> jam Circle A Of the Yea.^ ^ In Southern Gardens LIA LESTER DILLON ®ijg ^. p, ^m pbrarg 554-55 D65 "ll?.;" CAROLINA STATE im j-'BRARIES S00572470 p Date Due 12 f '26 0CT2 6ly// , y W7 , 0ct27'3O j 23jan'38 j .. vuy -25Ar^ --acasjt APR »ia 3871 ^7 Si^P?!^^ TOj^^i985 To My Sister EMMA SERVICE LESTER In Her beautiful Chinese Garden Far oAcross the ^lue Pacific The blossom Circle of the Year In Southern (gardens By Julia Lester Dillon ''And the Spring arose on the garden fair. Like the spirit of Love felt every where\ And each flower and herb on earth's dark breast Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest." — SlIRLLEY. New York, N.Y. A. T. De La Mare Company, Inc. 1922 A Copyright, 1922, by A. T. De La Mare Company, Inc. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE Preface 1 1 I. The Hopes and Joys of Garden Making 13 II. Broad-Leaved Evergreens — For Every Garden 19 III. Ornamental Hedge Plants — For Every Gardener 35 IV. Azaleas and Camellias — For All Who Love Them 47 V. Coniferous Evergreens — For Beauty and Accent 57 VI. Old-Fashioned Roses — How to Grow Them 67 VII. Making a Rose Garden — To Live In and Love 75 VIII. March Activities — The Beginning of the Summer Garden 85 IX. April Leaves From My Garden Book 93 X. May Work— For Fall Glory 101 XI. Taking Stock of the Garden — Under June's Sunny Skies 109 XII. July Planning — For Permanent Effects 115 XIII. Fighting the Midsummer Pests 123 XIV. Dependable Perennials — When to Plant Them 133 XV. October Glories— And October Work 141 XVI. Sweet Peas — For Spring Blossoming 147 XVII. Satisfactory Deciduous Shrubs — For All the Year 151 XVIII. Vines — For Cottage and for Mansion 159 XIX. The Making and Care of Southern Lawns 171 XX. Flowering Trees For All Seasons 179 XXL Conclusion — Devoutly Hoped For 191 Index 197 11707 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS {See page 196 for index of garden owners or sites) A garden of the New South where every prospect pleases Frontispiece Page An old-fashioned garden 15 Something different that only the South can enjoy 16 The orange berries of the evergreen Hawthorn 19 Hardy, beautiful and useful are the Holly-leaved Barberry and the English Laurel • 21 Japanese Holly, known to botanists as Ilex crenata 22 Abelia grandiflora is one of the best foundation plantings 25 Evergreen Hawthorn and Heavenly Bamboo, always distinctive, are especially pleasing in their Winter dress of berries 26 Kalmia latifolia, the Mountain Laurel. 28 English Laurel in all its beauty and usefulness 29 The starry Oleander blossom 30 Euphorbia, curious but attractive, too 31 A splendid Live Oak 32 Clipped standards of Wild Olive give distinction to this Ligustrum amu- rense hedge 35 A double hedge for both privacy and appearance 37 A hedge beneath a row of trees • 38 Tree Boxwood as it grows in Maryland 39 For a dense hedge keep the bottom wider than the top 41 Old subjects and new in an old-time garden 42 Juniperus virginiana behind Ligustrum amurense makes a soft but very effective screen 43 A useful hedge planting. 44 Boxwood edging just six years old 44 A "close up" side-view of a well-formed hedge 45 Twin Cypresses accent this garden entrance 46 True harmony of both color and form 49 Azalea Kaempferi, a valuable Japanese accession 50 The deciduous, flame-colored Azalea, A. calendulacea 52 Camellias — rare jewels of southern gardening 54 Effective use of conifers on a formal terrace 56 A happy grouping of Cypresses and Pines 56 The exquisite softness of Japanese Cypresses 59 A California setting in a Georgia suburb 60 Chamaecyparis pisifera plumosa 63 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 9 . , . Page Junipers and Retinisporas are good standbys in all coniferous groups 64 Climbing Roses and clinging vines 66 Frau Karl Druschki, the handsomest of all white Roses 67 Caroline Testout Roses in the author's garden 68 Radiance, a silvery-pink hybrid tea 69 Grass walks and narrow beds help any Rose garden 71 Roses are not uncommon in the South, but there should be more of them . 72 Lady Banksia Roses are at home only in the warmer sections 76 The popular Polyantha or Baby Rambler type 77 A real Rose garden, as beautiful as it is rare 78 A rough stone wall and deeply recessed stairway draped with Silver Moon Roses '. 82 White Cherokees on brick walls 83 When Spring comes to "Winterholme" 84 White blossoms of flowering Peach trees 87 The golden-yellow blooms of Jasminum nudiflorum 88 The wild Rosa setigera, unlike the Cherokee, has deciduous foliage 90 African Daisies of French gray with deep blue centers 91 A velvety green carpet and formal beds edged with box 92 Iris in the garden border 97 When the Shirley Poppies bloom 98 Pansies and Spanish Iris 100 Yucca filamentosa is wonderful in May 103 A beautified kitchen entrance and service path 104 Petunias and Larkspur made this garden gay for weeks and weeks 107 Daisies are beautiful whether wild or tame 108 June opens the tresses of the perennial Phlox 110 A most effective Summer flowering hedge is Hydrangea paniculata grandi- flora Ill Hydrangea effectively used in another way 112 Good foundation plantings — while they last 115 Boxwood for accent, turf for edging and perennials for color 116 The wild Cactus (Opuntia) of meadows and woodlots .