Secrets of Ornamental Planting 



The Walks of the Garden 



The garden walks should preferably 

 be of grass. The green turf is more in 

 harmony with the growing plants of the 

 garden. Grass walks are easy to keep in 

 condition; by proper care, the edges of the 

 beds can be maintained in a smooth, regular 

 manner. The grass walk is in itself a thing 

 of beauty. 



Gravel walks are sometimes used in the 

 garden, but they are not beautiful and it is 

 rather difficult to keep the gravel separated 

 in distinct lines from the flower beds. This 

 is accomplished sometimes by maintaining 

 a narrow strip of turf between the gravel 

 walk and the bed, or a small edging of dwarf 

 plants can be used. 



It is important that the garden walks 

 should be of sufficient width to accommodate 

 several persons walking abreast. To see 

 the walks of a garden narrow and cramped 

 detracts greatly from the general effect of 

 the design. Of course the main walk or 

 axis of the garden should be considerably 

 wider than the cross-walks, although it will 

 depend to a large extent on the size of the 

 garden, but it is a safe rule to say that the 

 main walk should never be narrower than 

 five or six feet, and in many cases, it should 

 run up as high as 10 or 12 feet in width. 



Annual Plants 



In the formal garden annual plants are 

 very often used (when we refer to annual 

 plants, we mean those kinds which die out 

 every Winter, and which must be purchased 

 and set out each season). This results in 

 annual expenditure which may run into quite 

 a sum. On the other hand, if hardy peren- 

 nials and roses are planted, they are perma- 

 nent. After they have been carefully planted 

 out and have become established, they do 



Snowberry 



(Symphoricarpus 



racemosus.) 



not require additional expense for replacing 

 as is the case with annual plants. We 

 advise very strongly the increased use of 

 roses and hardy perennials. 



A Perennial Border 



The border of old-fashioned perennials 

 (plants which die to the ground each winter, 

 but come up every year) is very popular these 

 days and deservedly so. Perennials grow- 

 very freely and because they are perma- 

 nent, they are economical as one doesn't 

 have to buy new plants every year. 

 After once setting them out they become 

 stronger and finer with each year's 

 growth. The perennial border does 

 not have to be planted in regular 

 shaped beds. It can be planted 

 irregularly in front of the shrub groups 

 or borders and the green foliage of the 

 shrubs will form a splendid background 

 or the beautiful colored blooms of the 

 perennials. Of course perennials are 



Elanted with very good effect in the 

 eds of the formal garden, but the true 

 perennial border is generally planted 

 in front of the shrubs, as we have just 

 explained. In the formal garden, 

 which is surrounded by a planting of 

 shrubbery, it is a good plan to plant a 



Eerennial border in front of the shrub- 

 ery in addition to using some perennials 

 in the beds of the garden. Some of the 

 splendid perennials that have been popular 

 in our grandmother's day and are still used 

 with splendid effect are the following: Phlox, 

 Iris, Chrysanthemum, Columbine, Anemone, 

 etc. See description on page 19. 



However, the most popular and the finest 

 of all perennial plants is the paeony. For 

 generations this splendid plant has main- 

 tained a deserved popularity equalled by 

 no other perennial flower. It blooms in 

 early Spring when its enormous brilliant 

 colored blooms attract an unusual amount 

 of interest and attention, especially so because 

 it is in its glory just about Memorial Day. 

 The paeony thrives in nearly every part of 

 the United States, becomes established easily 

 and is the source of an annual supply of 

 beautiful bloom. In our grandmothers' 

 day, the list of paeonies was very limited, 

 but now with the many marvelous new va- 

 rieties, we have practically every desirable 

 color and the season of bloom is extended 

 over a long period. We cannot 

 too strongly recommend a plant- 

 ing of paeonies that will succeed 

 with practically no care or at- 

 tention, although they respond 

 quickly to good treatment. 

 See descriptions on page 24. 



