AND CITY BEAUTIFUL, 
69 
should be used at the back; low ones in front; flexible ones 
each side of the basement windows through which coal or 
wood must pass. Group flowering shrubs that harmonize. 
Consider both the bloom and foliage of any plant in set¬ 
ting it. Never use plants with bright red or large, showy 
flowers in front of the house, but rather to one side and 
well back, bringing those of more delicate colors to the 
front. This show’s up all to a better advantage, and 
brings out the home as the central feature. Climbing vines 
may be planted to advantage on porches and fences. 
Often two or three kinds are preferable to a single variety, 
but do not mix too many kinds. Plants that die to the 
ground each fall and annual flowering plants add to the 
shrubbery border, especially when planted in front of the 
shrubbery. 
CONDITION. 
The attractiveness of any home depends much upon 
the condition in which it is kept. Shrubs and plants 
should always be in well tilled borders, never in pot holes 
in the sod. The edges should be well trimmed and the 
lawn well weeded and often mown. The appearance of 
many otherwise well-kept places is spoiled by the weedy 
condition of the gutters. Everyone who does anything 
makes mistakes, but when a shrub is found to be out of 
place change it the following autumn or spring. The 
plan should be a constant study until it is complete. The 
lawn is the outdoor parlor. Artistic taste, there developed, 
is soon shown inside the home. Gardening is contageous. 
The example of the well-kept home influences the neigh¬ 
borhood. The work of one man beautifying his home 
will often inspire persons living near to improve their 
surroundings, and they in turn inspire others until the 
whole community takes on a neater appearance, and the 
first move is made toward making a beautiful town or 
city and a much healthier one. 
