42 
A FEW FLOWERS 
about four to five bushels to the acre. Much to the 
disgust of most persons, the new lawn at first generally 
produces a vigorous crop of weeds ; these, however, are 
mainly annuals, and persistent mowing will soon kill 
them and benefit the grass. Perennial weeds, such as 
1 locks, Dandelions and Plantains, must be cut off with 
a sharp knife an inch or two below the surface. 
Roads and Walks should be made only where 
they are necessary for daily travel. For small city and 
suburban places they should be simply straight lines 
from the street entrances to the doors of the house. A 
good rule to observe on small grounds is never to make 
a curved walk where a straight one would be more con¬ 
venient. The width of the walks must be governed 
by the extent of the ground and the character of the 
house; generally, four to six feet will be the proper 
width for the front or main walk and three to four feet 
for the rear walks. 
On larger grounds the direction of the walks is 
usually determined by the natural slopes and levels of 
the surface ; but even here decided curves should be 
avoided if possible. A long, straight walk would be 
monotonous, but the general direction should be 
straight, and all deviations should be made for some 
apparent cause that will satisfy the eye ; a fine old tree 
or the contour of the ground will often be a sufficient 
reason, or a group of evergreens or shrubs can be 
planted so as to make a curve in the walk appear necessary. The same general rules will apply to the making of carriage 
roads. 1 he road should be located where it will be most convenient — that is, the true course of the road is that which 
a skillful driver would take if he were driving over the unbroken ground from the gate to the main entrance of the 
house. 
A serious mistake, and one frequently made by amateur landscape gardeners, is the laying out of walks where they are 
not needed. Now, useless walks are not only expensive and troublesome to keep clean and neat, but they detract greatly 
from the beauty of the grounds. A broad expanse of grass is certainly more beautiful than large and useless areas of gravel; 
and a bed of flowers relieved by bright green grass is a thousand times more charming than it would be if surrounded by 
gravel walks, and in dry weather is far pleasanter to walk upon. Even those walks required by’ the necessities of travel — 
and necessity is the only excuse for making a walk anywhere — should be hidden from view as much as possible. 
The Arrangement of Trees and Shrubs on the lawn is a subject that usually presents the greatest difficulties to 
the amateur, and unless he has a good knowledge of the growth and character of trees and shrubs it would be far better to 
secure the services of a good landscape gardener. On small places the most common fault is that of excessive planting ; 
the trees are so small at first that it seems expedient to the owner to scatter them pretty thickly all over the grounds. The 
bad results of this kind of planting are not apparent until the trees have made a few years’ growth, and then a radical 
thinning out is seldom resorted to, as few people can be induced to cut down healthy young trees, the growing of which 
they have watched with so much interest. 
It is by no means easy to make set rules for planting, but generally the larger-growing trees and shrubs should fringe 
the outer edges of the lawn, so as not to crowd out or hide from view the smaller'and finer ones, which should be placed in 
front of them. On small city or suburban lots few, if any, large-growing trees should be used ; trees planted on the street 
will in most cases afford sufficient shade, and much better effects can be obtained by' planting the grounds with carefully- 
selected shrubs and hardy perennial plants. 1 he shrubs should not be huddled together in compact, unbroken masses, as 
is so often done, but planted in irregular groups, forming nooks and glades and allowing room for the full development of 
each individual. 1 hese bays and open spaces afford precisely the proper degree of shelter for Lilies and many other fine 
hardy' plants, which bloom in late summer after the shrubs are done flowering. 
Broad, unbroken expanses of lawn should be left so as to leave open vistas from the principal windows of the house, 
and all unsightly views should be closed out with trees or shrubs. 
Architectural Gardening of all sorts should as a rule be carefully avoided. A terrace, whether of stone or earth, 
is an abomination and is ruinous to the beauty as well as to the comfort and convenience of any place, except the nature of 
the ground be such as to render it unavoidable. A beautiful green sward sweeping up to the entrance porch is far more 
natural and pleasing. fountains, summer houses, statuary and vases all come under this head. If good, they' are costly; 
but frequently they are mere shams, made of materials that will not endure our changeable climate, and in a very short time 
become dilapidated and shabby. Such things, considered as garden decorations, are very seldom satisfactory and are 
never necessary. \\ e freely admit that a good vase, properly placed, is sometimes very effective, but it is doubtful if they 
repay the daily care necessary to keep them in good condition, and, unless the vase is quite large, the plants soon 
ANDROMEDA FLORIBUNDA. 
