June, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



XIX 



way — may be rendered attractive by the use 

 of boxes of plants and vines. These may cap 

 the railing at the top of the stairs, and if 

 filled with trailing vines and bright geraniums 

 will add much to the feeling of hominess. A 

 good way to arrange boxes at this point is to 

 have two sets — one at the floor-line outside 

 the railing and others on top of the rail. In 

 the lower boxes trailing plants like the nastur- 

 tium, which is not a climber, but a trailer, 

 and is only at its best when so grown, and in 

 the upper boxes bright flowers and a climbing 

 vine, which may be trained over strings or a 

 piece of netting extending from the railing to 

 the roof, and so furnish a screen and a modi- 

 cum of privacy for those who must use this 

 public entrance. If the landing is large 

 enough one may, by this arrangement, have 

 a chair or two and so enjoy a bit of outdoors 

 with almost the privacy of a rear porch. 



Still another arrangement is to fasten boxes 

 of earth at the outside of the steps and these, 

 when tastefully arranged, add much to the 

 effect. Bright flowers and trailing vines, not 

 climbers, should be used, unless it is desired 

 to cover the side of the house where the stairs 

 ascend with vines, when some neat growing 

 vines may be planted and brought across 

 under the stairs and so on up the sides of the 

 house, but when vines are grown in this way 

 it will be well to use netting or something 

 that will confine them close to the wall, as 

 vines trailing across the steps would be un- 

 handy and unsightly. 



It is almost unnecessary to add that all 

 boxes placed in elevated positions should be 

 very securely fastened, as the chance of de- 

 plorable accidents from carelessly placed boxes 

 of heavy earth is apparent, and if the stairs 

 are of flimsy construction little additional 

 weight should be added. 



But, if one wishes to carry this summer 

 garden in a temporary home over to another 

 season, and, perhaps, another home, then one 

 must invest one's time and money in summer 

 flowering bulbs, such as dahlias, cannas, 

 gladiolas, montbretias, atamascos and the like. 



These may be purchased of the florist in 

 the spring and planted out as soon as the 

 weather is mild enough and will give quick 

 returns. Certain of these, as the dahlias and 

 cannas, may be grown from seed and will 

 come into bloom quite as promptly as the 

 plants raised from roots and tubers; the single 

 dahlias are especially desirable as cut flowers, 

 being very effective both for vase and for 

 corsage wear. 



Gladiolas are so popular for cut flowers 

 that it is not necessary to deal with the sub- 

 ject at length, but the montbretia, which 

 closely resembles in contour, though not in 

 size, the gladiola, is not so well known. It 

 is an admirable cut flower, blooming freely 

 from July to September, and requires the same 

 treatment as the gladiola. It increases much 

 more rapidly than the former, and one soon 

 acquires a considerable stock from a very 

 modest beginning. 



Another very beautiful summer bloomer is 

 found in the ismene — Ismene calathina; this 

 has heavy, strap leaves and spikes of two or 

 more large white flowers, curiously fringed 

 and delicately throated with green. It has 

 the rich perfume of most white flowers of 

 bulbus character, and is altogether a very 

 desirable summer bedder. Many of the 

 atamascos bloom freely in the open ground, 

 and the mila bifloras, and cooperias, will give 

 a succession of bloom all through the summer. 



But one must not overlook the dainty little 

 summer blooming oxalis, so useful for bedding 

 and for bordering beds of other bulbs. It is 

 a most useful and dependable little flower, 

 coming into bloom so soon after planting that 

 it is always a surprise, and for this reason can 

 be resorted to to fill vacancies caused by the 

 failure of seeds to germinate. It should be 



fl r 



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planted in full sunshine and the flowers close 

 in the shade, and to be at their best should 

 lie in the sunshine all day long if possible. 

 For shady borders use the lobelia, which loves 

 just that position, but give the oxalis the sun- 

 shine. 



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