THE "ILLINOIS WAY" OF BEAUTIFYING THE FARM 



17 



53. The Wrong Way of Treating a Border 



54. The "Illinois Way" of Treating a Border 



"Every spring, millions of bushes are ruined by 'fake gardeners/ whose only idea of Allow every shrub to develop to the utmost its peculiar beauty. The most flowers are 



'pruning* is to trim every bush into a ball." (See page 13.) By this system they rob you borne on young wood not old; therefore, cut out some old stems every year right to the 

 of many flowers, and make_ all shrubs look alike. Do not let these ignoramuses trim your ground. Prune after flowering not before. Try this system. Get a pair of shears and do 



ny flowers, l 

 elms into balls. (From Bailey's "Manual of Gardening.") 



foundations of her house. Her perennial flowers, such as iris, 

 peony, phlox, and chrysanthemum will not perish of thirst in 

 a distant garden, but bloom beneath the kitchen window, 

 where they can be watered with the least effort. And her fa- 

 vorite annuals, such as asters, calliopsis, cosmos, marigold, 

 mignonette, petunias, snapdragons, stocks, verbenas, and zin- 

 nias will no longer be raised by the pottering, back-breaking 

 method of seed-bed and transplanting, but will be sown in 

 long rows, like vegetables, and cultivated by the horses on 

 their way to the fields. Some of the old sentiment will be 

 gone, but she will . have more flowers at less cost, by growing 

 them in simple, wholesale ways. 



2. More Cut-Flowers at Less Cost 



We have just indicated how this can be accomplished with 

 the famous old garden flowers. Another way is to cut three- or 

 four-foot sprays of flowering shrubs, bring them into the house, 

 and stand them in 

 umbrella jars. In- 

 deed, the best way 

 to prune shrubs, 

 according to some 

 gardeners, is to 

 prune them while 

 they are in bloom. 

 It would mar a 

 flower-garden to re- 

 move these long 

 sprays, but in an 

 informal border on 

 the lawn they never 

 will be missed. A 

 third way to have 

 plenty of cut-flow- 

 ers without cost is 

 to gather the com- 

 mon roadside flow- 

 ers and weeds, e.g., 

 the queen's lace 

 handkerchief, yar- 

 row, bouncing bet, 



sunflower (Fig. 62), 

 brown-eyed susan, 

 goldenrod, and 

 asters. The com- 



a little at a time. No rush season. (Henry M. Dunlap, Savoy, III.) 



mon flowers of the fields, such as red and crimson clover, ought 

 to be brought into the house; it is not enough to see them 

 outdoors. Try it and be convinced. And do not buy any fancy 

 vases loaded with ornament or made of many strong colors. It 

 is a waste of money, for flowers will not look well in such 

 things. Use simple jugs and jars whatever you have. 



3. Children's Gardens That Will Make Strong Characters 



Eight Iowa children who helped one another through col- 

 lege began their financial career by cultivating a strawberry 

 bed. Why not start your children in business this spring with 

 a dollar's worth of gladiolus bulbs? (See Fig. 63.) They can 

 sell the flowers without harming the bulbs, and by August 

 they will be able to pay you back and buy something they 

 desire very much. It may lead to a great business in the coun- 

 try, like that of a man in Berlin, N. Y., who has seventy acres 

 of gladioli. (See Fig. 64.) The peony is another plant that gives 



two crops flowers 

 and roots. A single 

 row of peonies culti- 

 vated with a wheel 

 hoe by your boy 

 may change hatred 

 of the farm into 

 love of it, and 

 create a fine busi- 

 ness, like that of a 

 peony specialist in 

 Pennsylvania. The 

 farmers near Har- 

 risburg, Pa., bring 

 to market iris, 

 peonies, garden 

 pinks, lilacs, gla- 

 dioli, dahlias, hy- 

 drangeas, and china 

 asters. It is pin- 

 money for the wife, 

 to say nothing of 

 the pleasure. 



I n Winnebago 

 County children 

 learn to grow flow- 

 ers at school, 

 and other farm 



55-56. The Nannyberry for Boundary Planting (Viburnum Lentago) 



Everyone likes these sweet berries, that turn dark blue or black in September and remain all winter. All summer it is a 

 joy to watch the berries change color, and the scarlet stalks make a vivid foil. The bloom comes in May and the clusters 

 are often 5 inches across. In autumn the foliage turns to deep orange. It is native to Illinois. This big bush gro" s 

 20 feet high or more. Plant nannyberries to mark the boundaries of your yard, screen unsightly objects, feed the birds, 

 provide winter beauty, and repeat the prairie lines with their flat flower-clusters. At one time you may see green, pink, 

 and blue berries all in the same cluster. See page 14, paragraph "Boundary Planting." 



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