Sy tent } ah raga BY ‘teste eat So TBlken i ft ok if Wasi ae CV a Taran ie eet SSS sree saan sete pee eet Sree ee Se es =e i ‘t oe Soe ay may Seo eae = = 3 eee ete ata aut Le Si SH gst a Le Aes tel et 5 = ay Miter tetas Ha a 7 a tae os avait cet te use RATA TID AWLLIT FHL GNI—AUuNLOId ATZzOd GARDENING| FOR LITTLE GIRLS BY OLIVE HYDE FOSTER AUTHOR OF “Cookery For LitTLe Giris” “SEWING FoR LITTLE GIRLS” “HOuUsEKEEPING FoR LitTte Girts” ' NEW YORK DUFFIELD & COMPANY 1917 Copyright, “1916, by HOUSE AND GARDEN Copyright, 1916, by HOUSEWIVES MAGAZINE Copyright, 1917, by ST. NICHOLAS The Century Co. Copyright, 1917, by COUNTRYSIDE MAGAZINE The Independent Co. Copyright, 1917, by OLIVE HYDE FOSTER DEDICATED TO Junior and Allan, Two of the dearest children that ever showed love for the soil. Preface Children take naturally to gardening, and few occupations count so much for their development, —mental, moral and physical. Where children’s garden clubs and community gardens have been tried, the little folks have shown an aptitude surprising to their elders, and under exactly the same natural, climatic con- ditions, the children have often obtained astonish- ingly greater results. Moreover, in the poor dis- tricts many a family table, previously unattractive and lacking in nourishment, has been made attrac- tive as well as nutritous, with their fresh green vegetables and flowers. Ideas of industry and thrift, too, are at the same time inculcated without words, and habits formed that affect their character for life. A well-known New York City Public School super- intendent once said to me that she had a flower bed every year in the children’s gardens, where a troublesome boy could always be controlled by giving to him the honor of its care and keeping. GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS The love of nature, whether inborn or acquired, is one of the greatest sources of pleasure, and any scientific knowledge connected with it of inestim- able satisfaction. Carlyle’s lament was, ‘‘Would that some one had taught me in childhood the names of the stars and the grasses.’’ It is with the hope of helping both mothers and children that this little book has been most lov- ingly prepared. CONTENTS CHAPTER I II TIT IV Vv VI VIT VIII IX xX XI XTi XIII XIV XV XVI First Sters Towarp A GARDEN....... PLANNING AND PLANTING THE FLOWER- FLowrrs THar Come Up Every Year BY THEMSELVES (PERENNIALS)..... Fiowers THat Spring From a Store: HOUSE (BULBS AND TUBERS)....... THat QUEEN—THE ROSE............. Vines, TENDER AND Harpy........... SHrups We Love To SEE............ VEGETABLE GROWING FOR THE HOME HU PACTS Te ey ose a ec eta a vebeanisioraiae se ote Your GARDEN’S FRIENDS AND Fors.... A Mornina-Guory PLAYHOUSE........ Tue Work or A CHILDREN’S GARDEN Tur GENTLEWOMAN’S ART—ARRANGING PLOWERS 26x Se See a ees 30 37 48 58 71 78 82 94. 102 107 115 130 ILLUSTRATIONS Puzzie Picture,—Finp tHe Littite Girt, Frontispiece Factnec Pace First Work IN THE SPRING............... 14 Kim AND COLUMBINE...........000000000 40 TakING CarE or TABLE FERNS............. 56 CLEANING Ue AROUND THE SHRUBS......... 78 AuL REapy TO HOE......... 20... cee eee eee 90 AN OUTGROWN PLAYHOUSE..............-.. 112 Sprine BEAUTIES............. menibere seis 126 Line Drawines IN TExt Pace PLAN For A SMALL BacK YARD............- 12 AN ArTIsTIC ARRANGEMENT OF A NARROW GOTT TOD dc siste reson ipiatesitenesdcedecketa cunt 14 Fiowers THat Witt: Bioom From EHaruy Summer Untiu Frost................ 16 BLOSSOMS IN JAPANESE ARRANGEMENT...... 138 NOTE As the desire is to give the widest possible range of information about the plants and flowers men- tioned herein, and space forbids going into details in each ease, the writer has endeavored to mention all the colors, extremes of height, and entire season of bloom of each kind. But the grower must find out the particular variety obtained, and NOT ex- pect a shrubby clematis to climb, or a fall rose to blossom in the spring! GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! Rose plot, Fringed pool, Fern’d grot— The veriest school Of peace; and yet the fool Contends that God is not— Not God! in gardens! when the eve is cool? Nay but I have a sign: *Tis very sure God walks in mine. —Thomas Edward Brown. GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS CHAPTER I First Steps Toward a Garden And because the breath of flowers is far sweeter in the air (where it comes and goes, like the warb- ling of music) than in the hand, therefore nothing is more fit for that delight than to know what be the flowers and plants that do best perfume the air. — Bacon. Ir you want a flower garden, you can begin work as early as March. Does that sound strange, —with cold winds and occasional snow? Ah, but the plans should all be laid then, and many things started in the house. Four steps must be taken before starting actual work: First —Find out what space you can have for your garden. Second.—Consider the soil, situation, surround- ings. 1 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS Third.—Make a list of seeds, bulbs, etc., desired. Fourth.—Decide on planting with view to height and color. As to the first step, find out positively where you can have your garden. It makes considerable difference whether you can have the whole back yard, a plot along the walk, a round bed in the center of the lawn (only worse than none at all!), or a window-box. You can not very well decide on a single plant until this is settled. As to the second step, learn all you can about the soil, situation, surroundings. Is your ground rich or poor? If light and sandy, you can grow such flowers as nasturtiums and mignonette. By adding fertilizer you can have poppies, roses, and dahlias. If the ground is heavy and stiff with clay, you can still have your roses and dahlias if you will add both manure and sand. So find out what kind of earth you are going to work with. Quite poor soil will grow sweet alyssum, Cali- fornia poppies, coreopsis and geraniums, while rich soil is needed for asters, larkspur, zinnias and marigolds. And think about your location (a dry spot being necessary for portulaca, and a cool, moist place for lily-of-the-valley), as well as bear in mind whether your garden is sheltered and warm or exposed to the chilly winds. Any desert 2 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS can be made to blossom as the rose,—if you only know how. As to the third step, make the list of the seeds, bulbs, ete., that you would like, with the idea of having some flowers in bloom the whole summer long. If you are lucky enough to have a kind friend or neighbor give you of her store, they will probably be good and come up as they should. If you have to buy, though, be sure to go to a first- class, reliable dealer, for you don’t want to waste your time and money on old things that won’t grow. Then last of all, decide on your planting from this list with a view to height and color, so that you will arrange to the best advantage,—the nastur- tiums which climb, for instance, going to the back of the bed against wall or trellis, while the dwarf variety should be at the front. BIG WORDS FOR COMMON THINGS To select your flowers intelligently, though, you must know something about their nature, habits, and tendencies, and certain words always found in seed catalogues and garden books may be puzzling to a beginner. a, Annuals, for example, are the plants that live but a year or a single season, GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS b. Biennials, however, continue for two years before they perish, making roots and leaves the first year and usually flowering the second. ce. Perennials are the kind that continue for more than two years. d. Deciduous refers to the shrubs and trees that lose their leaves in the fall. e. Evergreens are those that keep their verdure the whole year round. f. Herbaceous plants may be annual, biennial or perennial, but they have a stem that does not become woody, and that dies down after flowering. g. Hybrids are plants produced by ‘‘crossing,’’ or mixing two distinct varieties. PLANT NEEDS All plant life, you must understand, requires five things—WARMTH, LIGHT, AIR, WATER and FOOD. But plants differ as much as people, and some need more of one thing than they do of an- other. Some grow best in sunlight, others in the shade; some in sand, others in rich soil. You will have to find out what each kind requires. The food properties needed in the soil have some big names, too,—mitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid, all of which are found in farm manures. If you can not conveniently get these, however, florists and seed- men can supply you with other fertilizers more eas- ily handled, 4 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS THE SEED NURSERY If you are just getting ready to start your gar- den, the annuals,—the plants that flower from seed the first season though they do not come up again,— will probably interest you