THE GARDEN FOR THE VACATION HOME—WHAT MAY BE DONE TOWARD BEAUTIFYING 
THE GROUNDS BY PLANTING, EVEN WITH A LATE START-THE BEST FLOWERS TO USE 
BV F. F. R O f K W ELL * 
W IlA'r is more bare than the summer home of the itinerant 
vacation renter? Renting a house from season to season, 
frequently not the same one, he does not feel that he can afford 
to im])rove it, and the owner doesn’t, so never a flower shows its 
face to make the grounds look more cheery and homelike, and 
not a shrub breaks the bleak monotony of bare walls and a bare 
“lot," or screens the obtrusive out-buildings. Even siunmer 
homes that are owned by their occiq^ants and "Ijoarded up" dur¬ 
ing the winter, frequently are as neglected in this respect as those 
poor unfortunate houses whose owners never live in them, and 
which are suljjected season after 
season to the thoughtful care of 
persons who never ex])ect to see 
them again. 
"It's too late to do anything by 
the time I get to the country," 
says such an owner. "And be¬ 
sides. most of the (lowers come 
too early or too late for us ; what 
is there worth while during the 
blistering months of July and 
August?" And so. year after 
year, he sits inside the house, be¬ 
cause the unshaded porch is too 
hot for use, and finds nothing to 
occujiy his spare moments nearer 
than the golf course or the fish 
jiond. when more interesting and 
more satisfaction-yielding tasks 
remain undiscovered in his door- 
_\ ard. 
To the man in either class, cov¬ 
ered by my indictment, let me sav 
that his excuses do not hold water 
— if he s too lazy to bother with such things, let him frankly 
confess it! — for the materials are to be had without trouble. Or 
should my word of advice be whispered to the lady of the house? 
Often she is the one who has to start anything' connected with 
the house: perhaps it's quite to be expected that she should be 
more vitally interested, for frequently she has to sit on the boil¬ 
ing porch. 
The vacation family usually strikes town, or more correctly, 
out-of-town a mile or two. along in June — at least in time to 
celebrate the glorious Fourth in the country. 
Now April and IMay are the popular garden months, but June, 
even the last part of it, is not too late to get good results, many 
of them immediate. The fact must be realized, however, that 
whatever is going to be done must be done at once, and hence 
the importance of planning prett}' definitely what you are going 
to do, and then getting it done just as soon as i)ossible after you 
>'et to the summer home. As a matter of fact, it is possible more 
frequently than not, to get part of it done ahead by arranging 
with some reliable farmer, or the 
owner, or the local fiorist, to have 
the beds and gardens manured, 
and spaded or plowed in advance. 
This is a perfectly practical scheme 
and should be taken advantage of 
more frequently than it is. 
In the first place just a word 
about the ijreparation of the soil, 
whether it is a large garden or a 
small hole for a single vine or 
plant. In making a late start it is 
particularly necessary to make the 
feeding ground of the plant as mel¬ 
low and rich as possible, so that 
growth may be immediate and 
rapid. At this season of the year 
it is often difficult to procure ma¬ 
nure that is thoroughly fined and 
old, as the pits are usually cleaned 
out in the spring; but be careful to 
get the best you can. and then use 
nitrate of soda and cottonseed meal 
with it. to yield quick results. The 
soda is very strong and should be used with care, sprinkling just 
a little about the roots of the plant, and making it into the soil, 
preferably just before a rain. The cottonseed meal should be 
mixed with the soil before planting, as there is no danger of 
"burning” the roots with it. It is very rich in nitrogen and will 
help in getting a quick start. 
If you cannot arrange to have the beds made ready in advance, 
get someone on the job the day you arrive, for at this season of 
Even though planted late, gladioli will produce quantities of 
such bloom during the summer and early fall 
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