1750 KITCHEN (FLOWER)-GARDEN 



radiating from a common center. Such beds provide 

 the greatest amount of growing room with the least 

 waste, and they bring all parts of the garden into view, 

 without the defect of nearby beds shutting out the 

 view of those in the rear. Such a garden is shown in 

 Fig. 2038, with turning-places and outlooks at EE. 



If the home flower-garden comprises the whole of 

 the floral planting and no other space is devoted to 

 shrubbery and the more robust kinds of perennials, 

 then these radiating beds furnish the very best form in 

 which to combine them with the landscape garden proper. 

 Starting from a central point, A, which may be conspicu- 

 ous by a pool, a bit of sod with table and seat or any 

 garden furnishing, the beds, which may be as narrow 





2038. A serviceable plan for a home flower-garden. 



as 1 foot at the point, widen gradually as they recede 

 until, at the circumference, they attain considerable 

 width; these rear parts are excellent for the plan ting of 

 shrubbery and tall perennials, and shrubs may extend 

 upward through the center of the rear parts of the 

 beds; tall perennials may be massed at the sides and in 

 front, lower perennials border these, and annuals and 

 edging plants fill out the remainder of the ground, in 

 this way furnishing a massed planting which is very 

 attractive and also economical of space. The diagram 

 (Fig. 2038) is a very good example of this manner of 

 platting, and it may be adopted in its entirety or sim- 

 plified by omitting the outer circle and the two short 

 beds in front. 



When economy in labor is of moment, it will be well 

 to choose those plants whose manner of growth is clean 

 and neat, rather than those that tend to spread and so 

 require much cutting and restraining. Lilacs, for 

 example, require constant grubbing out, while the 

 lespedeza has an attractive erectness and cleanness of 

 manner and requires no pruning or restraint; this, also, 

 is true of the altheas and spireas in the main, while the 

 deutzia is easily kept to the single plant if desired. 



Lilies, which do their best when planted among 

 shrubbery and perennials, should be used abundantly 

 in the home-garden, especially the candidum and 

 auratum lilies. For summer cut-flowers, few things 

 equal in effectiveness and usefulness the gladiolus; 

 and as this flower is at its best when interspersed among 

 more generously foliaged plants, it may be worked in 

 among tall perennials to good advantage. Perennial 

 poppies are one of the valuable garden assets and, once 

 established, continue to give satisfactory returns for 

 years. They combine effectively with the Shasta 

 daisies, and are specially effective against the green 

 backgrounds of taller plants. The dictamnus is valuable 

 and should find a place in the home-garden, as once 

 established it is practically everlasting; and its manner 

 of growth is so erect and neat, its bloom so satisfactory 

 and attractive that it is well worth adopting. 



A garden laid out as indicated and planted in the 

 rear and central parts with permanent things, leaves 

 abundant room in front and along the margins for 

 annual plants and for experiments in novelties from 



KITCHEN (FLOWER)-GARDEN 



year to year. It will have its shady and sunny spots 

 which may be utilized for plants requiring special 

 conditions of exposure. 



Certain old garden favorites among the annuals will 

 be much in evidence, but a study of the catalogues of 

 the leading florists will show vast improvements in 

 type which may be adopted without in any way detract- 

 ing from the old-time sentiment of the flowers. Asters 

 and pansies, especially, show this advancement, and 

 petunias are much superior to the small kinds of a few 

 years ago. In purchasing seed of these flowers it is 

 economy to buy the most expensive, as the results well 

 repay the extra outlay. From 25 to 50 cents a packet 

 for pansies and petunias is none too much if one would 

 secure notable flowers. 



The home-garden should be beautiful and interesting 

 from early spring until frost, and to secure this result 

 one must plant freely along the margin of the beds of 

 spring-blooming bulbs crocus, tulips, hyacinths, nar- 

 cissi and the like. These bulbs do admirably planted 

 in long, triple rows, and the space between them may 

 be filled in summer with candytuft, ageratum, schiz- 

 anthus, Drummond phlox, verbena, petunia. 



Sufficient plants that bloom late in summer and in 

 autumn should be supplied to make the garden attrac- 

 tive at this time. Anemones are the most charming of 

 autumn flowers, hardy chrysanthemums bloom w T ell 

 into November, tritomas or kniphofias are a blaze of 

 color for weeks. By judicious planting there need be 

 no dearth of color in any season. 



Preparing the ground for the flower-garden. 



The preparation of the ground, especially when the 

 planting is to be of a permanent character, that is of 

 shrubbery, perennials and hardy bulbs, is of great 

 importance, as any defects in quality of mechanical 

 condition of the soil will not be easily rectified, once 

 the planting is accomplished. 



Good drainage is the first consideration, as this must 

 be performed before any platting or bed-making is 

 attempted. When the lay of the land makes for a 

 natural removal of surplus moisture, or the soil is 

 sandy and underlaid with gravel, no artificial drainage 

 will be required; but when the soil is cold and sour and 

 retentive of too much moisture it will be necessary, for 

 the best results, to lay two or more courses of porous 

 drain-tile underneath the plot. 



If the garden is large enough to admit of an initial 

 plowing, this way of preparing the soil may put it in 

 better mechanical condition than spading, although, of 

 course, after the beds are laid out and paths estab- 

 lished, spading will be the only leasable method of 

 working the ground. When the soil is naturally good, 

 as in breaking up a piece of sod land or in a well-fer- 

 tilized garden spot, it will be necessary only to spade or 

 work up the beds, incorporating a liberal quantity of 

 old well-rotted manure. . A very satisfactory way of 

 working manure into beds is to begin at one side of the 

 bed and spade one row, laying the soil one side so as 

 to leave an open trench; fill this trench full of manure 

 and spade the next row on top of this, and so continue 

 till the entire area is covered. This buries the manure 

 well beneath the surface and effectively prevents the 



termination of weed seeds; at the same time the manure 

 eep in the soil holds the moisture and brings the roots 

 well down beneath the surface where they remain cool 

 and moist. See p. 1739, trenching. 



In beds that are to be worked over but not fertilized 

 the second summer, it is not desirable to turn the soil 

 over in spading as this throws the manure back to the 

 surface; but sufficiently satisfactory results are secured 

 by thrusting the spade well down into the ground and 

 turning it around, but not lifting it out. A bed worked 

 over in this way will be in excellent condition and less 

 disturbance and cutting of the roots will result. 



A garden planted to shrubs and perennials may 