most as they give the quickest returns. Many kinds can be started in the house in March, and for this purpose any kind of a shallow box will answer. Bore holes in the bot- tom and put in a layer of broken pottery or stones, to permit drainage, so the roots will not rot. Fill three or four inches deep with good soil, after pul- verizing and taking out all sticks and stones. RULES FOR INDOOR PLANTING Mark grooves in seed boxes (or ‘‘flats’’) with a stick, in parallel lines. Plant seeds only about their own depth. Scatter thinly to avoid crowding. Press eat down firmly after seeds have been cov- ered. Keep the earth moist by means of a fine spray, or sprinkle with a whisk broom. The ordi- nary sprinkler lets out the water with such force as to wash the seeds clear out of the ground. The very finest seeds should be sprinkled lightly —and thinly—over the pulverized soil and then pressed into the earth with a small board. The different seeds should be sown in separate GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS rows, and the names plainly marked on the edge’ of the box, so you will not become con- fused, or forget what you are growing. Cover the boxes with glass or a newspaper for the first week, to keep the earth moist and warm until the seeds sprout. FAMILIAR ANNUALS Even as early as March you can start in the boxes in this way any of the following annuals, which will bloom at the time mentioned or even earlier :— Ageratum, blue, good for edging; blooms for ‘three months during summer. Asters, white, pink, red, purple; early in the fall. _Alyssum, sweet, white; from May to November. Amethyst, blue, violet, white ; flowers all summer. Balsam, white, red, yellow; from July to middle of September. Chrysanthemum, tricolor; August to middle of ' October. sg white, pink, crimson; August to Novem- er. Cypress vine, red, and white starry blossoms; June and July. Godetia, red, white; July to October. Moonflower (Japanese morning-glory), white, a vine; August to September. Pansy, all shades and combinations, of white, yel- low, purple; July on. Chinese pink, white, rose, maroon; May to Au- gust. Salvia, red; August to frost. 6 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS Ten wee Stock, white, pink, purple; June and July. Zinnia, red, yellow, magenta; July to November. EASILY GROWN PERENNIALS Both the perennials and the biennials following should all blossom the first year if started in the house in March :— Gaillardia, red, yellow. Forget-me-not, lovely blue. Larkspur, blue. Snapdragon, white, red, purple, yellow, pink. Sweet William, white, pink, red, maroon, plain, ' varigated. Coreopsis, yellow. Cupid’s Dart, blue. Iceland Poppy, yellow, white, scarlet. Get as many as you can—and your space will permit,—of all the lovely old perennials and the bulbs that come up every season with little or no care. One of the oldest,—now deserted—farm- houses on Long Island, still carries in its dooryard the impress of some gentle flower-lover long since passed away, in its annual spring beauty of daffo- dils and lilies-of-the-valley. And the few bulbs and pips transplanted from there to my own garden, have thrived and spread so profusely that I, too, can pass them on to others. 7 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS HARDY FLOWERS ALL SUMMER With carefully chosen bulbs and perennials alone, it is possible to have a succession of lovely blooms. In March your heart will be made happy with snowdrop and crocus; in April with violet, daffodil, narcissus, hyacinth and tulip; in May and June with spirea, peony, iris, forget-me-not, colum- bine, baby’s breath, bleeding heart, mountain pink, eandytuft, Chinese pink; in July and August, golden glow, hollyhock, larkspur, hardy phlox, snap-dragon; September and October, sunflower, dahlia, gladiolus and aster, with November closing the season with all kinds of beautiful chrysanthe- mums. And many of these often come earlier than expected, or stay later. How easily raised are they by the person with little time! CHAPTER II Planning and Planting the Flower Beds God the first garden made.—Cowley. WHILE the snow is on the ground, you can be de- ciding on the best place for your garden, and find- ing out the kind of flowers and vegetables best suited to your soil and locality. Write to your Representative at Washington, re- questing the seeds he may have to give away. Write te two or three prominent seed firms for catalogues, and look over the garden books at your Public Library. Then if you do not quickly find yourself suffering from a violent attack of Garden Fever, you might as well give up, and not attempt to have a garden, for you will be lacking the real love and enthusiasm that count for success. Did you ever realize that gardens differ as much 9 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS as people? ‘‘No two gardens, no two human faces, were ever quite alike,’’ says one writer, and you want to make yours expressive of yourself. So be- fore taking another step, study your grounds, large and small,—for if you can have only part of a tiny plot, you still have many possibilities of expressing your own ideas and taste. The garden is for the personal pleasure of the family, so DON’T put it out in front, for the care- less passerby. Choose a more secluded spot where, if you wish, you can train a vine to shade your seat when you want to sit down and enjoy the birds, butterflies and flowers. EASY RULES FOR ARTISTIC PLANTING Right here is the place to stop and draw a map of your proposed garden, and mark off the spaces for your chosen plants. You might draw half a dozen plans, and then choose the most suitable. Only never forget the simple rules of a famous landscape gardener :— 1. Plant in masses, not isolated. 2. Avoid straight lines. 3. Preserve open lawn centers. When you have decided on the location of your 10 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS garden, coax some one stronger than yourself to dig up the ground thoroughly, and spade in some fertilizer—preferably farmyard manure. Plants live on the tonic salts they draw out of the soil through their roots, as much as they do on the car- bonie acid gas which they take out of the air through their leaves. So have the ground nour- ishing, and also nicely pulverized and free from sticks and stone, that the little rootlets can easily work their way through and find their needed nu- triment. Never forget that third rule before mentioned,— “*Preserve open lawn centers.’? A beautiful lawn is as satisfying to the eye as flowers, so never spoil one by cutting it up with beds. They can be put along the sides, used for bordering walks, and nestled close to the house. PLAN FOR SMALL BACK YARD One of the loveliest gardens I know is at the back end of a city lot, not more than thirty feet square, with a plot of velvety grass in the center. The ir- regular border surrounding this bit of lawn is a mass of flowers from earliest spring until black frost,—from March until December,—and delights the whole neighborhood. The secret lies in the fact 11 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS that the owner knows how to plant for succession of bloom. The ground is laid out this way. ‘NoaThA w FLOWERS. (REAR G oF < HOUSE z : 3 GRass 5 WALK Lor 6 STRIP OF wD GARDEN SHADED BY NEAT HOUSE FLOWERS PLAN FOR A SMALL BACK YARD If you can have only a single flower bed, however, try to get it in a sunny, protected spot, preferably facing south, where the cold winds of early spring and late fall will do the least damage. Make a list of the flowers that like such conditions,—and most of them do,—and then pick out those you prefer, writing after each name the time that it blooms. Be sure to select some of each of the early spring, late spring, summer, early fall, and late fall, so that you will have flowers to enjoy the whole season through. SUCCESSION OF BLOOM For example, you can choose first from the cro- cus, snowdrop, scilla, the hardy candytuft that rivals the snow for whiteness, and the tiny creep- 12 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS ing phlox that will carpet your bed with pink; next, from the daffodil, narcissus and jonquil groups, with the tulips,—all of which must be set out in the fall for bloom in April and May: then the iris in May and June. Sweet alyssum, nastur- tiums, corn flowers, Shirley poppies and cosmos (all annuals), you can count on blooming around New York from July to black frost; dahlias from August to black frost, and monthly roses the entire summer,—with a tidal wave in June. (I know, for I have seen them all, over and over again.) Many of the annuals can be started indoors, or in a glass-covered box outside. Then when the early flowering bulbs have faded, you can turn their green tops under the ground, first to allow the sap to run back into the bulb (the storehouse for next year), and next to decay and fertilize the soil, The annual seedlings can then be placed right on top! You thus avoid bare, ugly spots, and keep your garden lovely. Dahlias planted out about the first of June will bloom from early fall until cold weather sets in; and certain roses, like the Mrs. John Laing and all of the hybrid teas, will flower nearly as late. In. fact, in the famous rose garden of Jackson Park, Chicago, as well as in private grounds around New York, I have seen roses blooming in December. 