246 
The Garden Magazine, June, 1923 
have been confined merely to the planting of trees along the 
rural highways with very little consideration of the broader 
aspects of landscape gardening or the wide and varied possibili¬ 
ties of really artistic achievement in this field. 
Since the Great War, the desire to build war memorials has 
stimulated interest in tree planting in parks and along avenues. 
Groves of trees have been established in memory of our heroes— 
a beautiful and fitting expression of sentiment. In several 
states, considerable publicity has been given to tree planting 
along our public highways, but in many instances where this 
has been actually carried out, the trees have been planted in 
unsuitable avenue formality along winding rural roads. In the 
country where one expects to see an informal landscape, it would 
be much better to plant the trees in natural groups or singly, 
and no matter what is to be planted great care should be used 
to prevent artificiality. 
W HEN we realize that there is no country in the world so 
rich in native flora as America, we can begin to realize 
what a great field is open for development in the planning and 
construction of beautiful parkways throughout the length and 
breadth of this land. Our roadways, instead of being mere 
bands of cement for business and traffic, may be made to yield 
as well great beauty for the pleasure of the traveling public. 
Woodland and prairie pictures accented in the right way with 
groups and specimens of native forest trees; borders and masses 
of flowering shrubbery placed in natural arrangement and ac¬ 
cented wit h colonies of American wild flowers; rock work, bridges, 
and winding trails may all become features of the roadside gar¬ 
den, opening the way to recreational parks, pools, and gardens, 
and making of our America a veritable Mecca for the motorist. 
By way of illustration let us turn to the bit of Middle West 
roadway shown in the photograph and plan on preceding pages. 
This roadway eventually winds up a hill and out into the open 
country which calls for a somewhat different treatment al¬ 
though on similarly natural lines—trees, shrubs, and wild 
flowers being planted in more open groups with free vistas to the 
fields and meadows on either side. 
The plan of this Illinois roadside garden is rather widely 
applicable as the trees which make up the major part of the 
picture are those common to a greater portion of North Amer¬ 
ica, such as the Oaks, Maples, Elms, Ashes, Sassafras, Buckeye, 
Sycamore, Hickory and other nut trees. Among shrubs the 
Hawthorns, Crabapples, Red-buds, Viburnums, Hazel, Elder, 
Wild Roses, Dogwoods, Sumacs and many other native woody 
plants will be found particularly adapted to this type of planting. 
As to wild flowers, there are literally thousands of beautiful 
possibilities for the roadside garden—among them perhaps the 
most familiar and dear to our hearts are the Lady-slippers, 
Bluebells, Columbine, Bouncing-Bet, Asters, Sunflowers, Black- 
eyed Susans, Purple Cone-flowers, Anemone, Buttercups, 
Coreopsis, Sundrops, Senna, St. John’s Wort, Golden Aster, 
Milkweeds, Campion, Monarda, Loosestrife, Joe-Pye-weed, 
Blazing-star, Lilies, and the truly national Goldenrod. 
TzAKE W COTE, QARDEN NEIGHBORS, IN VILLAGE, EOIVN .AND CITE 
A Pri^e of Fifty Dollars ($ 50 ) is offered by The Garden Magazine for the best article illustrated with adequate photographs on what 
has been accomplished in some one place as a result of the stimulus of National Garden IVeek. This may be an account of a community 
activity, some individual effort, a public planting, a personal garden, etc. Manuscripts to be submitted any time up to October first, IQ 23 
“IRIS, LIKE A FLOCK OF BIRDS’’ 
LOUISE DRISCOLL 
N OW iris, like a flock of birds, 
Down to the pool’s green water flies, 
Sunning small, lovely, curving wings 
And radiant, shimmering dyes. 
As in a mirror, on the pool 
The gold and purple lies. 
I WAITED, hoping for a song. 
1 I saw the tall leaves bend and swing. 
It seemed to me some violet throat 
Might open presently and sing, 
But they were still as birds at night 
Each with his head beneath his wing. 