The Shape of Flower Beds 



pie shapes, such as squares, long rectan- 

 gular shapes, with possibly a few circular beds 

 are to be desired. The beds should not be too 

 wide on account of convenience in picking 

 the flowers. A safe rule to follow is this: 

 Do not make the beds any wider than a 

 distance that can be half reached across from 

 either side. By picking the flowers from both 

 sides of the bed you can thus conveniently 

 reach all of the blooms. 



Eugene Furst 



A rich red rose of surpass- 

 ing beauty. 



Paul Neyron 



Largest of all roses. Near- 

 ly thornless. 



Keeping the Beds Regular 



It will be found difficult sometimes to 

 maintain the edge of the beds where it comes 

 next to the sod in a straight, even line. By 

 use of a sharp spade and cutting the edge of 

 the turf after stretching a string for guiding, 

 an even, regular outline of the- bed can be 

 maintained. In some gardens, especially 

 where gravel walks are used, an edging of 

 some small dwarfish growing plants is used 

 to mark the edge of the beds. In the Mis- 

 souri Botanical Gardens of St. Louis there is a 

 very effective use of Japanese Barberry as 

 an edging in one of the small formal gardens. 

 It is necessary to keep the Barberry trimmed 

 very close so it will not get very large, but 

 it makes a very compact and neat edging. 



In an edging where it is not desired to use 

 an edging plant or to keep the edge of the 

 beds cut in smooth, straight lines, a good 

 permanent method of marking the edge of 

 the beds is to form an edging of bricks, which 

 are set in the ground at an angle of 45 degrees 

 They should be set far enough in the ground 

 so that they do not come above the turf edge 

 more than two or three inches. 



Service Grounds 



We have already taken up an explanation 

 of three divisions of the home grounds. 



First, the semi-public part; second, the 

 private part of the grounds, and third, the 

 service portion. 



The service grounds shou|d be entirely 

 separated from the semi-public and the pri- 

 vate grounds. Although it will vary with 

 each property, the service portion may con- 

 sist of the drying yard, service walk (leading 

 from the house to garage or stable), also the 

 walk leading from house to the vegetable or 

 fruit garden. By using screens of high 

 shrubbery and even trees, the service section 

 can be entirely shut out from view. 



In considering the shape of the 

 flower beds, it should be remem- 

 bered that they form a part of the formal 

 garden and therefore they should consist 

 of regular shapes. Avoid all elaborate 

 and fancy shaped beds. These unusual 

 and elaborately shaped beds are undesir- 

 able because they are very inconvenient 

 and difficult to maintain. They are not 

 beautiful nor are they in harmony with 

 the formal garden. 



In laying out the beds remember that 

 simplicity is always to be preferred. Sim- 



Service Garden 



In the service garden we have a vegetable 

 and fruit section, also roses and flower plants can be 

 planted in the service garden to furnish an abundance 

 of cut flowers for the home. 



Where the space of the service garden is limited, 

 the use of dwarf fruit trees is advisable. Stark Bro's 

 grow a complete list of the dwarf fruit trees for the 

 special purpose of providing smaller trees for the fruit 

 garden. Dwarf apples can be planted as close as 12 

 or 14 feet apart. Dwarf pears the same. We grow 

 a complete list of varieties especially adapted for the 

 home fruit garden. By planting the dwarf trees they 

 will bear younger and you can plant many more of 

 the trees on a limited space than if the regular or stan- 

 dard trees were used. See complete list on page 25. 



Care of Plants on Arrival 



When your trees and shrubs arrive, you should. 

 plant them at once if possible;- however, if they come 

 during frosty weather, place them unopened in a cool, 

 dry cellar, free from frost. When the weather moder- 

 ates, unpack, and shake out the packing of moss and 

 fibre before planting. Do not expose the roots to 

 sun, air, wind or frost. 



Just a Glimpse ' 



e fields Stark Bro's devote exclusively to 



ornamental stock every plant a 

 pecimen grown by experts. 



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