13 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS You hardly need be afraid of crowding, either, if you will be particular to keep out the weeds, and occasionally work into the soil some bone-meal for fertilizer. Water in dry weather. This does not mean top sprinkling, for that is decidedly injurious, When the ground is dry, soak it thoroughly. A CITY GARDEN If you live in a city, you may be interested in a garden I have seen, which ran along the side and rear end of a long, narrow lot. The tallest flowers, —dahlias and hollyhocks,—were at the back of the EAST FLOWERS Hinos AN ARTISTIC ARRANGEMENT OF A NARROW CITY LOT bed, at the extreme end, and although late in flower- ing, formed a beautiful green background for the rest all summer. The first irregular section was given up to the blues, and—planted with both an- 14 — i bon | 7 te ho FIRST WORK IN THE SPRING GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS nual and perennial larkspur, and cornflowers,— kept the dining-table supplied with blossoms to match the old blue china until the frost came. Frost, by the way, you will find of two kinds,— hoar frost, which the Psalmist so vividly described when he said, ‘‘He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes,’’ and which injures only the tenderest flow- ers; and black frost, which is of intense enough cold to freeze the sap within the plant cells, so that when the sun’s heat melts this frozen sap the plant —leaf and stalk—wilts down and turns black. Therefore, both in the early spring and the late fall, you must watch out for Jack, whichever garb he dons, and give your tender plants some nighty covering. A LITTLE BED FOR A LITTLE GIRL If you can have only one small bed, however, you can get a lot of pleasure out of it most of the season if you will carefully choose your plants. Pansies set along the outer edge will blossom until mid-summer if you keep them picked and watered every day; and verbenas, which have the same har- monizing shades, you can count on blooming until 15 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS late in the fall. They would be attractive in either of the following simple designs: MARIGOLDS cae AFORNIA POPPIES FLOWERS THAT WILL BLOOM FROM EARLY SUMMER UNTIL FROST Candytuft for a border, with petunias in the center, is another combination that should blossom from June until frost. Poppies and cornflowers would also last all summer if you would keep out part of the seed and sow a couple of times at in- tervals of several weeks. The combinations of red and blue is very pretty, too. Sweet alyssum, with red or pink geraniums, would be lovely all season. For an all yellow bed, plant California poppies to bloom early in the border, and African marigolds, or Tom Thumb nasturtiums to bloom in the center from July on late into the fall. With any of the combinations suggested you could gather flowers almost any time you pleased, for they are all pro- fuse bloomers. 16 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS WINDOW BOXES If you are a little city child, and can have only a flower box in a window or along a porch-rail, cheer up! There is still a chance for you to have posies all the long hot days. After, having your box filled with good, rich soil on top of a layer of broken crockery or stones,—for drainage, you know, —you ean plant running nasturtiums along the edge for a hanging vine. Inside of that plant a row of the blue lobelia, or set in a few pansies al- ready in bloom. Then you would have room for still another row of taller plants,—say pink and white geraniums, with a fern or two. 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G 03% ort quelg ooeqoy, peu ped at (snz0qz0q snyzunsq) "900 07 Syne ung qepi0g ludy “OTST OF ST) | OFA UIBTTTIM 00g $ SOUTA Jopsoq (snzo.opo snifiyzoT) "490 03 Ajne ung jo soeg yoreyy 43.9 03. @ | sI0TOO [TV Beg Wang eoenzIOg 098 ‘yuB[g ang ped (snuwp snyqunsa 7) qaouy 09 AOE ung JO Hoe judy ‘$3 3E 038] MOTION cemopung ejaimg peg xu (vupous vjosynn jy) sous 09 ATE ug qopi0g Aol qoreyl ‘HST OTA SYPIM VAL, Yo peg (wnusysuguy) qsoay 07 Aine ung Jepi0og Avy qoreyt 4G OT eniq ON uoseipdeug y 4soay 07 Ane ung qaquyo judy "13 21 pe Ueeg JouuNyYy yo[re0g NOSVG! suooaza sux00aN Serony aovig a0d Goon) nce Oo soe I | zaomy AOD aWVN CHAPTER IV Flowers that Live Through Two Years In all places then, and in all seasons, Flowers expand their light and soul-like wings, Teaching us by: most persuasive reasons, How akin they are to human things. —Longfellow. BETWEEN the flowers that we have to plant every year,—the annuals,—and those that after once be- ing started continue to greet us summer after sum- mer,—the perennials,—comes a little group of old favorites that has to be planted one summer (and then generally protected from the cold), in order to bring them to their full beauty the second year. And as few of them self-sow, it is necessary to plant and carry over every season. 30 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS The biennial seeds are best sown in the seed nursery, where they can be watched and protected. In the late summer the young plants will be big and strong enough to set out in the border, al- though you must give them a light covering of leaves and litter. The seeds started in July and August, however, better be left protected in the nursery and moved in the early spring. The dainty blue forget-me-not, or myosotis, is one of the best loved of this class. Some varieties are hardy, and often found growing wild. It gener- ally does best in a damp, partly shaded location. It grows from 6 to 18 inches high, according to the different kinds, which blossom most of the summer. The seeds of biennials seldom produce flowers the first summer, but several—and among them the myosotis,—after being grown a few years in the same spot, come up like perennials, on account of sowing themselves. The foxglove is another of the few biennials that are hardy, and it also likes a cool, shady spot. If the plants come up thickly, transplant part of them to any well-prepared, rich ground, and keep moist and well cultivated until the middle of September, when you should move them again to their per- 31 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS manent home. Foxgloves, like forget-me-nots, sow themselves, and the little plants coming up this way should be transplanted and given plenty of room to grow and become strong before their time to bloom. Do not forget to cover during the winter! English daisies (which are tender perennials), and pansies (which generally are grown as an- nuals), can both be started in the seed nursery in August, thinned out and protected before cold weather sets in, and then moved to'where you wish them to bloom, in the early spring. Canterbury bells do best when the seed is sown the middle of April in ground that is rich, well pre- pared, moist, and partly shady. The middle of July move to a temporary place, and set the plants 6 to 8 inches apart. Then early in October transplant to where you want them to blossom the next season. But before the frost comes, protect these tender lit- tle plants with some old berry boxes, then straw or leaves over the top, and in the spring work a small quantity of fertilizer around the roots. Tie the stalks as they begin to get tall, to stout stakes, to prevent their being blown over by storms: and if you will keep cutting off the old flowers so they will not go to seed, you can coax your plants to 32 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS bloom an extra month or six weeks. Properly treated, they will last from July to the middle of September. But to enjoy these lovely visitors reg- ularly, it is necessary to plant the seed every year. Of the border carnations, the Chabaud and Mar- guerite types are hardy enough to stand the winter if slightly covered, and will flower profusely the second year, but they make off-shoots, which bring to bloom a few weeks after sowing. Hollyhocks from seed do not blossom until the second year, but they make off-shoots, which bring flowers every season thereafter. And as they sow themselves, people often mistake them for peren- nials. They come both single and double, and are especially lovely against a wall or a green back- ground. The evening primrose, tall and stately, with large yellow flowers, is easily grown in almost any soil. It thrives in almost any soil, and blooms the entire summer. Of the wallflowers, the biennial variety will blos- som most of the summer if grown in a moist, shady place and not allowed to go to seed. These come in yellows, reddish brown and purplish brown. They need winter protection. 