22 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



August, 1911 



Madonna lilies and foxgloves with roses on trellises make summer full of flowers 



I will show that such a garden can be 

 made even under adverse circumstances, 

 and while the one here described is made 

 to suit its owner, others may vary theirs 

 according to the individual tastes. The 

 fundamental fact is that of an enclosure 

 of sufficient height to give a charming 

 "shut in" effect — a place within which 

 all flowers (and vegetables too, if wanted) 

 may be massed to give the desired result 

 of seclusion, a spot where its owners may 

 retreat from the cares of the business 

 world and feel that this is indeed his little 

 kingdom. 



Building in this way for the future a plot 

 of ground w T as selected and a plan drawn 

 so that each endeavor might lead up to 

 a completed whole that would still be small 



enough to be easily cared for by the owner 

 himself in the limited time at his disposal. 



In this particular instance the develop- 

 ment was slow for the reason that the only 

 land available was matted with roots of 

 forest trees and surrounded by them on 

 three sides so that the actual labor of 

 preparing the soil was very great. 



The plan covered a flower garden approx- 

 imately 28x35 ft., a vegetable garden of 

 about the same size and a grape arbor or 

 pergola between the two; the whole sur- 

 rounded by rustic posts with a top rail and 

 covered with Clematis paniculata and 

 Rambler roses. 



The posts are set about ten feet apart 

 and fully seven feet out of the ground, 

 with a wire netting tacked to the lower 



Planting in rich masses gives real luxury of bloom — enough to see the full effect 



portion to act both as a fence to prevent 

 stray dogs from entering and also as a 

 support on which to train the vines. 

 By stringing this netting along the posts 

 of the pergola a charming entrance was 

 made through the grape arbor to the right 

 or left at the rear, into either the vegetable 

 or flower garden as desired. 



Another entrance was left at the south- 

 ern end as this happened to be most con- 

 venient from the house. 



Planning this garden first on paper 

 enabled the setting out of the grape vines 

 at once in the positions that they were 

 to occupy permanently so that at the end 

 of four years of gradual development 

 the pergola was built and immediately 

 became covered with bearing grape vines — 

 Concord, Moore's Early, Niagara and 

 Delaware — a fitting climax to several 

 years of cultivation. 



By alternating pink and crimson Ram- 

 blers with white clematis on the rustic 

 posts, the whole enclosure becomes a 

 veritable bower, not only in the spring 

 when the roses are in bloom but in the fall 

 as well, when the clematis is covered with 

 its snowy blossoms. 



The flower beds were laid out as shown 

 and made sufficiently narrow (about four 

 and one-half feet) to enable one to weed 

 them from either side to an imaginary 

 middle line, thus avoiding stepping into 

 the bed itself. They are filled with most 

 of the more common "old-fashioned" 

 flowers so arranged that when the spring 

 blossoms are gone the fall varieties take 

 their places. These are varied from 

 year to year, and follow no set rule but it 

 has been found advisable to use great 

 care in the selection of the colors so that 

 there shall be no clashing of Crimson 

 Ramblers with fiery red poppies, etc. 



Grass paths about three feet wide have 

 been found by all odds the most satis- 

 factory for the flower garden and to pre- 

 vent the spreading of grass into the beds 

 as well as to outline them, rough six inch 

 boards were sunk flush into the ground 

 edgewise, making a frame about each and 

 giving a neater effect than any other 

 method. These boards do not show ex- 

 cept on the upper edge which becomes the 

 color of the earth after the first rain. 



The effect of entering this vine-covered 

 bower during the latter part of June or 

 early in July with foxglove, larkspur, 

 white lilies and Ramblers in full bloom 

 must be felt to be appreciated and has 

 well repaid the labor of producing it. 



The vegetable garden is nearly hidden 

 by the dense mass of vines entirely sur- 

 rounding it. The whole of the enclosure 

 is cultivated and by using care in making 

 straight even rows and by keeping them 

 free from weeds the effect is a fitting mate 

 to the flower section on the opposite side 

 cf the pergola. 



A great time saver consists of planks 

 or boards stained or weathered to match 

 the color of the soil and used as paths on 

 which to stand when working between the 

 rows or while picking the vegetables. 





