The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming.

by Ellen Eddy Shaw

LANDSCAPE GARDENING

The subject to-night is a very pretentious one, for no one would expect boys and girls to be landscape gardeners. But many boys and girls have excellent taste and taste is the foundation stone of landscape gardening. This work has often been likened to the painting of a picture. Your art-work teacher has doubtless told you that a good picture should have a point of chief interest, and the rest of the points simply go to make more beautiful the central idea, or to form a fine setting for it. Look at that picture over Miriam's head. See that lone pine, the beautiful curve of the hillside, the scrub undergrowth about the tree, the bit of sky beyond! As soon as one looks at that picture one's eye rests on the pine, and the other features seem to appear afterward.

"So in landscape gardening there must be in the gardener's mind a picture of what he desires the whole to be when he completes his work. Take, for example, your school grounds. You did a bit of landscape work there, although we never called it that before. The little schoolhouse itself was our centre of interest. How could we fix up the grounds so that the little building should have a really attractive setting? That, I believe, was the thought in each of your heads, although no one of you ever put this into words.

"Notice now with me the good points about that work, and from this study we shall be able to work out a little theory of landscape gardening.

"First there is a good extent of lawn about the building, the path to the door is slightly curved and pleasingly so, a fine little maple stands out rather interestingly on the side lawn, the flower garden has a good mass effect, the screen of poplar trees at the back acts as a stately rear guard, and the vines over the outbuilding hide what was once a blemish.

"Let us go back to the lawn. A good extent of open lawn space is always beautiful. It is restful. It adds a feeling of space to even small grounds. So we might generalize and say that it is well to keep open lawn spaces. If one covers his lawn space with many trees, with little flower beds here and there, the general effect is choppy and fussy. It is a bit like an over-dressed person. One's grounds lose all individuality thus treated. A single tree or a small group is not a bad arrangement on the lawn. Do not centre the tree or trees. Let them drop a bit into the background. Make a pleasing side feature of them. In choosing trees one must keep in mind a number of things. You should not choose an overpowering tree; the tree should be one of good shape, with something interesting about its bark, leaves, flowers or fruit. While the poplar is a rapid grower, it sheds its leaves early and so is left standing, bare and ugly, before the fall is old. Mind you, there are places where a row or double row of Lombardy poplars is very effective. But I think you'll agree with me that one lone poplar is not. The catalpa is quite lovely by itself. Its leaves are broad, its flowers attractive, the seed pods which cling to the tree until away into the winter, add a bit of picturesqueness. The bright berries of the ash, the brilliant foliage of the sugar maple, the blossoms of the tulip tree, the bark of the white birch, and the leaves of the copper beech—all these are beauty points to consider.

"Place makes a difference in the selection of a tree. Suppose the lower portion of the grounds is a bit low and moist, then the spot is ideal for a willow. Don't group trees together which look awkward. I never should have Peter and Myron march together in school. Why? Because they look wretchedly together. Myron makes Peter look short and Peter causes Myron to look overgrown. So it is with trees. A long-looking poplar does not go with a nice rather rounded little tulip tree. A juniper, so neat and prim, would look silly beside a spreading chestnut. One must keep proportion and suitability in mind.

"I'd never advise the planting of a group of evergreens close to a house, and in the front yard. The effect is very gloomy indeed. Houses thus surrounded are overcapped by such trees and are not only gloomy to live in, but truly unhealthful. The chief requisite inside a house is sunlight and plenty of it.

"There are no shrubs on the school grounds. You had spoken of doing that but bulbs took up the attention of the girls this fall. And as for you boys—you were attending to your own crops. Shrubbery is very pleasing if properly placed. It is just the thing to fill in corners near buildings, to help define the turns in walks, and to use as hedges. Usually one shrub standing by itself is not nearly so pleasing as one tree by itself. It has a squatty and isolated appearance. There is a corner close by the school building where shrubs should go. Why? Because the place looks bare and staring, and the building is very ugly at that point; the shrubs would fill in the space, and make the building look much better.

"As trees are chosen because of certain good points, so shrubs should be. In a clump I should wish some which bloomed early, some which bloomed late, some for the beauty of their fall foliage, some for the colour of their bark and others for the fruit. Some spireas and the forsythia bloom early. The red bark of the dogwood makes a bit of colour all winter, and the red berries of the barberry cling to the shrub well into the winter. This list of shrubs which Philip has made out will be a help to you in this work.