33 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS The horned poppy, though a biennial, will fower the first year if started indoors in March. It likes an open, sunny spot, and if old flowers are kept picked off, will bloom all summer. Sweet William is another old-fashioned garden favorite that is usually considered a perennial, but which does its best the second year from seed. Ag it self-sows, it goes on forever, like Tennyson’s brook, once it gets started. In protecting, however, do not get fertilizer directly over the crown, or it will cause decay. Mullein pink, or Rose Campion as it is often called, is another of our grandmothers’ pets, and if started very early, will flower the first season. Now all of the biennials I have described are easily grown, and sure to bring great pleasure. And really it is worth while to curb one’s impa- tience, and wait, when necessary, until the second season, for the sake of these lovely hardy beauties. 34 cE pert AOTIOA sdumnyjo 10 sjasyo e507 JO Japi0q ‘any 10 sayxeUr OS[Y wuld (vasou DDYNY) cany ‘Ame ung Jo soV_ oung ‘Av | sMos-yag | “93 8 OFF OTM ooysTOH Z SOUS X. sd uns 10 sdumnya ajdimd (s270726tq) 4m ‘eunr | epeqs Fey | stepiog jeune 0} Tudy “28 Ore | NED BAOISXOT oun {syosof jy) “ydag 0} Tudy | opeys jTeET | sepiog ART sMos-sfag | “43 g 07 T anid qOU-9UI-493.10,T eune SartyotIeA (stuustg visyz0URD) ‘qdeg 0} ounr ung Jopiog Avy Ausyy “4¢ MOTI pSOIMILig ZuMeagq : peg ‘sny yUlg (stuuasad 31719 q) Avy ‘Tudy ung Spied Ane ‘U19 OFF | OFM Asreq ysysug 4 AU (snjpiydohuvo snyzuniq) qsnany ung - diopi0og AB ‘4003 T | 97M dJopiog ‘HONPHIED ajding anid i oun yaig (wnipau oynupdwy)) Ame ‘oun mg daplog Avy 9ST Yoreyy | 4 84% or. sypeq Amqs1aqUED NOSVa, su00aza, sxooan: au naoty movIg | Hoa aooy oe oO cee I | anomy | uo109 aWvN UMOS aq YSNUT pees eso AJOAD A[IvoU UI 4eY} JAaquIDUIEY “UIOO] JO MOIssaD9Ns 9IN99S 0} IOpsO UI IGaA AIOAD ‘I9jUIM dq} ZuLNp uorosjoid 4YZys poou speruusrq ey} JO OTT “genany JO 4ST OY} Jog’ poyieys UOYo oie soIsUsT PUS SYOOYAT[OP ‘s}0u-oul-jaFI0,q ‘(perauesed w) seIsTeq YSsTsUq—ALON STIVINNGIG NOWWOO FHL OL FaIOD V Savas’ OML HONOUBL WAIT LVHL SUAMOTL 9€ “Suuds 4xou 04} UI0O]q JIA ¥I Os ‘Ysnny UI poyieys wozO [erMuoIed y 4 satqissod se Ajiga se UMOS SI yey} Peas WOIs eah YsIy OY} ULOSSOT TIM ¥ jenuue ue 88 pozeer} AlIsvo a1out ‘Asueg sejdind opeys qaed Arayoo0y eune pues suM01q (t189y9 snyquD.is9y9) ACL qo ung Jepiog ACL “43 HZ OF [| OF MOTOR JOMOBTTEM “ ad Ulan, 995 ‘aoidweg 9s0xf Arayo0Y mOstalg, (oss0u0L09 sxuyohvT) Aine ‘oune ung jopl0g 987 AB ‘93 343 03 T) 09 OFT TNT MPTOA & eunr esuvIO (uinazn? wnronD71D) “ydag 07 Arne ung Jepi0g ARYL “alg MOTTA A Addog peuioyy NOSVa! sxo0dLo. S¥00qN) pumenes govig wOd Goor) OR 0 ROG I} qHomyy uOTOD | GWYN (penuyuop)—SUVAK OML HONOUHL FAIT LVL SUMMOTA CHAPTER V Flowers that come up Every Year by Themselves (Perennials) No, the heart that has truly lov’d never forgets, But as truly loves on to the close; As the sunflower turns on her god when he sets The same look which she turn’d when he rose. —NMoore. Tat big word ARISTOCRACY simply means ‘‘those who rise above the rest of the community in any important respect,’’—and rightly, indeed, are the perennials called ‘‘the aristocrats of the gar- den.’’ They are strong and sturdy (good points in both people and flowers), and can be depended on to appear about a certain time, make us a nice visit with all their loveliest clothes, and show their appreciation of our attention and care by return- ing every season with increased beauty and grace. A few of the perennials, such as the peony and the iris, grow so slowly that generally people 37 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS haven’t the patience to wait for them to flower from seed, and instead try to get some roots from their more fortunate friends, or buy from a florist. But I will tell you more about this class in connection with the bulb and tuber families. THE SEED BED While a small number of these beauties will bloom the first year if started early in the spring, most of them make their début in garden society the second summer. Before that they have to be watched, or they might meet with accident. A good way, therefore, is to have a little bed (preferably a cold frame) for a seed nursery off to one side, in a safe place, where the baby plants can be cared for, protected from cold, and tended like the in- fants they are, until grown up and old enough to -enter the society of bed or border. In such a place the seeds should be planted in fine, rich soil, pref- erably from the middle of May to the 1st of July, and all carefully marked. Sow thinly, and then cover the seed by sifting over with fine soil from YZ to 4 inch deep. Sprinkle very lightly by means of a whisk broom dipped in water, so as not to wash out the seed, and if you possibly can, cover with a piece of glass. Keep in the shade at first, 38 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS and never let dry out. Some of this seed will ger- minate in less than a week, while some may take so long that you will think it is not going to grow at all! But don’t give up; and maybe some day when you have forgotten all about it, you will discover a lot of new babies in your nursery. TRANSPLANTING PERENNIALS As soon as your seedlings are big and strong enough to be handled, they must be carefully lifted and set in another part of the nursery, not less than 3 inches apart, protected from the hot sun, and left until they become strong, sturdy children. Then early in the fall, before the middle of Septem- ber, you can take them up very gently, without dis- turbing their tiny rootlets, and put them with their friends and relatives in the garden, wherever you wish them to bloom the following summer. Of course you couldn’t,—and you wouldn’t want to grow everything you ever saw or heard about! Just think of the fun, however, of picking out a small number that will be sure to give you flow- ers, one after another, from earliest spring until cold weather! Yet the following list, suggested by one authority, is easy to get and little trouble to care for: 39 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS PERENNIALS FOR A WHOLE SEASON’S BLOOM Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) ; white, rose, lavender; bloom April and May. Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis) ; white; May, June. Bleeding Heart (Dicenira spectabilis); rose pink; April through June. Iris (Fleur-de-lis) ; white, purple, yellow; April to July. Peony (Paeonia officinalis) ; white, rose to erim- son; May, June. Larkspur (Delphinium); blues; June, July, September. Balloon Flower (Platycodon); blue, purple, white; July to October. Phlox, Hardy (Phlox paniculata) ; no blue nor real yellow; June through September. Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata); yellow; August. Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata); yellow, red; July to October. Boltonia (Boltonia latisquama) ; lilac; August to October. ee (Helianthus) ; yellow; July to Octo- er. The fault that I would find with the gentleman’s list is that he has omitted chrysanthemums, which could be substituted for sunflowers to most people’s satisfaction,—and which also would bloom as late as November. Also I should prefer columbine to 40 ONIGNNTIO9 GNV WIS GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS his bleeding hearts——and the golden-spurred va- riety will bloom from early May to early August! Above all, instead of boltonia, I would use the ador- able snapdragons, which, although considered a ‘‘tender perennial,’’ will survive cold weather if well protected. But then, as I once heard, ‘‘A man’s garden is like his wife, whom he never would think of com- paring with anybody else’s.’’ So you don’t have to follow any one’s choice. Just make a list of the flowers that you like, find out when they bloom, and then choose as few or as many as you have room for, remembering to plan for something lovely every month of the blooming season. One note of warning, however. 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Ir you are going to be a really-truly gardener, you will want to know something about the plants and flowers that you try to grow, so let’s have a few words right here about the difference between the bulb and tuber families. They can be classed together because they both spring from what is in fact a storehouse filled one season with food to help them through the next season’s bloom! Hyacinths and daffodils, for example, come from BULBS, which are built up, layer on layer, exactly like an onion. 