FLOWERS FOR SUBURBAN GARDENS 359 



grass fall and lie on young lawns ; it causes a somewhat brown 

 appearance as the cut grass dies, but on the other hand the roots 

 are mulched and shaded. 



A neat, straight edge is a nice finish to a grass plot, and care 

 should be taken to prevent the encroachment of the grass on the 

 path and border. If any one wants to judge how rapidly it would 

 do so if not regularly clipped, let him observe how the turf and 

 weeds at the side of country roads spread towards the middle. 

 They often extend a couple of feet on each side in the course of 

 a year, and have to be cut out by the roadmen. 



We see that with mowing, rolling, and edge-clipping grass takes 

 up as much time as a flower-bed of equal area, and an amateur 

 must never settle the question of grass versus beds in favour of 

 the former on the assumption that it will incur less labour and 

 expense. That is not the way to consider it at all. 



Walls and Fences. The clothing these is a matter that deserves 

 careful consideration. In small gardens the fence or wall area is 

 very valuable ; indeed, the smaller the garden the more important 

 it is to make use of every inch of the party divisions. We have 

 dealt with climbing and creeping plants in a previous chapter, and 

 need not cover the whole ground again. But in view of the special 

 circumstances, we may allude to a few plants that are useful for 

 clothing walls and fences. 



VeitcWs yirginian Creeper. This plant is somewhat too vigorous 

 for the dividing walls, and may therefore be planted to cover the 

 walls of the house. It will cling naturally. A good plant should 

 be put in during March, in deep, rich soil, so that it may have a 

 chance of getting well established before the hot weather comes. 

 Veitch's Virginian Creeper thrives in suburban gardens. 



A good Variegated Ivy. The party wall is generally made 

 higher between the abutments spoken of in a previous paragraph 

 than it is lower down the garden, and a suitable plant for covering 

 it is the variegated Ivy called Hedera Helix rhombea. It is more 