PHILIP'S SHRUB TABLE

COMMON NAME	BOTANICAL NAME	HEIGHT	COLOUR	SPECIAL POINTS
March
Spice Bush	Benzoin odoriferum	6-15 ft.	Yellow	Flowers appear before leaves. Crimson fruit in fall. Aromatic odour.
Daphne	Daphne Mezereum	4ft.	Purple	The only hardy deciduous daphne. Plant in light soil and in shade.
April
Barberry	Berberis-Thunbergii	2-4 ft.	Yellow	Prefers dry soil. Berries all winter.
Golden Bell	Forsythia suspensa	5-8 ft.	Yellow	Flowers appear before leaves. Hardy; free from insects.
May
Red-osier Dogwood	Cornus stolonifera	4-8 ft.	White	Red branched. Plant in moist soil.
Japanese Snow Flower	Deutzia gracilis	1-3 ft.	White	Very beautiful when flowering. Needs well drained soil.
Japanese Snowball	Viburnum plicatum	8 ft.	White	Not as likely to have lice as common snowball. Larger balls.
Lilac	Syringa vulgaris	15 ft.	Purple	Very fragrant. Will grow anywhere even in some shade.
June
Deutzia	Deutzia Lemoinei	1-3 ft.	White	Hardy; flowers showy.
Weigela	Diervilla Florida	6 ft.	Pink White Red	May have white or red flowers. Flowers under trees. Lives where other shrubs die.
Spirea	Spiræa Van Houttei	4 ft.	White	Most showy of spireas. Grows anywhere.
Mock Orange	Philadelphus Coronarius	10 ft.		Varieties of different colours. Fragrant; makes good screen.
Smoke Bush	Rhus cotinus	4-10 ft.	Purplish	Hardy. Beautiful all summer. Purple colour changes to smoke colour.
July
Spirea	Spirea Bumalda, var. Anthony Waterer	3 ft.	White	Flowers run from white to deep pink. Late flowering. Hardy.
Sweet Pepper Bush	Clethra alnifolia	3-10 ft.	White	Moist soil or sandy. Late blooming; fragrant flowers.
August
Althea, Rose of Sharon	Hibiscus Syriacus	12 ft.	White to purple	Very hardy. Plant in any good garden soil.
September
Hardy Hydrangea	Hydrangea paniculata	8 ft.	White to pink	A showy shrub. Flowers remain on all winter.
October
Witch Hazel	Hamamelis Virginiana	6-20 ft.	Yellow	Grows anywhere. Likes moisture. Fruit "explodes."

"Certain shrubs are good to use for hedge purposes. A hedge is rather prettier usually than a fence. The Californian privet is excellent for this purpose. Osage orange, Japan barberry, buckthorn, Japan quince, and Van Houtte's spirea are other shrubs which make good hedges.

"You have to remember that not only should grounds look well to the passerby but they should look equally well from the inside of the building. As your mother is working in the kitchen during the hot summer or sewing during a long dull winter afternoon, would it not be a joy to her to look out at a syringa sweet with blossom or a barberry with nodding red berries? Landscape gardening is not only for the purpose of adding beauty to the earth's surface, but also for the putting joy into the heart of a person as well.

"I forgot to say that in tree and shrub selection it is usually better to choose those of the locality one lives in. Unusual and foreign plants do less well, and often harmonize but poorly with their new setting.

"I spoke of the path to the schoolhouse with its slight curve. Landscape gardening may follow along very formal lines or along informal lines. The first would have straight paths, straight rows in stiff beds, everything, as the name tells, perfectly formal. The other method is, of course, the exact opposite. There are danger points in each.

"The formal arrangement is likely to look too stiff; the informal, too fussy, too wiggly. As far as paths go, keep this in mind, that a path should always lead somewhere. That is its business—to direct one to a definite place. Now, straight, even paths are not unpleasing if the effect is to be that of a formal garden. The danger in the curved path is an abrupt curve, a whirligig effect. It is far better for you to stick to straight paths unless you can make a really beautiful curve. No one can tell you how to do this.

"Garden paths may be of gravel, of dirt, or of grass. One sees grass paths in some very lovely gardens. I doubt, however, if they would serve as well in your small gardens. Your garden areas are so limited that they should be re-spaded each season, and the grass paths are a great bother in this work. Of course, a gravel path makes a fine appearance, but again you may not have gravel at your command. It is possible for any of you to dig out the path for two feet. Then put in six inches of stone or clinker. Over this, pack in the dirt, rounding it slightly toward the centre of the path. There should never be depressions through the central part of paths, since these form convenient places for water to stand. The under layer of stone makes a natural drainage system.

"A building often needs the help of vines or flowers or both to tie it to the grounds in such a way as to form a harmonious whole. Vines lend themselves well to this work. It is better to plant a perennial vine, and so let it form a permanent part of your landscape scheme. The Virginia creeper, wistaria, honeysuckle, a climbing rose, the clematis and trumpet vine are all most satisfactory.

"Just close your eyes and picture a house of natural colour, that mellow gray of the weathered shingles. Now add to this old house a purple wistaria. Can you see the beauty of it? I shall not forget soon a rather ugly corner of my childhood home, where the dining room and kitchen met. Just there climbing over, and falling over a trellis was a trumpet vine. It made beautiful an awkward angle, an ugly bit of carpenter work.

