therefore as a matter of self-defense he will 
be willing to help a newcomer in such matters. 
Don’t undertake to do too much; let the house be simple and 
adapted to the climate and surroundings; let your work outside 
be for a purpose. Don’t make serpentine walks or drives merely 
in order to imitate the crawling of a snake. Every curve should 
be for a reason and a reasonable directness is best in all walks 
that are much frequented, in other words, business walks. 
There are several grasses that make good lawns here; the St. 
Lucie grass, a variety of the Bermuda grass which does not pro- 
duce underground runners; the St. Augustine grass, which is a 
strong grower, and some others make good covering.* In my 
own lawn, if I can call it that, I let the native grasses and her- 
baceous plants grow at first, thinking to plant St. Lucie grass later. 
I cut this growth down once or twice a year and now I have be- 
come so attached to these beautiful and interesting plants that 
I have not the heart to destroy them. They make an open space. 
in front of my home and I botanize out there and enjoy them and, 
on the whole, I am as well satisfied as if I had a smooth, velvety 
turf. 
The ground for a lawn or grass plat should be cleared of roots 
or rock to the depth of half a foot and levelled; then, during a 
wet time if possible, plant pieces of grass in rows a foot or so 
*Zoysia pungens, recently introduced, is a beautiful lawn grass. 