^ 119 Too much planting for so little space 120 Neriums (Oleanders) should be in bloom in July 121 Bamboo fittingly used in a Georgia garden 124 Midsummer in the author's garden 127 Railroad stations are essential, why not make them attractive ? 129 One of the showiest perennials for massing 132 The beautifying effect of growing plants 135 Cannas used to good effect in California 136 Peony growing for eastern flower markets 139 Chrysanthemums — reigning flowers of the Fall 142 The charm of horticultural simplicity 143 10 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Page A bird's-eye view of Sweet Peas as grown at Bryan, Texas 146 Prolonging the garden season 148 The charm of Sweet Peas in the home 149 Jasminum nudiflorum, earliest of Spring flowers 153 Deutzia gracilis makes its debut later than the Spiraeas 154 All the Viburnums are showy, hardy, and satisfactory shrubs 157 A living mirror to multiply the garden's charms 158 Rosa de Montana or Coral Vine 159 Rose vines are never more charming than on a pergola terrace 160 Young vines on an old house — but you'd never know it '. 161 Graceful garlands of Virginia Creeper 162 Ivy is a most appropriate drapery for a sundial 164 Star Jasmine and Cherokee Roses 165 Ampelopsis Veitchii, the familiar Boston Ivy 166 Charming screens of white Wistaria and Clematis paniculata 169 Euonymus radicans effective in an unusual role 170 A perfect sod of Italian Rye Grass 173 Bermuda Grass makes the only satisfactory southern Summer lawns 174 Yet many claim that a lawn cannot be made under trees! 175 Shady lawns in a southern park 176 A pleasant expanse of lawn well placed 178 Syringa japonica in all its Spring loveliness 181 What Dogwood can do to a hillside 182 Good effects close by and far away 185 Magnolia blossoms produce an effect that is almost unbelievable 186 Eriobotrya japonica, the Japanese Medlar, at Brooksville, Fla. 188 The historic Cornwallis Oak 190 A real southern homestead in a worthy setting 193 Have you a view like this ? 194 PREFACE npHE women of all the South are now thoroughly awakened to their responsibility and opportunity, not only in the matter of conservation, but also in that of education and of the development of the garden and landscape work of both the cities and the rural districts. These women are planting their school grounds and courthouse squares, municipal parks, and railroad stations; they are organizing garden clubs; they are working for a development, along artistic lines, of the new highways that con- nect the states, and they are endeavoring to develop the farms until they become estates worthy of this or any other section. The wonderful and varied flora of the Southern States oflfers but. one problem for garden makers — that of choice. There is absolutely no limit to the list of offerings that will grow and thrive all over this prolific land. In this little volume, which I am offering the women who have undertaken this noble and necessary work, I have grouped the plant subjects so that they may not only follow the circle of the blossoms around the year, but may also follow the circle of garden activities. From the time of the first planting in November, through the long list of permanent trees, shrubs, conifers, Roses, perennials, evergreens and seeds; through the making of the Sum- mer garden; the fighting of the pests; the enjoyment of the Octo- ber glories, until we reach the conclusion devoutly to be hoped for — when every southern home will be set in a garden and every southern farm will be framed in green lawns and well-chosen shrubbery — the book stands for the practical and helpful side of garden work. 12 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR It also stands for something higher, which is the esthetic side of landscape work. The color harmonies have been carefully studied. The landscape problems have been tested and tried, and the illustrations offered are to show the best and most beauti- ful planting effects. Acknowledgment is made herewith to House and Garden and to The Florists' Exchange for permission to use copyright matter; and to Mr. Paul C. Lindley, Mr. Francis A. Hardy, Mr. Peter Bisset and many others for help in securing the illustrations. Also for the assistance rendered the author in the editorial supervision by Mr. E. L. D. Seymour. That all my fellow workers will find here the help they need is the earnest wish of Julia Lester Dillon. Augusta, Georgia. ^Amid my garden s broiderd paths I trod. And there my mind soon caught her favorite clue, I seem'd to stand amid the church of God ^ And flowers were preachers^ and {still stranger) drew From their own life and course The love they would enforce^ And sound their doctrine waSy and every precept true.'' — EVANS. THE HOPES AND JOYS OF GARDEN MAKING 13 CHAPTER I THE HOPES AND JOYS OF GARDEN MAKING MY memory cannot reach to the time when I was not inter- ested in gardens and garden making, and for this reason these stray leaves from many gardens have been gathered