House & Garden 
82 
SowSalzer'sSeeds 
Questions Which Have Been Answered 
{Continued from page 80) 
Many of America's abundant garden 
crops are grown from Salzer seeds. Years 
of sincere effort in growing, testing, clean¬ 
ing and distributing seeds have gained for 
us the confidence of thousands of gardeners. 
Since John A. Salzer founded this in¬ 
stitution in 1868 —over half a century ago 
—only the purest of seeds have been dis¬ 
pensed. Two later generations have ad¬ 
hered to this high ideal. 
At our experimental farm Cliffwood 
and our trial grounds Fairview, thou¬ 
sands of tests are made annually—we 
know Salzer seeds will grow and yield 
plentifully. 
Our faith in these seeds is unbounded. 
We guarantee safe delivery to you of all 
orders you favor us with and we further guar¬ 
antee that our garden seeds will give you 
unqualified satisfaction or your money will be 
returned. 
JOHN A. SALZER SEED COMPANY 
I would suggest that you use only a 
few pictures, some good prints. I am 
enclosing a list of shops where these 
can be purchased. 
Inquiry. I am planning to redecorate 
two bedrooms in my apartment and I 
should be most grateful if you would 
send me suggestions at once. I am 
anxious to obtain advice as to paper 
and hangings. 
The rooms are both on an east court 
and are of medium size; one of them 
is furnished in American walnut, the 
other in a natural colored wicker. If 
you can give me any suggestions I 
should appreciate it greatly. Thanking 
you for your courtesy. 
Answer. I have your letter and shall 
be glad to give you suggestions for 
your bedrooms. 
The one furnished in wicker should 
have hangings and cushions of bright 
cretonne. This could be black with 
robin’s egg blue and mauve and green 
coloring in it and the walls a pale robin’s 
egg blue. I should cover the bed in 
this cretonne also, and have the rug 
plain gray. Mauve lamps with pale 
green shades would be attractive and 
the sash curtains should be plain cream 
net. 
For the other room why not use old 
rose taffeta hangings and glazed chintz 
with lovely old rose and blue coloring 
in it for bed spreads and one or 
two chairs. A rose rug and lamp shades 
would carry out this idea and the walls 
should be deep cream as also the net 
window curtains. 
Inquiry. I have seen your suggestion 
about asking advice in the current issue 
of House & Garden, and I now ask you 
to help me. 
Enclosed you will find a rough sketch 
of our garden. It is ISO' by ISO'. The 
plan gives only the part in the rear. 
The front is lawn and trees. 
The water garden was built this 
spring, and with the helpful suggestions 
of House & Garden, together with many 
pictures, it is a success. The shrubbery 
around it, excepting the bamboo, has 
not been planted. What do you think 
of this selection? Japanese maples, aza¬ 
leas, bamboo and a weeping Japanese 
cherry planted near the rock under 
which is the inlet of water? Would a 
willow tree grow too tall and cut the 
view of the border? 
I also wish to ask about the peren¬ 
nial border. In planting, do you mix 
all variety of plants, or plant in groups, 
making a mass effect. I have flowers 
blooming abundantly from April until 
November, excepting the month of Au¬ 
gust. Although I try to fill in with an¬ 
nuals, they never grow luxuriant. Could 
you tell me August blooming plants? 
Is it considered out of keeping to have 
climbing roses, such as ramblers, Ameri¬ 
can pillar, growing at the back of border 
and trained on lattice fence? 
Thank you many times for helping 
a garden lover. 
Answer. I have been giving my inter¬ 
ested attention to your letter describing 
the arrangement of your garden, and I 
am glad to offer a few suggestions. 
It seems to me that the present ar¬ 
rangement is an excellent one, and I 
would suggest no radical changes in it. 
Your selection of shrubbery to go 
around the water garden is a good one, 
provided you use the Japanese cherry 
in preference to the willow tree. The 
willow, I am afraid, would in a few 
years grow so large that it would seri¬ 
ously interfere with the view of the 
flower border. You might also intro¬ 
duce in this planting one or two shrubs 
of one of the cultivated pussy-willows. 
There are several excellent varieties of 
these with fragrant and extremely orna¬ 
mental catkins. They may be kept 
pruned to practically any size that you 
wish. 
In planting a mixed perennial border, 
I should by all means group the plants 
rather than arrange them as individuals. 
These groups should in general occupy 
only a ground space of three to six 
square feet. Here is a list of perennials, 
which can usually be relied upon to give 
you bloom during the month of Au¬ 
gust. 
Achillea, hollyhock and aconitum 
(usually), Anthemis, Aster ptarmicoides, 
astilbe, boltonia, callirhoe. Campanula, 
carpatica, Campanula rotundifolia, Cen- 
taurea. Coreopsis, Funkia, Helenium 
autumnale, helianthus, hemerocallis. Hi¬ 
biscus, Lilium auratum, Lilium specio- 
sum, Lilium tigrinum, Lobelia, monbre- 
tia, Myosotis palustris, Phlox panicidata, 
physostegia, platycodon and pyreth- 
rum. 
It wilt be quite all right to use climb¬ 
ing roses trained along lattice fences at 
the back of the border. 
Inquiry. We have just purchased an 
old place in very poor condition. There 
is no lawn, just weeds and absolutely no 
flowers at all. It was at one time laid 
out according to the plan which you 
will find enclosed. 
The so-called rose or formal garden is 
a flat space about 40' by 80' with steps 
leading to it and from it onto a grass 
slope and from that to the tennis court 
and on down to the beach. These steps 
and walks are not in the center, but to 
one side. Wilt you please advise me 
what and where to plant to make the 
most of our ground at the least expense. 
I am rather partial to larkspur, holly¬ 
hocks and clove-scented pinks; also a 
pergola with climbing roses and honey¬ 
suckle. 
Trusting that you will be able to un¬ 
derstand something from all this and 
will be able to help me, and thanking 
you in advance, I am— 
Answer. I have been much interested 
in the sketch of the grounds which you 
are remodeling, and I see no reason why 
the general arrangement which exists 
now cannot be retained. I should by 
all means plant a good, high screening 
hedge on either side of the entrance walk 
and along the terrace between the house 
and the street, as I have indicated in red 
on your sketch. A California privet 
will do well for this, particularly if it is 
allowed to grow to a height of about 
ten or twelve feet. With such an ar¬ 
rangement the service part of the 
grounds layout will be entirely con¬ 
cealed. 
I am not quite sure how great a slope 
exists in the grounds between the house 
and the lake shore, but if it is not too 
steep, you might put in a lily pool 
where I have indicated it between the 
rose garden and the tennis court. I 
should also designate the two sets of 
rock steps by some sort of an entrance 
way, probably a rose arch. 
'The terrace next to the tennis court 
can be treated in various ways, depend¬ 
ing somewhat upon its height. If it is 
only two or three feet high, I should 
keep it simply in turf, but if it is much 
more than that it may be planted with 
masses of hardy perennials, such as 
Sweet William and Phlox suhulata. It 
would also be a good idea to use flower¬ 
ing shrubs at the points marked “X". 
At each of these places I should put in 
half or dozen or so bushes. 
As you already have a formal garden, 
I think I should restrict the further 
flower planting to perennial borders on 
either side of the pathway leading to the 
boathouse, and also the entrance path 
between the front terrace and the house. 
{Continued on page 84) 
