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. 