from year to year, and from many sections, and are presented here in the hope that they may be an incentive to those who love growing things either to gather in some new garden children and make them so much at home that they will become not like adopted little ones, but like one's very own, or to find out something new about the habits of those they have grown up with and always known. There are leaves in the garden book of memory that were gathered in the sunshine of old Concord; there are others that are woven into a Laurel wreath from the roads that wind among those Fern-crowned hills that rise above the Hudson and are lost in the misty distance of the Catskills; there are Palm branches from New Orleans, and clusters of Azaleas from Charleston; there are scarlet Trumpet Vine blossoms that cling to tall trees along the bayous of Louisiana, and white Roses from the door- yards of the Tennessee mountaineers, and everywhere there has been beauty and sweetness and light, the gathering of them has been a joy, the remembrance of them is an inspiration. In all my journeyings and observations it has seemed to me that the different parallels of latitude simply meant different dates for plantings. Short seasons of bloom, long seasons of rest in the cooler belts; long seasons of bloom, short seasons of rest in the warmer zones. 14 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Inquiries have come to me concerning gardens from all sections of the South, from Virginia to Florida, and from Georgia to Texas. These bear out my own experience that all the books, planting lists, garden calendars and helps, are planned for those who make gardens north of Mason and Dixon's Line. For this reason, the following chapters are sent out in book form, in order that they may make a convenient and handy guide for those who wish to develop their home grounds in the South and have not had suffi- cient experience to know how to go about it. This work is not intended to be, nor could I make it, a com- prehensive guide to the flora of the South, but the information it contains has been gained by constant study and practical expe- rience covering a period of years, not only in my own garden, but in those of my neighbors, and in it will be found material that has helped to solve garden problems for all parts of the Southern States. Any garden guide will give proper directions as to how to plant the seeds of most of the annuals and perennials that we use; any good gardener knows how to prepare the soil and set out shrubs, and Roses, and trees, but, with us, it is not so much the how as the when that counts, and the lists of annuals, perennials, shrubs, and vines that are given are those that have stood the test not only of time, but also of sunlight and shade in this land of long, hot Summer and short, cold Winters. What has been written, while intended to meet southern con- ditions not usually touched upon, will also apply to a much wider field. Early plantings in the South, later ones in the cooler sec- tions, is the invariable rule. But, because it is also the usual rule to give the other sections precedence I have reversed the procedure and given the dates of the earlier plantings first. The color schemes, the perennial groupings, the shrubbery borders, and, in fact, all the plantings except those of most of the broad-leaved evergreens and a few of the more tender and exotic plants, may be used equally well in sections of the East and West and North. The limits of hardiness are carefully noted throughout. It seems hard that all gardeners of the South must learn by sad experience that if a writer tells of the glories of the Delphinium THE HOPES AND JOYS OF GARDEN MAKING 15 wmm O •£ Q S Z -^ O*^ CO CO •- < 2 16 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR THE HOPES AND JOYS OF GARDEN MAKING 17 cashmerianum and kindred plants in her gardens on the banks of the Hudson, it does not necessarily mean that the same plantings will give beauty on the banks of the Savannah or the Chatta- hoochee or the Cumberland. With her, they are glorious in June after Fall planting; with us, they lift their faces skyward in March after having been planted the previous Spring. Climatic condi- tions, therefore, are so different that radical procedures are neces- sary for successful growth of the blossoms of the cooler belts, and the only way to find this out has been by trial and failure, and trial followed by success. A wonderful part of this gardening business is that when one planting is crowned with glory the dozen unsuccessful ones are immediately forgotten — truly, defeat is swallowed up in victory. While it is possible for me to forget the failures in the joy of achievement, my garden records have noted them unerringly, with the reasons therefor, and because of this the story of my successful efforts can be depended upon. These chapters contain the records of success. The failures are omitted. There are many plantings that I could write about that I have left out because they were outside my personal experience. These that are given may be relied upon. The richness of the vegetation of this