124 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



April, 



Present Walks and Drives at Woodbanks. 

 When we started out to make walks and drives 

 on the grounds, we had neither srravel nor stone 

 for construction, near at hand, nor did we feel 

 at all well disposed toward incurring a large out- 

 lay to procure them. Still the walks and drives 

 which we have constructed answer so well for 

 an unpretentious country garden, that we are in 

 no hurry to change them. 



The illustration on page 144 shows how the 

 walks about the buildings have been arranged. 

 Originally they were ordinary earth walks, made 

 by lowering the sides of the walk two inches be- 

 low the bordering turf, and leaving the centre 

 slightly higher than the sides, so as to give the 

 bed a gracefully curved outline. Width from 

 turf to turf, is about three feet In this condi- 

 tion the walks have the very decided objection 

 that every rain makes them terribly muddy and 

 sticky. To give us a solid foundation, two planks 

 were sunk in, side by side and even with the sur- 

 face, in the middle of the walk, as shown in illus- 

 tration. We have been extremely well satisfied 

 with this plan. Applications of ordinary salt 

 were made, when necessary, to destroy the grass 

 growing in the cracks between the two planks, 

 while the use of hoe and rake kept the sides clean 

 and in good appearance. 



The drives were made by lowering the road- 

 bed six inches below the grass, the work tor the 

 largest part being done with the aid of an ordi- 

 nary road scraper The bed was then simply 

 rounded oft in the centre, this really finishing 

 the job. Dirt roads, not traveled all the time, 

 are usually allowed to grow up in weeds, and 

 then they are a nuisance and spoiled for looks. 

 Weeds show a great deal of persistency in re- 

 turning to places where not wanted. We kept 

 them out by equal persistency in the use of the 

 Popular Gardening Cultivator, or weed cutter, 

 described in these columns in an earlier volume. 

 This cuts up any weed, large or small, near the 

 surface. The cultivator is followed by the 

 Meeker disc harrow, which smoothes the sur- 

 face and finishes the job, until weeds spring up 

 again, when the process must be repeated. 



The Variegated Ground Ivy. 



CHARLES E. PARNELL, QUEENS CO., N. 1. 



In the Variegated Ground Ivy {Nepeta 

 fflcchoma vnricrjata)y!e have a very pretty 

 hardy herbaceous plant, which is simply a 

 variegated form of the common ground Ivy. 

 It is of trailing habit, having uniform cre- 

 nate leaves which are prettily marked with 

 pure white on a dark-green ground. The 

 plant grows from two to six inches in 

 height. When grown outside it blossoms 

 in May and .June, the flowers being of a 

 bluish purple color, they are however small, 

 and comparatively insif^nificent. 



Like the parent variety, it is of vigorous 

 growth, but unlike it the leaves have a re- 

 freshing fragrance similar to that of mint. 

 It is one of our most useful plants for hang- 

 ing baskets, vases, etc., on account of the 

 drooping habit it will assume when planted 

 therein, while it can also be used to good 

 advantage on the lawn for trailing over 

 stumps of trees, rocks, stones, or other un- 

 sightly objects. 



This Nepeta is a plant that can be easily 

 grown. In the open air it should be given 

 a deep, moderately enriched soil, and when 

 grown in baskets or vases should not be 

 permitted to suffer for want of moisture. 



When cultivated as a greenhouse or win- 

 dow-garden plant, the Nepeta should be 

 grown in hanging baskets or suspended 

 flower pots, and given a compost composed 

 of two-thirds well decayed turfy loam, and 

 one-third well decomposed manure, but if 

 leaf-mould can be obtained, use this and 

 omit the manure. See that the plants are 

 well supplied with water at all times, and 

 when the baskets or pots are well flUed 

 with roots give liquid manure occasionally. 

 Spray or syringe the plants freely to guard 

 against the attacks of the red spider, to 

 which pest the Nepeta is rather subject 

 when grown inside. 



Roots are freely emitted from the trailing 

 stems, when these'are allowed to run along 

 the surface of the earth, Whea these stems 



are well rooted they can be taken up and 

 divided, leaving an eye to each piece. These 

 pieces can be potted and grown on to In- 

 crease the stock and in this way a supply 

 can be readily obtained. 



Simple Plant Support. 



The beauty of a plant depends to a great 

 extent on its shape, but some plants are ob- 

 stinate, and bound to grow in bad form, and 



A Sitbscriher's Qarden with Suggestions for 

 Improvement. 



in a way that even pruning would not im- 

 prove. 



A subscriber sends us a sketch of a simple 

 device for supporting the branches of the 

 plant, and holding them firmly in place. 

 Make a wire ring, slightly lower than the 

 rim of the pot, and put this in position, by 

 means of wire pins, as shown in engraving. 