"Of course, the morning-glory is an annual vine, as is the moon-vine and wild cucumber. Now, these have their special function. For often, especially in school work, it is necessary to cover an ugly thing for just a time, until the better things and better times come. The annual is 'the chap' for this work.

"Along an old fence a hop vine is a thing of beauty. One might try to rival the woods' landscape work. For often one sees festooned from one rotted tree to another the ampelopsis vine.

"Flowers may well go along the side of the building, or bordering a walk. In general, though, keep the front lawn space open and unbroken by beds. What lovelier in early spring than a bed of daffodils close to the house? Hyacinths and tulips, too, form a blaze of glory. These are little or no bother, and start the spring aright. One may make of some bulbs an exception to the rule of unbroken front lawn. Snowdrops and crocuses planted through the lawn are beautiful. They do not disturb the general effect, but just blend with the whole. One expert bulb gardener says to take a basketful of bulbs in the fall, walk about your grounds, and just drop bulbs out here and there. Wherever the bulbs drop, plant them. Such small bulbs as those we plant in lawns should be in groups of four to six. Daffodils may be thus planted, too. You all remember the grape hyacinths that grow all through Katharine's side yard.

"The place for a flower garden is generally at the side or rear of the house. The backyard garden is a lovely idea, is it not? Who wishes to leave a beautiful looking front yard, turn the corner of a house, and find a dump heap? Not I. The flower garden may be laid out formally in neat little beds, or it may be more of a careless, hit-or-miss sort. Both have their good points. Great masses of bloom are attractive.

"You should have in mind some notion of the blending of colour. Nature appears not to consider this at all, and still gets wondrous effects. This is because of the tremendous amount of her perfect background of green, and the limitlessness of her space, while we are confined at the best to relatively small areas. So we should endeavour not to blind people's eyes with clashes of colours which do not at close range blend well. In order to break up extremes of colours you can always use masses of white flowers, or something like mignonette, which is in effect green.

"The old-fashioned flowers are lovely—sweet William, phlox, old-fashioned pinks, petunia, verbena, zinnia, marigold, mignonette, and poppy are always dear and sweet. Hollyhocks are charming. They represent a kind of guard for the garden. Stand this hollyhock phalanx up against a wall like naughty boys, close to the house, or by an old fence. They are so tall that they must be in the background. They grace it. Otherwise they would overtop and shadow the other garden plants. If there is an old ash pile, an old dump or anything else unsightly, plant something tall before it. Hollyhocks would not do for this, since their foliage is too scanty. Castor beans are just the thing, however; and sunflowers, the old giant ones, are good, too. A screen is for screening, so that the foliage is of first consideration.

"A wild-flower garden is a good scheme, too. What is lovelier? Bank in a north corner full of these. Hepatica, columbines, anenome, bellflower, butterfly weed, turtle head and aster represent wild flowers which bloom from March through October. I can see that north corner now. Miriam has planned to have one, and has really done the work this fall.

"The water garden is another good thing to try with just the right setting. A place at the end of a slope of land, near some drooping trees, a bit shaded would be right. The garden Philip made is a pattern for you all to follow.

"Finally, let us sum up our landscape lesson. The grounds are a setting for the house or buildings. Open, free lawn spaces, a tree or a proper group well placed, flowers which do not clutter up the front yard, groups of shrubbery—these are points to be remembered. The paths should lead somewhere, and be either straight or well curved. If one starts with a formal garden, one should not mix the informal with it before the work is done.

"At one time we said a little about poor taste in garden furnishings. Painted kettles, old drain pipes, whitewashed bricks, and edgings of shells seemed to us then a bit fussy and crude. So, too, is a summer house stuck out on the front lawn, a rustic seat all by itself in an open spot, an archway which forms an arch over nothing. The summer house should be placed in the side yard, or in the rear in a spot where trees lend it a background. If its use is that of a resting spot for your mother, she certainly would not wish it right out on the front lawn. If the house is for children to play in, then again it is not for the front of the house. An appropriate place is near the garden where it makes a cool place to rest after labour, a spot from which to view the beauties of the garden, and a charming place to serve afternoon tea.

"A good general plan to follow in this landscape work is to see what natural charms your place has, and then try to increase and help these. 'Help Nature' is a good watchword. Even though the garden plan is to be a formal one, the natural resources and setting of your place should be kept in mind. The little we did last year on the school grounds was a bit of landscape garden work. I did not call it that to you then, for if I had you would have been scared off. Philip's work in his backyard was of the same nature. The girls' flower garden was a bit of formal work. I guess, too, the outdoor bulb planting which Albert scorned might come under the same head. So you see you have been landscape gardeners without knowing it. To continue to be, all we have to do is to go on somewhat along the general lines I have spoken of to-night. Different committees have prepared a number of tables which should help you much in matters of selection."

