70 
AN IDEAL that will never perish 
Simplicity, sincerity, stead¬ 
fastness, eager good-will, in¬ 
tegrity—these are concepts of 
the mind, and in what clearer 
form can they be visualized than 
in a clock of perfect faithfulness 
—a Seth Thomas? 
T HE pioneers who pushed forward the bor¬ 
ders of this nation put much reliance in the 
plain virtues. The grandfathers of many of us 
listened to the voice of some old Seth Thomas 
that in measured rhythm preached—“Sure-and- 
Steady, lad. Haste makes Waste. Be careful. 
Keep at it.” 
The tide of Time eventually 
engulfs man — but ideas and 
ideals are eternal. 
The first Seth Thomas sounded its first tick 
just before the close of the war of 1812. Seth 
Thomas pendulums swung in unison with the 
tread of Zachary Taylor’s troops marching 
against Palo Alto in ’46. Their hands ap¬ 
plauded Commodore Perry’s treaty with Japan 
in ’54. With mournful faces they kept watch 
over the martyred Lincoln in ’65. 
Pomp and circumstances have marched by 
them for 108 years. The tread of millions of 
feet of common clay, bent on humble things, 
have kept consonance with their steady tick-tock. 
Beneath the satin finished mahogany, behind 
the genteel dial of the modern Seth Thomas 
lives that ideal of service—the thing that never 
dies. 
SETH THOMAS CLOCK COMPANY 
House & Garden 
Edging Plants for the Perennial Border 
(Continued from page 68) 
number of colors, and can be propa¬ 
gated by seed or by division. 
Creeping Baby’s Breath ( Gypsophila 
repens) 
Although this is a favorite of the rock 
garden it can be readily adapted to 
the front row of the perennial garden, 
for its long, graceful, creeping stems, 
which are covered with a profusion of 
small rose pink flowerets, rise only to 
a height of about 6", and do not have 
too great a tendency to creep out of 
bounds. Blooms in June and July. 
Hardy Candytuft ( Iberis sempervirens) 
Long a well known annual plant, but 
the perennial variety has not been 
used so much. It is a very satisfac¬ 
tory plant, both from the point of 
view of flowers and of persistent foli¬ 
age which is practically evergreen. 
Just after the creeping phlox has 
stopped blooming this sturdy plant 
delights with a mass of brilliant 
white blossoms. It is a good spread¬ 
ing plant and can be propagated 
either by seeds or division. 
Crested Dwarf Iris (Iris cristata) 
All of the iris make good edging 
plants, for they have such stiff, up¬ 
standing leaves, but it is essential that 
the plants behind them be tall enough 
to show over the top. For this reason 
the dwarf iris is best suited to the 
front of the border. Cristata grows 
about S' high and has a profusion of 
light blue flowers from early April 
until mid-May. The best time to 
plant this iris is just when the growth 
begins. It can be propagated by di¬ 
vision after it has bloomed. 
Dwarf Iris (Iris pumila) 
This iris is more dwarf than the others. 
It grows from 6" to 9" tall and so 
serves the purpose of an edging plant, 
for the smaller plants behind it can be 
better seen. It has flowers with violet 
and blue petals and blooms in April 
and May. It is fine for a permanent 
edge. It spreads rapidly and should 
be divided about every two or three 
years. 
Forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris) 
Always popular with its dainty blue 
flowers in great profusion, and its fast 
spreading mats of thick, green leaves. 
This plant grows about 6" high and 
is covered practically all summer with 
blooms. It does best in a half shady, 
moist place, but will thrive in full 
sun. The best way to propagate is 
by division, although seeds or cuttings 
will serve. 
Evening Primrose (Oenothera mis- 
souriensis) 
One of the few really good yellow 
flowers for the front line of the bor¬ 
der. The brilliant yellow and fra¬ 
grant flowers are charming in the 
early evening when they open in full. 