 The branches of the plants can then be tied 

 with string or wired to the ring, and thus 

 kept in the desired position. 



Taste and Tact in Arranging Home 

 and Other Grounds.* 



SIXTH PAPER. 



A subscriber and esteemed contributor, 

 residing at Detroit, Mich., sends to us a 

 sketch of her home grounds as represented 

 at the left in the engraving. The lot fronts 

 on one of the wide boulevards of the city. It 

 is to the rear of the bouse that most of the 

 gardening, largely the cultivation of flowers 

 for pleasure, is done. And while it is true 

 that the gardening is most successfully done 

 in the matter of raising a large assortment 

 of beautiful plants and flowers, yet the ar- 

 rangement of the garden does not satisfy 

 the owner. It is too stifl" in appearance and 

 she applies for assistance in securing some- 

 thing more to her liking. 



It will be seen that the garden in its pres- 

 ent shape is laid out in a series of square 

 flower beds uniform in shape and size, with 

 marginal beds next to the fence, on three 

 sides, of equal width and straight outlines 

 throughout. The intervemng space is de- 

 voted to sward kept neatly clipped with the 

 lawn mower. Altogether the garden pre- 

 sents a neat and prim appearance; still it 

 does not satisfy its intelligent owner. Ijct 

 us see if we can discover its main defects 



•Copyright, 1890, Popolab Gabdeninq PubUsWng Co.- 



and provide a plan which will obviate these. 

 What, perhaps, is the chief fault of our 

 correspondent's garden is its extreme artifici- 

 ality,straight lines everywhere'when nature, 

 our best teacher in these matters, so seldom 

 employs such, either in her arrangements of 

 natural materials or in the form or outline 

 of the parts of plants, trees and shrubs. A 

 second defect is obvious in the sameness of 

 the various features of the garden; there is 

 no variety in the size and form of the center 

 beds. Much as we are disposed to condemn 

 the use of numerous beds of geometrical 

 shape in small gardens, yet even such, if of 

 different shapes and sizes, cannot but be 

 more pleasing than to have all alike or 

 nearly so. The mere fact, that in entering a 

 garden such as this, the eye may compre- 

 hend its entire plan at a glance, lessens the 

 inducement to a visitor to proceed in exam- 

 ining its parts throughout. The third fault 

 is that the beds devoted to cultivation are 

 so much divided and scattered, that any- 

 thing like a considerable area of grass for 

 imparting strength and repose to the scene, 

 is wholly out of question. That is a serious 

 fault even in a small garden. 



What we are inclined to suggest should 

 be done with this garden, is simply to sub- 

 stitute a large measure of natural forms 

 to all planted parts instead of as at present, 

 and keeping in mind , moreover, in doing 

 this, to get rid of the several defects named. 

 The suggestions we offer to such an end are 

 embodied in the right-hand plan, and which, 

 being of the same size as the original, is de- 

 signed to represent about the same area 

 of lawn and of flower beds respectively. 

 But in the arrangement a most striking 

 contrast between the two plans is clearly 

 brought out. 



A first thing apparent in the new design 

 is the entire absence of straight lines aside 

 from the boundaries of the garden. Sec- 

 ondly, we notice the utmost variety in the 

 forms of the borders and beds, and these 

 may be augmented by the varied character 

 of the shrubs, plants, etc., to occupy the 

 ground. Thirdly, the delightful central 

 lawn area down through the plat, with its 

 gracefully irregular, almost intricate out- 

 line, and affording a delightful setting to 

 the other features of the garden. Fourthly, 

 several appropriate features not In the 

 orignal, namely, a garden seat or arbor to 

 be covered with climbers at a and a vine 

 arch at h. 



It is designed that the new plan shall 

 afford accomodations for about the same 

 number and kind 

 of plants and 

 .(^.shrubs as does the 

 fi^^old, while there 

 are opportunities 

 besides for using 

 a number of larg- 

 er plants and 

 shrubs than 

 would be consist- 

 ent with the width 

 of the beds of the 

 old plan. At one 

 point for instance, 

 the left border 

 swells out to a- 

 bout one-third 

 way across the 

 yard, while the 

 mass opposite ex- 

 tends, although 

 not solidly, half way across. Here at the 

 wider parts might be placed some groups of 

 bold shrubs, like Lilacs, Mock Oranges, 

 Loniceras, Weigelas, etc., to serve a« 

 a sort of division, forming a back garden 

 beyond, the contents of which would be 

 wholly out of sight to a person standing at 

 the house end of the plat. In the rear 

 corners, and at several other places, there is 

 greater width than is found in any bed of 



A Simple Plant Support. 