48 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS Dahlias and Cannas, however, grow from a TUBER, which is an underground knob on the stem, quite a little like a sweet potato, and which sends out the shoots that make new plants. The crocus and the gladiolus both spring from a CORM, which differs from the bulb in that it is solid (not in layers), and from the tuber in that it is not like a potato in shape but oval. The iris, though, grows from a RHIZOMH, a thickened root running along the ground (often half exposed), which throws up the new plants as it spreads. The bulb and tuber families are treated very much alike. Some of each are left in the ground year after year, like the daffodils and the lilies, while others, like the cannas and dahlias, have to be dug up, allowed to dry a little in the open air, and then stored in a cool, dark place for the winter. The rhizomes do not have to be ‘‘lifted,’’ but are increased generally by root division—cutting off a piece of the root soon after flowering, and plant- ing where it will get a good start before next sea- son’s time to bloom. Some people today would follow Mohammed’s advice: ‘‘He that hath two cakes of bread, let him sell one of them—for bread is only food for the body, but the narcissus is food for the soul;’’ 49 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS but few individuals—let alone a nation—would grow so wildly enthusiastic as once did the Dutch, as to spend every last possession to buy tulips! But we dearly love all of these groups, and are using them in increasing numbers every season. The fascinating work of growing certain kinds indoors during the winter I tell you about in the chapter on ‘‘The Care of House Plants,’’ so here we will consider the outdoor culture. The delicate snowdrop is the very earliest of these visitors, and planted in groups in half-shady places,—like under trees,—where they will not be disturbed, will thereafter take care of themselves. Then quickly follow the lovely crocuses, white, yel- low, lavender, purple, and the varigated, which often are planted right where they fall after be- ing seattered broadcast over the lawn,—though if the head of the house cuts the grass before the mid- dle of April they should be set in a bed where they will not be touched. Hyacinths are beautiful, but personally I do not care much about them in the garden, as they generally have to be planted in masses to get any effect, and need, therefore, to be used in large num- bers, are more expensive than the other bulbs, and should be taken out of the ground soon after bloom- ing and stored in a cool place until fall. However, 50 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS one enthusiast that I know plants in rings of 6, and leaves them in the ground! The daffodil, jonquil and narcissus are three types of the narcissus family, the daffodils usually being distinguished by their long trumpets, while the jonquils and narcissi have the little cup-like centers, and, moreover, are fragrant. They should be planted in the late fall, 4 in. below the surface, in soil that has been enriched 8 in. below the bulb. They increase rapidly, and do not have to be taken up, or even divided for years. If set in a border where their room is needed after they bloom, simply turn the tops down under the soil, and sow over them any low-growing annual, such as candy- tuft or poppies. My friend of the tiny ‘‘handker- chief’’ garden described in Chapter II, has—think of it!—over 1500 of these various spring-flowering bulbs in her border that are treated this way, and never taken up! Yet a few weeks after they have bloomed, the space they occupied is filled with new beauties. Tulips—but as I told you, they once drove a whole country mad! Today we have probably far more beautiful ones,—and many can be bought in the fall at planting time, for $1.00 per hundred! Some bloom early, some late; some are short, some tall; some are cheap, some expensive. They will 51 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS grow in partial shade or sun, and can be planted in groups in the border, or in marginal rows for edging. By carefully choosing from both the early and late varieties, you can enjoy your tulips for nearly two months; and by as carefully choosing your colors, have all sorts of artistic combinations, They should be planted 3 or 4 in. deep if the soil is heavy, and an inch deeper in soil that is light, and set 6 in. apart. They will prove a joy to your heart. Tuberous-rooted begonias supply a much-felt want for lovely flowers in half-shady or shady places. If the bulbs are started in the house in sand in February, they will be in full leaf when ready to set out in May, and will bloom from June until frost. Don’t, please don’t, plant them up- side down, but be sure that the rounded part rests on the soil. They require light, rich earth, with plenty of water, given after sundown. Cannas only too often are planted in big, showy beds where they break our rule of ‘‘open lawn cen- ters.’? In fact, they are a little hard to place, but look well.in a corner, in beds along a drive, or outlining a boundary. The ground should be spaded 2 ft. deep, well fertilized, and then kept watered. Set plants 2 ft. apart. The iris is one of the most beautiful and most 52 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS satisfactory of all the hardy plants. It grows in almost any soil, and any situation, but does best in rich ground, with plenty of water. It may be planted either in early spring or after August. The dwarf varieties, from 6 to 18 in. high, bloom during March, April and May; the German iris, standing often 3 ft. high, in May; and the mar- velous Japanese kinds, sometimes 4 ft., with blos- soms 8 to 10 in. across, closing the season in July! (In heavy soil they are not so tall.) When used alone in beds, one prominent grower suggests that the German iris be combined with hardy asters (set in between), and the Japanese with gladioli, to keep a succession of bloom until late fall. Lilies for the garden are of many varieties, re- quiring different kinds of treatment. As a general rule, however, when the soil is heavy, set your bulb in a nice little nest of sand, and give a blanket of the same before filling in with the ordinary earth. Lilies-of-the-valley will grow almost anywhere, but do well in a half-shady position. They should be planted in masses, and fertilized in September. When too thick, they can be transplanted in the early spring. They increase rapidly. The gladiolus (accent on the i, please,) can get along in almost any kind of soil,—though it does best in rich,—if only it is planted in the sunshine. 53 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS The ground should be well dug up and fertilized beforehand and around New York the corms set as early as April. Then, for succession of bloom, plant at least every 10 days up to July 1st. After they are well started, fertilize with (preferably) sheep manure, dug in around the roots, every two weeks. Cultivate often, and keep well watered. Plant gladioli at least 4 in. apart, and 4 in. deep, and tie up for protection to 4-ft. stakes. Lift your bulbs,—corms, I should have said,—late in the fall, let them dry in the air a few days, and then store in a cool, dark place, free from frost. Narcissi are described with the daffodils. Peonies are classed with the Perennials, in Chap- ter III. Their tuberous roots are best divided and set out in September. They can be left undisturbed for five or six years. Tuberoses can now be procured which will bloom from May until frost. They are easily grown, with no particular care, and take up very little room. Stake for safety from storms. The dahlia next,—saved until the last for all the space I could possibly give it! And so popular is this flower today, that some growers raise nothing else!! One man offers us over 700 named varie- ties!!! Moreover, a great big club, known as The American Dahlia Society, has been formed by 54 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS people who are interested in—and wish to help along—the growing of dahlias. And it’s no wonder that they are popular, for no other flower can be grown in the garden that will give as many, as large, as vari-colored and as beau- tiful flowers as the dahlias. Coming in every shade but true blue, and ranging from the tiny button pom-pon to the largest prim show or the formal decorative,—from the unique collarette to the ragged peony-flowered, the amateur gardener can hardly believe that they really all belong to one family! Of such easy culture, too. Anybody can grow them! Any good, well-drained garden soil will do, but must have manure spaded in 10 in. deep and the tubers must be planted in the sun. The poorer the ground, though, the more fertilizer will you have to use. Heavy soil should be dug up and mixed with ashes to make it light. Plant the tub- ers lengthwise—not up and down!