It grows from 6" to 12" high, and 
although it prefers a half shady place 
it will grow in full sun. The best 
way to propagate it is by cuttings or 
division. Blooms from June to early 
August. 
Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) 
This is used a great deal as edging, 
but the magenta shade is not as effec¬ 
tive as the lavender and white colors. 
One of the reasons for its not being 
one of the best edging plants is that 
after it has bloomed its foliage does 
not prove very effective as a border 
planting. It is, in fact, a rock plant 
and should be valued for that use. 
Blooms from early April to mid-May. 
Leadwort (Plumbago larpentae) 
This dwarf tufted plant with masses 
of cobalt blue flowers at the ends of 
wiry stems about 1' high makes a 
fine edging. It is wonderful for color 
masses in the fall when many of the 
summer flowering plants are begin¬ 
ning to fade. It needs a slight winter 
protection in the North. Propagate 
by seed or by division. 
London Pride (Saxifraga umbrosa) 
An interesting plant which grows 
from 6" to 12" high and has a pleas¬ 
ing pink blossom in July. 
Woundwort (Stachys lanata) 
Another plant with gray-green foli¬ 
age. This foliage is almost woolly 
white and grows about 6" high. It 
will grow without much attention and 
will withstand drought. 
Tunica (Tunica saxifraga) 
This plant has a very neat and trim 
spreading tuft of foliage from which 
spring small pink or purplish flowers 
in great profusion on wiry stems from 
6" to 10" high. It may be propa¬ 
gated by seed or by division. Blooms 
from late June through August. 
Rock Speedwell ( Veronica? rupestris) 
An abundance of small deep purple 
flowers in dense spikes 4" to 5" high 
is the most valuable part of this plant, 
although the foliage is in the form of 
a close, neat mat which is always a 
good adjunct to an edging plant. 
Propagate either by seed or division. 
Blooms in May and June. 
Tufted Pansy (Viola cornuta ) 
Such a popular flower as the pansy 
has been long lamented by many be¬ 
cause its period of bloom was so 
short. The perennial variety has a 
much longer period of bloom, and if 
it is cut back after its first season of 
flowering and then heavily manured* 
and watered occasionally it will give 
a second crop of flowers in Septem¬ 
ber. Sow seeds in August for early 
bloom in the next summer. Winter 
protection in the North is necessary. 
Pot grown or field grown clumps may 
be secured. 
English Ivy as a House Plant 
(Continued from page 48) 
While it may be possible to purchase, 
a suitable trellis, it is not usually easy 
to find one small enough, for most trel¬ 
lises are made for outdoor use. But it 
is very easy for a handy-man to make 
a trellis from his own designs. Some 
people, with a natural sense of propor¬ 
tion, will make an attractive trellis with¬ 
out any preliminary drawing, without 
much thought or calculation. 
The trellises shown here are home¬ 
made, “whittled” from stock at hand. 
In fact, the strips were made by cutting 
from an ordinary 7/ & " pine board. With 
a splitting saw the strips were made 
about 34" square or 34" x then 
smoothed with a plane. 
The square or diamond shape of the 
cross pieces is easily made if one has a 
mitre-box which facilitates cutting ac¬ 
curately to forty-five degrees. If not, 
the angles can be cut with a knife, and 
with a little “cut-and-try” the four 
pieces will fit reasonably well. The 
pieces should be glued together and then 
nailed with small wire nails for the glue 
might not hold because of the possible 
dampness. 
In making simple shapes, such as the 
“ladder” trellis, the short strips are sim¬ 
ply nailed in place after locating them 
by moving about on the vertical or long 
pieces. But to use a square or diamond 
it is easier to put the square together 
separately before locating it on the verti¬ 
cals. When combining a square and 
“herring-bone” pieces, locate the square 
first and then place the short pieces so 
that they will look well. 
After the trellis is put together, it 
should be painted or stained to suit the 
(Continued on page 72) 