GARDEN OF CONSTANT BLOOM BY MONTHS

NAME	COLOUR	HEIGHT	SPECIAL POINTS
March
Columbine	Red	1 ft.	Grows on rocky places. Graceful flower.
Hepatica	White Blue Pink	6 in.	Early spring flower. Ready to blossom under the snow. Last year's leaves shelter flower.
Saxifrage	White	8 in.	Grows in rocky, sandy places.
April
Bluebell	Blue	16 in.	Likes rock soil and sun.
Dwarf Iris	Blue	1 ft.	A good border plant. Does not require any special soil. Spreads.
Moss Pink	Pink	6 in.	Likes full sun. Spreads rapidly.
Violet	Blue	6 in.	Good soil. Plant in either sun or shade.
May
Lily-of-the-Valley	White	9 in.	Grows under trees, spreads rapidly. Flowers fragrant. Cut flower effect.
German Iris	Different	2 ft.	The best of flags for general planting purposes.
Forget-me-not	Blue	low	Thrives on moist soil. Planted with tulips follows them in bloom.
Chinese Peony	Different	4 ft.	The earliest of peonies. Good in borders.
Myrtle	Blue	low	Grows even in shade and poorly drained soils. Spreads rapidly.
June
Bleeding Heart	Pink	2 ft.	A hardy plant. Needs moist, good soil. Good border plant.
Foxglove	Purple	4 ft.	Perennial which self sows. Effective in backgrounds. Likes shade.
Garden Peony	Crimson	3 ft.	The real old-fashioned peony. Good border plant. Large blossoms.
Larkspur	Blue	4 ft.	Good for borders and backgrounds. The finest of blue flowers.
Sweet William	Different	2 ft.	A self sewing perennial. Bright colours. Good for massing. Sweet and constant bloomer.
July
Baby's Breath	White	3 ft.	Grows in rocky soil. Use for formal bouquets.
Butterfly Weed	Orange	2 ft.	Likes full sunlight and dry soil. Fine colour effect.
Perennial Phlox	Different	2-5 ft.	Good for borders and cut flowers.
Spiked Loosestrife	Pink	3 ft.	Belongs in wet swamp lands. Will grow in borders.
Hollyhock	Different	6 ft.	Use for backgrounds and borders.
August
Aster, New England	Blue	4 ft.	Grows in any soil. The best of tall asters.
Golden Glow	Yellow	6 ft.	Grows in any soil and spreads rapidly. Good background.
Japanese Clematis	White	Climber	Rapid flowering vine. Use on trellis. Sweet flowers.
Sunflower	Yellow	6 ft.	Fine for backgrounds and screens. Any dry soil.
Turtle Head	Rose Purple	2 ft.	Flowers on spikes. Any soil, but wet preferred.
September
Hardy Hydrangea	White	6 ft.	Blooms till frost. Blossom heads effective.
Japanese Anemone	Carmine	3 ft.	Good border plant. Blossoms last till frost.

WATER AND BOG PLANTS

COMMON NAME	SCIENTIFIC NAME	SPECIAL POINTS
Arrowhead	Sagittaria latifolia	One of the most popular water plants. Spreads badly.
Arum (water)	Calla palustris	Popular water plant. Grows less than 1 ft. high. Blooms in June.
Blue Flag	Iris versicolor	Grows from 2-3 ft. high. Grows in bogs and gardens.
Cat-tail	Typha latifolia	Grows to 8 ft. or more. Spreads rapidly.
Floating Heart	Limnanthemum nymphoides	Grows less than 1 ft. high. Good plant for a pond. Spreads readily.
Forget-me-not	Myosotis Palustris	Grows less than 1 ft. high. Prefers half-shady places.
Lotus, American	Nelumbo lutea	Good for a pond.
Marsh Marigold	Caltha palustris	Grows 1½ ft. high. Blooms in May.
Pickerel Weed	Pontederia cordata	Grows 3-4 ft. high. Blooms in July.
Pitcher Plant	Darlingtonia Californica	Grows less than 1 ft. Good for bog planting.
Sweet Flag	Acorus Calamus	Height is 2 ft. Flowers in early summer.
Water-lily	Nymphaea odorata	Sweet-scented, most popular water-lily.
Water Mint	Mentha Aquatica	One of the popular mint family. Low growing.

FOUR WATER-LILIES FOR BEGINNERS

NAME	COLOUR	SPECIAL POINTS
Nymphaea Gladstoniana	White	This is a hardy variety
Nymphaea Marliacea	Yellow	This is a hardy variety
Nymphaea dentata	White	Tender, night blooming plant
Nymphaea Zanzibariensis	Blue	Tender, day blooming plant.