—in a drill at least 6 in. deep, and not less than 214 ft. apart. For early flowering, put in your bulbs as soon as all danger of frost is past, but do not set near trees or shrubs that would take their nourishment. When they sprout, pull up all shoots but one or two, in order to produce the finest flowers. Keep the ground well cultivated, but do not water until 55 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS after the buds have formed, otherwise you will have principally stalks and leaves. But once the buds do show, water frequently in order to enrich the color, and dig in fertilizer around the roots sev- eral times during the flowering season, to produce fine, big blossoms. Tie each plant to a 5-ft. stake, to protect from the wind, but in driving be careful not to pierce— and ruin—your tuber. Nip off all the buds that are imperfect or weak, and cut your flowers with their attendant buds and foliage. They will look bet- ter, and no further disbudding of the plants will be necessary. And the more you cut, the better your dahlias will bloom! Soon after frost has killed the leaves, carefully dig up the tubers with a spading fork. You will be surprised to find often half-a-dozen where you set but one! Allow them to dry in the air for a day or two, then put away in a cool, dark cellar, with a bag or paper thrown over them, and leave for the winter. In the spring when ready to plant again, cut each tuber so it will have a little bit of the heart of the clump on its end, as it is close to this that the new shoots start. Growing dahlias from seed is a most fascinating pastime, for there is no telling what you may get! The child is rarely, if ever, like its mother,—and 56 TAKING CARE OF TABLE FERNS GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS this is the only way that we get the new varieties. YOU might happen to grow one of the finest yet! The seed is started early indoors, and very easily grown. Certainly it is worth trying. 57 CHAPTER VII That Queen--The Rose Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying, And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying. —Herrick. Every one longs for roses, the most highly prized of all the flowers; and roses today can be grown almost anywhere. Rose growers have finally succeeded in budding the tender tea rose on to the hardy briar and also on to the more recent Manetti stock, and in cross- ing the teas with the hybrid perpetuals,—developed from the old June favorites. ~The result is ideal roses, that are hardy and bloom all season, with the desired lovely coloring and fragrance. Many of the so-called June roses also have been 58 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS coaxed to bloom all season, while all those that I draw to your attention are among the loveliest and most easily grown. With even three or four, well taken care of, you should be able,—as far north as New York,—to cut a bud any time you wish from May to November. , These hybrid teas and hybrid perpetuals are the most satisfactory for growing in this climate. Field-grown stock, in dormant condition, is brought here from Holland every spring early in March, and good plants can be bought as low as fifteen or twenty cents apiece. The weather is usually fit for them to be set out by the 25th of March, and they will produce more and better roses than the costlier potted plants procurable later. The American grown roses, however, are really the best, as they are adapted to our soil and climatic conditions, and produce both more and better flowers. Of these potted plants, though, just a word. The Richmond, a deep, rich red, and the single white Killarney, I have found exceptionally good, free bloomers; and with little winter covering they should, on account of a season’s rest, be better the second year. The 6-inch or ‘‘bench plants, ”? as they are termed, sell for only 25 cents each. These can be set out from April on all summer. As soon as a rose bush comes into your hand, 59 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS whether from a dealer or a friend, get it into the ground as quickly as possible. If its permanent home is not ready, dig a little trench and cover it ‘entirely with the moist earth for a few days. But never, oh, never! allow the roots to dry out. While a few specimen roses may be set out any- where (as long as they do not cut up the lawn and so violate the landscape rule, ‘‘Preserve open lawn centers’’), a number of rose bushes are usually pre- ferred set together in a bed, from 3 to 4 ft. wide. MAKING A ROSE BED Have your rose bed with a south or east ex- posure if possible, as many roses so planted will not ‘‘winter kill,’’ and others need but little pro- tection. Dig a trench about 214 ft. deep, and put in the bottom a layer of cow manure, as this will be lasting. Over this put a layer of good top soil for the plants to rest on, so that they do not di- rectly touch the fertilizer. Then hold your rose with your left hand while you straighten out the roots, and sprinkle enough fine soil to hold it in position while you set the next bush. Be sure that your budding point is 3 inches below the level of the ground,—and Baily says even 4! When all are in place, fill the trench half full of soil, and then 60 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS nearly to the top with water. After this has sunk in, add the rest of your rich top soil, and pack down hard with your foot, so as to shut out the air from the roots, leaving the packed earth at least an inch below the surrounding surface to catch and hold the moisture. Potted roses, however, should be sunk with as lit- tle disturbance to the roots as possible. Then over the smoothly raked surface of the bed spread leaves, litter or grass clippings, to keep the sun from drying out the earth. Some gardeners for this purpose cover the bed with pan- sies, English daisies, and similar low flowers, though many like better to see nicely cultivated soil. To have splendid roses, however, you must sup- ply plenty of food and drink! When the buds start, dig in around the roots every two weeks, two tablespoonfuls of bonemeal, and wet thoroughly. Manure from the chicken house is especially good as the chickens are meat eaters, and it is, there- fore, better adapted to the needs of the roses and easily absorbed by the rootlets. But use carefully— not more than a small trowelful at a time, and that well mixed with the soil. One of the very best foods is cheaply made as follows: 61 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS ROSE FERTILIZER 10 lbs. sheep manure Mix well. Give a level 5 Ibs. bonemeal, trowelful to roots of 1 Ib. Scotch soot. each rosebush every two weeks, after buds start, and wet down thorough- ly. Being hearty feeders, roses need a rich, light soil, and they do best in an open, sunny spot, away from the roots of trees and shrubs that would steal their food. And while they do not thrive in low, damp ground, neither do they stand being set ‘‘high and dry.’’ Too damp beds should be drained with a first layer of small stones or gravel. Cultivate your roses every week or'ten days, and keep the ground covered with grass clippings unless it is protected from the sun by the shade of other plants. Cut off close to the parent stem any wild shoots or “‘suckers,’’—generally recognizable by their briary stems,—as they will cause the budded part to die. FALL PROTECTION Late in the fall mound up the earth well around the roots of all your roses, and give them a good 62 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS covering of coarse manure or leaves. The more tender kinds can be laid over and protected with litter or boughs. SPRING PRUNING Then early in the spring, before the first of April, cut back the hardy roses, keeping only the strong canes, which, however, should be shortened to about 10 inches. The middle of April prune the more tender varieties. But remove from both all shoots growing in toward the center, and cut all weak plants back to the third or fourth eye, to promote stronger growth and larger flowers. Climbing roses need only the weak branches and tips removed. Date new climbing canes with wired wooden tags each spring, and cut out all over three years old. This renews the stock, restrains ambitious climbing, and produces better flowers. SPRAYING About this time a spraying first of Bordeaux mixture to prevent disease, and a little later a spraying of whale-oil soapsuds as warning to the great army of bugs, slugs, etc., will give your roses 63 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS a good. start toward a successful season of bloom. Watch for that robber, the rose bug! Talk about salt on a bird’s tail! The surest way to end His Majesty is to take a stick and knock him into a cup of kerosene. Slow process? Yes, but sure. ' The leaf-roller, too, is most effectively disposed of by physical force,—pressure of thumb and forefinger. Clear, cold water, twice a day through a hose, comes with force enough to wash off many of the rose’s foes; but if they get a start, fall back on strong soapsuds, pulverized tobacco, or some other popular remedy. The Garden Club of Philadelphia is said to rec- ommend the following: EFFECTIVE SPRAY FOR ROSE BUGS 3 pts. sweet milk. 3 pts. kerosene. 