i6 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



January, 1910 



Not so — it produces an 

 ever-changing aspect from 

 spring to fall, and is never 

 tiring to the eye. Let it 

 be understood, however, 

 that this planting is not 

 done in a hit-or-miss fash- 

 ion, but with due regard to 

 height of plant and color 

 of flower. Each color is 

 massed, and the entire bed 

 is bordered with dwarf 

 sweet alyssum. 



I suppose most cottage 

 gardens are "at their best" 

 when the annuals are in 

 bloom galore. My purpose 

 in planting was to secure 

 color in the garden and 

 flowers for the table, from 

 early spring tulips and hya- 

 cinths to late fall chrysan- 

 themums and dahlias. At 

 no time is there a great 

 profusion of bloom. On a 

 small place one has to sac- 

 rifice quantity for contin- 

 uity of flowers. I will say 

 little about the back of the 

 cottage, for what is planted 

 there, and the way it is laid 

 out, is clearly shown in the 

 ground plan and photo- 

 graph. The clump of 

 shrubs shown is satisfac- 

 tory. Throughout the en- 

 tire season some shrub is in 

 flower. Under the elm tree 

 at the end of the lot I 

 found a favorable location 

 to plant a crescent of lily- 

 of-the-valley. I put in 

 twenty-five pips about six 

 years ago. We now get 

 hundreds of flower spikes 

 every season. 



The arrangement for 

 the front porch was once, 

 and will be again, quite ef- 

 fective. Three arches are 

 strung with three-eighths- 

 inch iron rods, the upper 

 parts of which are filled in 

 with strong galvanized 

 iron mesh to support vines. 

 This plan gives ample 

 shade without obstructing 

 the view. At the end of 

 the porch facing the south- 

 west, grows a wistaria 

 which blooms in early 

 spring. Spreading from 

 the centre post is a crimson 

 rambler rose which flowers 

 in late June. To the right 

 of this is a clematis panicu- 

 lata (August). On the left 

 of the rambler is planted 

 a clematis jackmanni (Aug- 

 ust). Unfortunately both 



-^^ 





Plan of the garden and planting 



of these clematis were in- 

 jured last winter, and this 

 year's growth is not suffi- 

 cient to show the arrange- 

 ment perfectly. At the 

 other end post is now 

 growing a climbing rose, 

 but I must await with a 

 gardener's patience its 

 coming day of glory. 



From the ground plan 

 may be seen the winding 

 walk which runs down the 

 centre of the garden from 

 the rear of the cottage to 

 the end of the lot. Grape- 

 vines are planted and 

 trained in conformity to 

 the curvature of the path 

 and hide the vegetable 

 patch from the flower gar- 

 den. It is also hidden 

 from the street by a rustic 

 arbor over which are 

 trailed climbing roses. In 

 front of this arbor, in plain 

 view from the street, is 

 placed a dwarf tree worthy 

 of special mention. It is a 

 pyrus (flowering crab). In 

 May this pyrus is covered 

 with clusters of fragrant 

 double pink rose-like flow- 

 ers. Were I restricted to 

 one tree or shrub this pyrus 

 would be my unequivocal 

 choice. Judging from my 

 experience, one need sel- 

 dom fail to raise plants 

 from seed, providing he 

 has a cold frame. I usu- 

 ally have more than I need 

 of petunias, asters, salvia, 

 etc., and a fine display of 

 single dahlias. Tuberous 

 rooted begonias I plant out 

 in the cold frame in 

 March; they take so long 

 to start. An interesting 

 and successful experiment 

 is planting gladiolus close 

 to and between the peonies, 

 rhe flower spikes coming 

 up between the leaves give 

 the peonies double credit in 

 flowering. 



To secure the best re- 

 sults from the economizing 

 of space, I plant the gla- 

 diolus singly in four-inch 

 pots early in the spring. 

 When the leaves are about 

 twelve inches high, they are 

 taken out of the pots and 

 planted between the foliage 

 of the peonies, where their 

 flower spikes will be the 

 most effective. The bulbs 

 may be started in lots of ten 

 or more every two weeks 



