HOUSE AND GARDEN 
October, 1912 
beds, nor for bulbs ‘‘bedded out.” Do not confuse the plots that 
go to make up a garden with the sort of thing I am condemning 
in this wholesale fashion, however; for these garden plots or beds 
are of course only units in a design and as such have every reason 
for being. It is the detached triangles, stars, crescents, hearts and 
anchors, dropped into the midst of otherwise good lawns, that 
come under the ban. For this is a 
treatment of plants that is con¬ 
trary to every principle of good 
taste as well as being contrary to 
nature; and besides all this, it is a 
violation of every rule of harmony 
and composition. 
If the area of any given plot is 
limited to a degree that will not 
admit a garden, carefully designed 
and set apart, consider the entire 
place as a garden; let it in its en¬ 
tirety be the design. Utilize the 
house and whatever other build¬ 
ings there may be, the trees, the 
vegetable garden, the walks and 
drives, as motifs, and introduce 
the flowers in clumps and bands 
as adjuncts to these. A long, 
straight border along the sunny 
boundary, broken once perhaps by a seat, or some feature of in¬ 
terest in itself, is always in good taste and always insures the 
widest effect for every flower that blooms in it. 
The typical suburban place indeed offers very little opportunity 
for placing flowers in any other way — but however restricted 
space may be, and even where there is no sunny boundary, there 
are sure to be walks which may be “bordered.” Keep away from 
the house however with'everything excepting vines and now and 
then a shrub or shrubbery group. Not many flowers are suitable 
for a position immediately against foundations, where eaves either 
drip or keep rain away entirely. Then, too, there is no possible en¬ 
joyment of the bloom from with¬ 
in the dwelling when they are so 
located and this is something 
which ought always to be con¬ 
sidered. 
Bulbs naturalized are always a 
great temptation, but one that 
should be restricted when space is 
at a premium and conditions not 
altogether in harmony with such 
treatment. So much has been said 
and written about “naturalizing” 
that it is small wonder one goes 
quite mad over the idea. Disap¬ 
pointment will surely follow inap¬ 
propriate naturalizing, however— 
so go slowly and cautiously. 
Snowdrops and squills may of 
course find a place in any lawn, 
however tiny it may be, scattered 
broadcast; but the use of Narcissi, tulips, jonquils and any of the 
other bulbs which are lovely handled in this way, in the proper 
places, is not advisable unless there are space and general con¬ 
ditions which are decidedly “natural.” Deep, uncut grass is not 
for the small dooryard, nor even for the orchard, if it be a strictly 
As one of the earliest evidences of bloom in the garden, the 
crocus should not be neglected 
The long, straight border of bulbs along the sunny boundary line is 
always in good taste and insures a striking effect 
Mass plantings of long-stemmed bulbs such as the narcissus are appro¬ 
priate in conjunction with shrubs 