1 qt. water. Shake well in a jug, then put one-half pint of the fluid to one gallon of water. Stir well and both spray the bushes thoroughly and wet the ground around the roots. Repeat every ten days from May 1st to June 15th, by which time the pests seem to get discouraged and give up the fight! And the reward for all this care and attention? 64 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS ‘A devoted cottager,’’ says Neltje Blanchan, “‘may easily have more beautiful roses than the indifferent millionaire.’’ The following lists comprise a few of the best of the different classes mentioned. I wish you suc- cess in your choice. ROSES A FEW OF THE BEST OF EACH KIND Teas. (Tenderest of roses, needing winter protec- tion. Noted for delicate shades and fra- grance.) Maman Cochet, free bloomer, hardiest of the teas; rose-pink. Marie Van Houtte, also a free bloomer and quite hardy ; canary yellow. Souvenir de Catherine Guillot, a rose of excel- lence; copper-carmine. White Maman Cochet, a strong grower, like the pink; white. Hybrid Teas. (Best for the garden, as they com- bine the best qualities of the teas and the hy- brid perpetuals,—color, hardiness, and steady bloom.) Caroline Testout, one of the most popular, slightly fragrant; rose pink. Etoile de France, continuous bloomer and fra- grant; crimson. ag GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS Gruss an Teplitz, the best dark rose, and fra- grant; velvety crimson. Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, blooms of lovely shape, on long stems; pearly white. Killarney, very popular and one of the best of its color; lovely pink. Killarney, a ‘‘sport,’’ same as the pink; white. La France, eepecially good form, fragrant; bluish-pink. Mrs. Aaron Ward, a vigorous plant, of compact growth, very popular ; pinkish-yellow. Richmond, a steady bloomer all summer, with a beautiful bud; rich deep red. Hybrid Perpetuals. (Commonly known as June roses, and hardy. The following will bloom most of the summer.) Anna de Diesbach (Gloire de Paris), splendid in the garden and fragrant; rich carmine. American Beauty, successful in most localities ; rose-carmine. Frau Karl Druschki, very large and fragrant; snowy white. General Jacqueminot, a favorite that does well everywhere; crimson. Louis van Houtte, very desirable and fragrant; deep red. Mrs. John Laing, late blooming and hardy, fra- grant; lovely pink. Mrs. R. G. Sharman-Crawford, a splendid bloomer ; rose-pink. Ulrich Brunner, large, fragrant, with well- formed flowers; cherry red. Moss. (Loved for the beautiful fragrant buds with their mossy covering.) Blanche Moreau, flowers in clusters; white. 66 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS Countess de Murinais, one of the best; white. Crested Moss, finely crested ; rose pink. Henry Martin, very vigorous; crimson. Luxembourg, exceptionally good; crimson. Climbing and Rambler. (Used over walls, fences, pillars, arbors and trellises.) Baby ramblers, 18 in. to 24 in. high, are good for hedges, beds, or carpeting, and can be bought in white, pink, salmon pink, red and yellow. Climbing American Beauty, well worth growing; rose-pink, Dorothy Perkins, a profuse bloomer and rapid grower ; shell-pink. Crimson Rambler, first of the ramblers, but dis- liked by many gardeners today; crimson. Dr. Van Fleet, one of the best, resisting mildew and insects,—a gem; flesh-pink. Excelsa, an improvement on the formerly popu- lar crimson rambler; crimson. Hiawatha, most brilliant of all, between 40 and 50 roses to the spray; carmine. Tausendschen, roses 3 in. across, graceful in form, and 10 or 15 to the truss; pink. White Dorothy, like satisfactory Dorothy Perk- ing, except for color; white. Yellow Rambler, new variety called ‘‘ Aviator Bleriot,’’ the first hardy yellow; yellow. Briar, Austrian and Hybrids. (Loved by our grandmothers, and some known here in this country as far back as 1596. They must not be crowded.) Austrian Copper, beautiful single reddish-cop- per and one of the oldest; copper. Austrian Yellow, lovely single flowers (intro- duced late in 1500) i er yellow. GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS English Sweet Briar, or Eglantine, loved for its fragrance, also single; pink. Anne of Gerstein, very graceful; dark crimson. Brenda, very dainty ; peach. Refulgence, fragrant foliage,—deepens in color on developing; scarlet to crimson. AMERICAN GROWN ROSES The American grown rose, however, I find is con- sidered by many people to be by far the best. While its slender brown stems are not as at- tractive to the ignorant gardener as the thick, green of the imported, it is much more adapted to our soil and climatic conditions. It is cheaper, too, and splendid varieties, in 214-in. and 3-in. pots, can be bought as low as $5.00 or $6.00 a hundred from ex- pert growers, by the person willing to start a rose garden and then wait a year for really fine results. In lots of fifteen, however, many of these fine varieties of one-year-old plants can be bought for $1.00, with the growers’ guarantee that ‘‘they will bloom the first and each succeeding year, from early spring until severe frost.’? The plants are small, of course, but who could ask for more at that price! The (probably) best informed man in the Eastern United States recommends the following list of Teas and Hybrid Teas,—and it has been adopted 68 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS by a number of firms as suggestions for planting. Don’t go looking for these plants at the 5- and 10- cent stores, for they never carry such specialties. They are cheap, though, and well known through- out this section, but they should be procured from people WHO MAKE A BUSINESS OF GROW- ING ROSES! A SPECIALIST’S LIST OF TEAS AND HYBRID TEAS White Grossherzogin Alexandra Kaiserin Augusta Victoria Marie Guillot White Bougere ‘Yellow Blumenschmidt Etoile de Lyon Lady Hillingdon Sunburst Light Pink Col. R. S. Williamson. Helen Good Mrs. Foley Hobbs Souvenir du President Carnot Wn. R. Smith Yvonne Vacherot 69 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS Dark Pink Aurora F. R. Patger Jonkheer J. L. Mock Lady Alice Stanley Maman Cochet Mme. Jules Grolez Mrs. George Shawyer Radiance Red Crimson Queen Etoile de France Mme. Eugene Marlitt General McArthur Helen Gould Laurent Carle Rhea Reid 70 CHAPTER VIII Vines, Tender and Hardy They shall sit every man under his vine and under his figtree. —Micah iv, 4. Everysopy likes a pretty vine, and there is sure to be some place where you will want to plant at least one. Where? Why, at one corner of the porch where you like to play; round the pillar at the front door, where you read, or by the window where you sit to sew; in the backyard to cover the clothespoles, hide the chicken fence, or sereen some old, ugly building. The common annual vines you probably know pretty well,—the climbing nasturtium, morning glory, moonflower, cypress vine, scarlet runner, hyacinth bean, wild cucumber, gourds and hops. They are treated very much alike, grow with little 71 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS care if they only have something to climb on, and spread rapidly. The hardy vines are not so easily disposed of. For instance, the clematis (with accent on the clem,) numbers throughout the world about one hundred and fifty species,—generally climbers,—in white, blue, purple, red and yellow, and ranges from the 2-ft. shrubby kind to the 25-ft. vine. While our common mountain clematis (Montana grandiflora) flowers as early as April, the Jackmani in mid-sum- mer, and the Paniculata often as late as September, the Henryi is seen even in November. And while some can be grown from seed, the rest have to be propagated by cutting or grafting. WARNING Right here let me again urge you to make sure of the particular kind of flower, plant or vine that you get, so that you will know how to treat it, and not count on flowers in June from a variety that blos- soms in September, or expect purple posies from the white sort. The gentleman printing this book will not let me take space enough to go into de- tails about every thing I mention (he says paper 72 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS is too dear!) so the only way out of the difficulty is for me to make the lists include all the colors, all the heights, all the months of bloom, and then impress on YOU the necessity of ascertaining the particular kind you want to grow. BOOKS THAT WILL HELP As the people you would ask might make a mis- take about these things, get in the habit of look- ing them up for yourself. Go to the Publie Li- brary and just see the fascinating books that have been written about plants and flowers,—many for children and in the form of stories. For real facts, though, given in few words and easily found from, a complete index in the back, ask for ‘‘The Amer- ican Flower Garden,’’ by Neltje Blanchan, or “‘The Garden Month by Month,’’ by Mabel Cabot Sedg- wick. This latter gives a little description of all the hardy plants and flowers, and is filled with beautiful pictures. And some of the big seed deal- ers and nurserymen get out fine catalogues that are really garden books in themselves, chock full of information aecompanied by colored illustra- tions, which can be had for the asking! 