THE GARDEN M A G A Z I N E 
Mat, 19 17 
23(5 
Beyond the arch covered wit h Roses lies the Rose and Chry- 
santhemum garden which formerly was a vegetable patch 
ncfc' it is 7 feet wide, with one strip 35 feet 
long, a path four feet wide, and another strip 
20 feet long. Then comes another path 
parallel with this border 60 feet long. 
An arch separates the perennial border 
from the Rose and Chrysanthemum garden, 
which was formerly a vegetable garden, and 
in this garden too I have an opportunity to 
enjoy a few special annuals and Gladiolus. 
THE FIRST STAGES 
When the perennial border was first started 
seeds of Foxglove, Larkspur, Sweet William, 
and Canterbury Bells were planted with roots 
of Phlox and Coreopsis. Nothing had been 
thought about color schemes, “well considered” 
planting, height, or anything of that sort. 
TJiey were just plain “planted.” But the 
ground had previously been enriched for 
vegetables, was good to begin with, and what 
was not was made good with fresh loam, and 
the plants grew and grew like Jack’s bean- 
stalk; they grew to heaven. The blue of the 
sky kissed the blue of the Larkspur. . Is 
there any blue so heavenly as the Larkspur! 
I will never forget those twenty or thirty 
great plants as big as a bushel basket, with 
those glorious light and dark blue spikes. 
They were magnificent. I remember that 
summer I had a border of white Candytuft 
in blossom at the same time, which looked 
like great white drifts nestling against the 
base of the Larkspur. Verily the clouds 
dropped down to earth and visited my gar- 
den! I would stand enraptured before those 
wonderful plants. 
But alas! one night a thunder storm came 
and with it a heavy wind, and it was then I 
commenced to learn. I wonder if we always 
have to learn life’s lessons by thunder storms. 
Alas! in the morning on running to the win- 
dow to feast my eyes on that sea of blue — 
blue and clear as the bluest sky — they lay 
striken on the ground like so many fallen 
soldiers, not dead, but brought low. Oh 
the wreck of it all! With long stakes in my 
hands, I went into the garden and tied up the 
broken, brittle plants, so glorious the day 
before, so ingloriously brought low. My 
heart ached — but I learned my lesson. I 
then commenced to read, study and observe. 
And from that time, I have striven to give my 
plants their best and most propitious setting. 
I then began to realize after the Larkspurs 
were cut down the awful gap it made, and 
year by year I have been learning what to 
have and what to omit in order to have color 
as’ well as the things one loves best. That 
is one reason an old garden has such charm. 
It has been years in the making by loving 
hands and eyes. 
REMAKING THE BORDER 
The fall following disaster to the Larkspur 
the plants were distributed through the peren- 
nial borders which I commenced to remake. At 
the sides of the garden and in the corners by 
the Rose garden Heleniums and white Bol- 
tonia were planted. These blossom in the 
early fall and continue until cut down by 
frost. The garden is one mass of gold and 
white in September, so graceful and airy — 
a picture to behold. In front Larkspur and 
white Foxgloves are planted at intervals, 
which are glorious in late June and July and 
beneath and below is a hedge of pink and white 
Asters and bordering the paths Box edging. 
Here and there ate German Iris with now and 
then a group of auratum and speciosum Lilies. 
Pyramidal Arbovitae trees are used to some 
extent in this garden as accents. At the 
base of one of these trees, where is the stump 
of an old apple tree, a few rocks have been 
piled on which rests a bird bath. At the 
foot of the old tree is planted a Boston Ivy 
which weaves itself in and out among the 
rocks and up on to the bird bath, making a 
lovely picture as well as a welcome spot for 
the birds. 
In the springtime yellow Narcissus borders 
the walks, rising between the little box plants. 
Blossoming at the same time are groups of the 
dwarf border Iris of purple. The garden is 
then one glory of purple and sunshine. Har- 
monious combinations of Darwin I ulips are 
planted through the garden, so when the 
Narcissus are gone the Tulips are there to 
greet us, and .these in turn lapse over until 
the German Iris is there in all its richness and 
beauty. I sometimes cannot tell which I 
love most; the German Iris or the Larkspur. 
The German Iris is scattered through the 
borders in great quantity, overflowing into 
the rose garden and a neighboring lot. Then 
come the Larkspur among which are planted 
groups of Madonna Lilies, the blue and white 
being most effective. 
THE SEASON OF LILIES 
By the time the candidum Lilies have gone, 
the regal Lily begins to blossom. What a won- 
erful Lily that is, with its long, full graceful 
throat of yellow, its wax white petals slightly 
turned back, its glorious orange stamens and 
the outside delicately flushed pink. There is so 
much substance to the whole blossom, and 
above all its delicate, delicious odor. That 
gorgeous Lily I find hardy thirty-three miles 
north of Boston, and it multiplies. It fills a 
place when the glory of the July garden is 
passing, and the Japanese Iris are waning. 
A very satisfactory combination was found 
this summer with German Iris, Dr. Bernice, 
yellow Columbine, and back of this the 
yellow Day Lily. And who can be without 
that magnificant Iris, Black Knight, with its 
rich Pansy-like blossom and glowing orange 
beard — the very last to blossom with me. 
blossoming with some of the Larkspur? Both 
these things are high-priced, but worth it. 
After the Larkspur leaves the garden then 
come the Phlox followed by the Lilium spe- 
ciosum in profusion — all lovely and interesting. 
A large plot of Japanese Iris occupies the 
centre of the longer perennial border. In 
drifts between are planted annuals in solid 
colors, such as Snapdragons, Scabiosa, Cal- 
liposis, Calendula, etc. Back and at the 
sides of the bird bath is an effective combina- 
tion of Liatris and Physostegia. They are 
lovely together. 
Now step through the arch down the Rose 
walk, I call it. The path is Box bordered as 
all the paths are, and either side are Roses, 
for the most part Hybrid Teas. One section 
is devoted to briar Roses, the lovely yellow, 
•single and double ones. On the trellises 
are Tauschendschon, and that beautifully 
decorative Silver Moon. The foliage is 
clean and of* such lovely color that if there 
were never a blossom that Rose would still be 
in the garden. These Roses are being trained 
to run from one trellis to the other on small 
cable or wire. In between the Roses are 
planted quantities of Gladiolus. 
THE MEASURE OF MERIT 
I have reached the stage where I discard 
all plants or blossoms that I do not consider 
lovely. In a small garden one cares to afford 
space only for the blossoms that are the 
choicest, so with the Gladiolus I cultivate 
those I love best. On the farther side of the 
rose garden is a good-sized border of Chry- 
santhemums. Annuals border this whole 
garden. Ihis portion is comparatively new, 
and it has not yet been worked out to per- 
fection. Last summer I tried Statice in vari- 
ous varieties, with disappointing results. The 
blossoms are all right, but it takes such quanti- 
ties to make a show, and for a small garden are 
impracticable. 
I cannot let the Hollyhocks pass by with- 
out mention — that garden favorite. They 
are lovely down in one corner with the hedge 
for a background; and Sweet Peas! One 
The bird bath is an appropriate addition to the garden, in- 
viting the birds to linger amid the flowers 
