THE JOYOUS ART OF GARDENING 



This is the proper mental attitude for the city gardener, 

 and with the right mental attitude much may be accomplished. 



The first thing that happens is that the prospective gar- 

 dener sits down not only to count the cost, which may be 

 much or little, but to catechize himself sternly in somewhat 

 this fashion: 



Q. "What is a garden's chief end?" 



A. "The chief end of a garden is to grace the house, to 

 give pleasure to them that look upon it, to them that walk 

 therein, to them that smell thereof." 



Q. "What are the names of the months wherein I look 

 upon my garden July and August ? " 



A. "No. The months wherein I look most upon my gar- 

 den are September, October, November, December, January, 

 February, March, April, May, and June.'* 



Q. "What plants may I set in my garden?" 



A. "Those that will grace it during the months wherein 

 I look upon it." 



Q. "What conditions are they whereto my choice of plants 

 must conform ? " 



A. "The situation, whether the place be sunny or shady 

 or of partial shade; the soil, whether it be rich or poor. It is 

 not meet to plant sun-loving plants in the shadows, nor to 

 set shade-loving plants in the sun." 



Farther on in his catechism he will reach the question: 



"What are the most notable permanent features of the 

 yard?" 



This question and answer, usually the last consideration, 

 are precisely where one's gardening should begin; for it needs 

 little study to perceive that the prominent architectural features 

 of a yard are the fence and the clothes-posts. The color comes 

 and goes, the plants wax and wane, but these remain unmoved. 



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