73 $L sUIMoId qoreyy (xou-pu0g vawod 7) qso1y 03 AE ung pidey AR io "qaq (3308 0} ST] TA TOMOLT WOOPT sosTyor} Sud (soyss7oq) Ayn ung pus sioqiy ACTIN 93.08 99. 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Sueno agovig woz aooy LEVag 0 LHDIGEL aoT0D | GWVN CHAPTER IX Shrubs We Love to See ‘‘Every yard should be a picture. The observer should catch the entire effect and purpose, without analyzing its parts.’’ —Bailey. OF course you want to know something about shrubs. For what? Possibly just to make a tiny hedge around your garden, or a taller one to shut out the view of some neighbor’s untidy backyard. More likely for a lovely specimen plant for your own grounds. In that case, don’t, oh, don’t! set it out in the middle of the lawn! And two or three thus dotted around (in ‘‘spotty planting,’’ so called) are the acme of bad taste, and violate the fundamental principles of landscape gardening. Our grandmothers all loved the tall syringa, honeysuckle, snowball, strawberry shrub, weigela, 78 CLEANING UP AROUND THE SHRUBS GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS rose of Sharon and lilac, while they hedged both their yards and gardens with box, privet and ever- greens. Today we use a good deal of the Japanese barberry, while Uncle Sam’s recent free distribu- tion has widely introduced that pretty little annual bush-like plant—the kochia, or summer cypress, good for low hedges. But there is that publisher cutting off my space again! So I can just add a word about the lovely new summer lilac or buddleia. A tiny plant of this, costing only 25 cents, grows into a nice four-foot bush the first summer, and blooms until late in the season. 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It is predicted that this year,—1917,— will be the greatest year for gardening that the country ever has known! The high cost of living first stimulated interest. Then after war was declared, the slogan, ‘‘ Food as important as men or munitions,’’ stirred young and old. Garden clubs sprang up everywhere, and in free lectures people were instructed how to pre- pare, plant and cultivate whatever ground they could get, from small backyards to vacant lots. In our neighborhood last year a man with a plot of ground less than half the size of a tennis court, 82 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS grew $50.00 worth of vegetables,—enough to sup- ply his whole family! He got his planting down to a science, however,—what he called ‘‘intensive gardening,’’ so that every foot of the soil was kept busy the whole summer. He fertilized but once, too, at the beginning of the season, when he had a quantity of manure thoroughly worked in. Then between slow growing crops, planted in rows as closely as possible, he,planted the quick-growing things, which would be out of the way before their space was needed. Incidentally he worked out a chart (which he afterwards put on the market), ruled one way for the months, and the other for the number of feet, with name cards for the vegetables that could be fitted in so as to visualize—and make a record of the entire garden the entire season. Such a plan means a great saving of both time and space. Garden soil must be warm, light and rich. It must be well spaded to begin with, well fertilized, well raked over, and kept well cultivated. Vege- tables require plenty of moisture, and during dry weather especially must be thoroughly watered. As I have said before, simply wetting the surface of the ground is almost useless, and often, by causing the ground then to cake over the top as it dries, worse than none at all, if the soil were cultivated 83 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS instead. Pests must be watched for on all the crops, and treated according to the special needs of each variety when whale-oil, soapsuds, tobacco dust or insect powder seem ineffective. Then with weed- ing, and reasonable care, you can safely expect to keep your table supplied with that greatest of all luxuries,—your own green vegetables, fresh from the soil. VEGETABLE GUIDE Beans. Bush Plant from early May on, every two weeks, for succession of crops. Drop beans 3 in. apart, in 2-in. deep drills, allowing 2 ft. between rows. Hoe often, drawing the earth up towards the roots. Be sure that the ground is warm and dry before plant- ing, however, or the beans will rot. Beans. Pole Set stakes 5 to 8 feet high, in rows 3 ft. apart each way; or plant in drills to grow on a trellis. Put four or five beans around each stake, and when well started, thin out the poorest, leaving but three at each pole. A cheap trellis is made by stretching two wires (one near the ground and the other six feet above), and connecting them with stout twine for the vines to run on. 84 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS Beans. Lima As these are more tender, they should be planted a couple of weeks later than other beans. They need especially good, rich soil, with plenty of humus or the fine soft earth that is full of decayed vegetable matter. Allow each plant 6 in. in the row, and make rows 2 ft. apart. Give a good dose of fertilizer about the time they start, and keep well cultivated. Beans are among the easiest of all vegetables to grow, and as they can be dried for winter use, are especially valuable. Beets. Any well-tilled, good garden soil will produce nice beets. Make drills or rows 18 in. apart, and plant the seed about 1 in. deep if earth is light and sandy, but only half an inch if heavy and sticky, as early as the ground can be put in condition. Cultivate often, and thin out the plants to about 3 in. apart. Sow at intervals of two or three weeks for successive crops up to the middle of July. An extra early lot can be had by starting seed in the house in boxes in February or March, and then setting the young plants out at time of first outdoor planting. 85 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS Cabbage. For early crop, start seed indoors in February or March and transplant, when four leaves appear, to another seed box until you can plant in open ground in May. For later crop sow seeds in rows in open ground during April and May, and trans- plant during July and August, to 20 in. apart, in rows 3 ft. apart. Cultivate often, to keep moisture in the soil. Prepare to fight pests, early and late. After the seventy or more remedies suggested by one authority, for maggots alone, the amateur might feel like abandoning cabbage, but at the price this moment of $160.00 a ton, wholesale, in New York City, a person with even a handkerchief bed feels like attempting this luxury. Carrots. Hardy and easily grown, they can be sown in rows that are 12 in. apart, and thinned out to 3 in. apart in the row. They can be started as early as April, and sown for succession up to the middle of July. Cultivate often. Cauliflower. Treat like cabbage, except that you must start as early as possible, to get ahead of the hot weather, and give the plants plenty of water. When the 86 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS heads are well-formed and firm, bring the outside leaves up and tie together, to shut out the sun and keep the heads white and tender. And don’t for- get,—plenty of water! Celery. Seed for an early crop can be started in Feb- ruary, in a shallow box in a sunny window, then transplanted to another box, pinching off the tall leaves. In May or June dig a shallow trench in good rich soil, and set plants, 6 in. apart at bot- tom. Fill up the trench as the plants grow, to within a few inches of the tip leaves, in order to bleach out white. Set up boards against the rows to exclude light, or cover in the easiest way. For winter keeping, take up plants with roots and place on damp soil in boxes in a cool, dark cellar. Chicory Witloof—or French Endive. Often seventy-five cents a pound in the market, but easily grown by the amateur. Seed is sold under name of Witloof chicory, and should be sown in open ground, during May or June, in rows a foot apart. Allow to grow until November, cultivating and keeping moist. Then dig up roots,—long, thick tubers,—trim down tops to within 11% in., and cut off bottom of root so that whole plant will be less 87 GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS than a foot long. Place upright in separate pots or a long box in a cool cellar, fill up to within a couple of inches from tops of roots, and cover each top with an inverted pot or box, to exclude the light. Make thoroughly damp and never allow to dry out. In about four weeks the new tops can be cut for the table, and by covering and keeping wet, often three or four suceessive crops can be secured. A friend of mine keeps two families supplied most of the winter, at little cost or trouble.