GARDENS NEAR THE SEA 



CHAPTER I 



THE SOIL AND LAWNS OF SEASIDE PLACES 



IN places bordering the coasts where the soil is 

 sandy and the surroundings saline, and where 

 all verdure appears to turn its head inland 

 toward a milder air and a richer soil, it has sometimes 

 been thought impossible to raise a good turf, let alone 

 a fine lawn. Undoubtedly, it is in such places that 

 plant life needs encouragement. Even a sustained 

 effort may be necessary before satisfactory lawns can 

 be established and gardens started on their w T ay. 

 Still, before the lawn or the garden is made there is 

 the ever-present soil to be taken into consideration. 



Usually the soil near the sea is abundantly sandy 

 and porous, and a heavier earth is sometimes added to 

 it, or an ample supply of well-rotted manure, that the 

 plants my obtain sufficient nourishment and the soil 

 about them be able to hold moisture longer than is 

 possible when it is very light. Before grass seed is 

 sown, a top-dressing of about two inches of rich soil 

 should almost invariably be placed over the sand in 

 order to make a strong turf; one that, if sprinkled 

 and tended during dry weather, will be permanent. 



If the turf lies so near the sea that it is occasionally 

 dashed with salt spray, its chances of life and perma- 

 nence are of course very slight. Apart from this 



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