ORNAMENTALS 249 



center of the lawn. Their proper positions are at 

 the base of the building wall, along the fence and 

 in angles of walks. The principal objection to the 

 flower bed is that it is not attractive during more 

 than half the year, and it requires much more at- 

 tention than the well-planted flower border. Many- 

 people who have been depending upon beds for 

 blossoms and not receiving a reasonable return for 

 the labor expended, will rejoice in the wealth of 

 bloom that can be secured with a tenth of the work 

 in the flower border. 



Too often the beds are filled with plants that 

 have been struggling through the winter in the 

 windows, and which suffer more or less from the 

 changed conditions when put out of doors. When 

 turned loose, they become victims of wind and sun 

 and it is usually midsummer before they begin to 

 be attractive. All this time they receive far more 

 attention than they are worth, and far more than 

 would be necessary to bestow upon a natural plan- 

 tation of several times the size. The natural plan- 

 tation produces flowers because it wants to. By 

 proper selection of varieties, it will start when the 

 bluebirds begin to sing and will continue all 

 through the season until Jack Frost comes to stay 

 for the following winter. Even during the winter, 

 many of the trees and shrubs are attractive because 

 of their colored bark and fruits; so that instead 

 of having a mud hole on the lawn for six or eight 

 months of the year, one has the restful and pleasing 

 border to look at for twelve months. 



THE BEAUTIES OF BORDERS 



The chief beauty about the border is that one can 

 change it continually and add to it at frequent in- 



