FLORA 



AND SYLVA. 



Vol.1. No. 8.] NOVEMBER, 190 3. [Monthly. 



A LAWN SPRING GARDEN. 



September 25TH. — I have just cut the 

 second crop of grass from a lawn-like 

 field stretching ^between the house and 

 lake, and the weather looks as if I should 

 be able to save it. Both hay crops were 

 good, and beneath the mown grass lie 

 half a million of bulbs of early flowers 

 which will bloom in the spring. The 

 grass does not interfere with them in 

 the least, nor they with the grass, and 

 by this I gain several things. Firstly, 

 two crops of grass. To get this in the 

 best state it is well not to leave the hay 

 to get too old or straw-like, as is often 

 done in England. Secondly, I get rid of 

 mowing a large extent of ground (as was 

 the custom, and is still, in many large 

 places) and only mow the walks for play 

 or use. I like to see flowers growing in 

 the grass a great deal better than bare 

 turf, and I avoid the expense of mowing. 

 In such a space, where in some coun- 

 try places a heavy horse-moved mow- 

 ing machine would be used, I do all 

 the mowing that is wanted with a ball- 

 bearing machine easily worked by one 

 man. Thirdly, \ get the most beautiful 

 kind of spring garden possible to man, 

 because my field looks like an Alpine 



meadow with Crocus, Anemone, Grape 

 Hyacinth, and Fritillary. IalsoputNar- 

 cissi thereof the commoner and earliest 

 kinds, but not those wanting time to 

 develop their leaves. Such I put be- 

 side the ponds and in places where 

 we do not mow, or mow only very late 

 in the year to get rid of rough bents. 

 There are few country places in which, 

 in the woods, shrubberies, and on grassy 

 slopes and rough places, there are not 

 chances of planting the late-maturing 

 bulbs and letting them ripen their leaves. 

 In my lawn garden, which is mown in 

 early summer, I prefer to use only the 

 earliest flowers — Crocuses, Blue Ane- 

 mones, Snowdrops, Snowflake, Star of 

 Bethlehem, and things easily obtained, 

 of quick increase, and flowering very 

 freely ; in fact, growing and beginning 

 to mature their leaves before the grass 

 starts to grow. They do this because 

 they are mountain plants, and in their 

 native countries are safe under snow 

 until they flower, but in ours they open 

 earlier. Lastly, and the greatest gain of 

 all, I free my flower garden from the 

 common-place, orthodox, though real- 

 ly puerile and stupid system, of rooting 

 up and replanting the poor plants twice 



T 



