XII 

 PLANNING A GARDEN ON PAPER 



It is well that "a man's reach should exceed his grasp," 

 but when a woman's does (and most amateur gardeners are 

 women) the result is likely to be a case of nerve-exhaustion. 

 Therefore it is well, above all things, that the garden be small 

 enough or the planting of one's grounds simple enough to be 

 maintained in comfort both to one's self and to one's pocket- 

 book, that gardening may not become a weariness but re- 

 main a pleasure, and the garden be a dehght to the eyes in- 

 stead of a visible evidence of things undone. 



There is no garden like the prospective garden. In the 

 mind's eye it blossoms Hke the rose of the most expert florist; 

 it is untouched by the terror of the cutworms which devour 

 in darkness, of the drought that wastes it at noonday; its flowers 

 bloom even as the rhetoric of the seedsmen. 



Now, in order to realize this pleasing vision, there are cer- 

 tain homely details which, before she buys her seeds and de- 

 cides upon her summer's planting, the prospective gardener 

 would do well to consider, such as these: What sort of diet 

 can be provided for the plants ? Is the soil rich or poor ? If 

 poor, where can well-rotted manure be had? How much can 

 be spent on fertihzer ? What water-supply is possible ? What 

 position can be given the plants: shade or sunshine, exposure 

 to wind or shelter .'' 



And here are a few "Don'ts" for beginning gardeners: 



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