TKe BacK Yard Beaxitiful 



How many citizens of villages, othtr slops are thnjwn. I'"ur sanitary 



towns and cities keep their front reasons, if for nothing else, flowers 



lawns in a presentable condition, should be grown. Think of the differ 



but utterly neglect the back yard Iln encc between the air coming from a 



No. 1 Before the Flowers were Planted 



man nature seems to like to make a 

 display for the public eye. Places, 

 however, that are hidden from the view 

 of the citizens at large are neglected, 

 and, in many cases, are a disgrace to 

 the owners. The reason for such ne- 

 glect can be attributed to nothing else 

 than laziness. The expense is so tri- 

 fling that it needs no consideration, 

 while the necessary labor can be done 

 in'ythe evenings. 



I^The flower enthusiast ma)- select 

 some costly specimens for curiosity 

 merely to have something different 

 from his neighbor, but for the average 

 back yard such plants as nasturtiums, 

 sweet peas, Virginia creepers, wild cu- 

 cumbers, etc., for covering bare walls 

 and fences and columbines, larkspurs, 

 peonies, the different varieties of lilies, 

 phlox, alyssum and many other plants 

 for planting in front of the climbers can 

 be made to fill the bill admirably. The 

 number of plants suitable for this pur- 

 pose is legion. Even the common sun- 

 flower or hollyhocks and poppies would 

 brighten things up and make it appear 

 as if the place was inhabited by twen- 

 tieth century citizens. 



All who have the welfare of their 

 families at heart should see that the 

 back yard is as clean as the front lawn. 

 In fact, more attention is demanded. 

 As before stated, it is not necessary to 

 go to any great expense. Anything, 

 however, is better than the slimy, 

 bare ground on which dish water and 



garden bordered with vines and creep- 

 ers, and dotted with annuals and per- 

 ennials, or covered with fresh green 

 grass, and that coming from many 

 of the yards. 



The educational value, too, must not 



be overlooked. Every member of ever\ 

 family should know more or less ab(jii: 

 plant life. The association and a^ 

 quaintanceship with such forms of n 

 ture have an influence for gwxl tli 

 cannot be measured. The children a 

 easily made to take an interest. 1' 

 experiment, buy a few nasturliun. 

 seeds, or sweet peas or sunflowers if you 

 will; plant them, and the average chiM 

 of very tender years will do the resi 

 with very little coaching. Not much 

 instruction is required to have th< 

 children do all the work, and the result 

 will be a delight to every member ci 

 the family as well as to the ncighbfjr^ 



"I want no bare ground on my lot 

 said Mr. Edwin Utley, of Linden strtt 

 Toronto, to a representative of Tr 

 Horticulturist, who visited his plai 

 recently. "My favorite plant for back 

 yard display is sweet peas. I alwa\s 

 put a 5x4 scantUng next the wall cr 

 fence and stretch fine poultry nettii 

 about five feet wide along for the pt 

 to climb over. I frequently have them 

 grow six or seven feet high. This year 

 I have about 61 varieties. I have also 

 used nasturtiums to good effect. 



"Perennials, too," continued Mr. l 

 le}-, "can be used to advantage \t^ 

 planting taller specimens, such as rud 

 beckias, larkspurs, columbines, trito 

 mas, cannas, lilies, gladioli, and others, 

 at the back and lower growing one-- 

 near the front. Sweet alyssum make - 

 an excellent plant for the front row 

 It is essential that the amateur gar 

 dener keep everything carefully labelled 



No. 2 -The Change a Few Plants Have Made 