territory makes it not only a privilege but a duty to have beautiful gardens all the year. Whereas the northern sections are limited for their Winter shrub- beries to the coniferous evergreens, which oftentimes must be carefully protected from sleet and snowstorms, in our portion of the land there are wonderful broad-leaved evergreens that furnish blossom and fragrance from month to month and that frame green lawns in January and February quite as beautifully as in July and August. From the lists of these shrubs, evergreens and vines here given, every gardener, whether his area be limited to a ten-foot lot or is of wide extent, should be able to find material that will help him to make a garden that will be a permanent joy and become more and more beautiful from year to year. The information that is here offered to garden lovers, and to those who are ambitious to make their homes attractive by the use of growing plants and shrubs, is intended primarily as a guide 18 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR that will enable them to know what to plant and when to plant. It is sent out with the hope that it may prove as much of an inspiration to read it as it has been a joy to gather it and formulate it here; the hope that in some small measure it may help the home makers of this section to become garden makers; the hope that the Garden Beautiful may be quite as truly an ideal to be striven for now as it was in those early days when the storied gardens of Virginia and South Carolina as well as those of Massa- chusetts were known to all the world. To help our country come into her own and be recognized for what she is — the Garden Spot of the World — would not require many years if all those who love her would strive for this ideal. To aid in this most worthy achievement is the mission of this little book. BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS 19 The orange berries of the evergreen Hawthorn CHAPTER II BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS— FOR EVERY GARDEN CLIMATIC conditions in the Southern States are particularly propitious in the matter of evergreens. It is not only pos- sible for us to grow almost all of the coniferous varieties which are popular in the higher latitudes, but there are many broad- leaved kinds which are perfectly hardy with us which cannot be grown out of doors elsewhere. Winter planting is recommended for all the broad-leaved evergreens except the Camellias and Azalea indica^ which must wait until the season of bloom is over and are best put out in Spring, the latter part of April or the first of May. The trans- planting of these plants from the open ground is a difficult matter and if it is to succeed, defoHation is necessary. This is especially true of the Magnolias, Photinias, Ligustrums, Elaeagnus, Laurus, evergreen Oaks and Viburnums. Usually the nurserymen send 20 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR them out with a ball of earth around the roots. When one pur- chases them in this condition, balled and burlapped, it is only necessary to remove the wrappings, place the specimens in the ground in the especially prepared holes^and the evergreen effect is at once achieved. For the background of the shrubbery border nothing can be planted which gives better results and more beautiful effects than these broad-leaved evergreens. Where a screen is needed nothing can be chosen which will serve the double purpose of beauty and utility like masses of the English Laurel, Laurocerasus laurocerasus^ Ligustrum japonica and Ligustrum lucidum. Ilex glabra^ Ilex opaca. Ilex Cassine, the Neriums, the evergreen Haw- thorn, Pyracantha coccinea Lalandii, and Eriobotrya japonica^ the Japanese Medlar or Loquat. For a quick-growing background either Cerasus caroliniana^ the Carolina Cherry, or the native wild Olive, Olea americana, is distinctive and beautiful, and both subsequently assume tree-like growth. The wild Olive is extremely difficult to transplant from the wildwoods, but if cut back slightly and entirely defoliated it may be successfully lifted even though it has reached several feet in height. This is also true of the Hollies. December is the best time to move them. For the extensive grounds and bold landscape effects. Mag- nolia grandiflora, M. grandijlora gloriosa^ M. juscata^ the sweet- scented Banana Shrub, the evergreen Oaks and the fragrant Osmanthus are used. The magnificent specimens of the beautiful old Magnolias that grace the spacious lawns of the old southern homes and line the avenues of some of our cities and most of the old cemeteries are wonderfully beautiful all the year. Some of these trees in Bonaventure cemetery at Savannah are more than a hundred feet high and are gloriously beautiful when in flower and most attractive when the scarlet seeds show on the brown pods in the Autumn. Here they are festooned with clinging veils of the grey Spanish Moss, as they are also in New Orleans. Individual specimens of these trees are often planted in the sidewalk grass plots and are most attractive in this situation as well as wherever large evergreen plantings are desirable. The BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS 21 5 >^ o-c O <" C O -o o rt a. 1^ (0 CO 22 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS 23 only objections to the Magnolia plantings on the lawn are the constant falling of the leaves which makes it impossible to keep the lawn neat under them, and the deep shade which renders it very hard to secure a close and firm growth of grass. Of the smaller shrubs for mass and individual growth none is sweeter than Oka fragrans^ the Tea Olive, which is considered by many the most fragrant shrub we have. The dainty clusters of creamy white blossoms, while in themselves insignificant, begin to show in November and for six months the garden is the sweeter for their presence. They are as delightful indoors as they are outside and the shrub is particularly desirable on account of its comparatively rapid growth. Among the broad-leaved evergreens that bloom in the Autumn are the heavenly sweet Oleasters, Elaeagnus macrophylla and the bronze-leaved Elaeagnus reflexa. If only for their fragrance they should be found in every garden. The fruit which comes in March is decorative and highly prized for its acidity by the Chinese, who use it for jellies and jams. These, with Eriobotrya japonica^ the Japanese Loquat, bloom in October, and perfume the air for a wide circumference with their delicious odors. The Assam Tea Plant, Thea Bohea, blossoms a little later and is truly a trop- ical shrub. This plant is not as well known as it should be, for it is really a beautiful plant at all times and in the blooming season most attractive. The petals are pearly white, either four or five in number, and much like the Orange blossoms in texture but larger in size and with masses of yellow anthers in the center. The buds resemble those of the Oranges. The flowers, closely studded along the stems among the deep green leaves, make a very striking Midwinter garden picture. They bloom from November until February. About twenty miles from Charleston these Teas are grown for commercial use and are a successful experiment in foreign plant introduction. From this point and south along the Gulf Coast they are perfectly hardy. This is almost a Christmas flower. Other Christmas greens that should be planted are the Hollies, which should always be closely associated in groups that include both the pistillate and staminate kinds. The familiar American 24 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Holly, Ilex opaca^ is not more attractive than Ilex aquifolium^ the European Holly; and the Chinese and Japanese varieties, Ilex cornuta and Ilex crenata^ with Ilex glabra^ the native Winter- berry or Inkberry, are all good and hardy garden plants. Ilex cassine^ the native Holly, called Cassine Berry, is a beautiful and attractive shrub. The tree Hollies should, of course, be used for background and border planting or as a screen. They are of beautiful light green color that contrasts most delightfully with the foliage of the darker-leaved plantings. A southern lawn in its Winter dress of bright velvety green framed in a border of American Holly, with vivid green leaves and bright-hued berries, is a Winter picture that is as beautiful as it is striking and well worth striving for. Particularly would I stress the desirability of planting these Holly trees on the farms, in the dooryards, and by the roadsides. Not only because they are beautiful and desirable from the artistic standpoint, but because the vandals who go forth at each recurring Christmastide are robbing our woodlands of their most beautiful trees, some replanting must be done soon or the Holly will be a forgotten story. Therefore, plant Holly, Ilex opaca. December to February is the accepted planting season. Defoliate the tree to be moved, cut off the roots that have been bruised in digging, set the tree in good soil and a favorable situation, and while the growth is very slow at first, once established it is fascinating to watch. Soon you will be proudly speaking of your own Christ- mas tree in your garden. Then, see how you feel if some would-be decorator slips in by night and cuts off half of ten years' growth at one fell swoop! A noteworthy group of shrubs consists of the evergreen Vibur- nums. The most popular, hardy and satisfactory is Viburnum tinus, commonly known as Laurustinus. The creamy panicles of bloom are preceded by buds of bright red which come in November and make the plant showy in Winter. The white flowers appear in February and all Summer the black clusters of berries persist. Laurustinus is frequently used as a hedge plant and in one formal garden I know has grown to a height of twenty feet on each side of a long walk. When in blossom it is heavenly sweet and won- BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS 25 26 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR 1 1 1 ■5 ■^^r »- ^^^SsaK ^^^^^ m m h! *^"1«* ^^^S 1 i P Ho Kl^^ 1^ Wm HmiI a (V .S O . CO CO UJ Q .8 ^ frt (0 5;! m ■f-^ c § Jo f> ^ ..w a. f^ u " 1 1 "" ^ ei n M 3 C ^ BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS 27 derfully beautiful. Shearing has the tendency to reduce the flower heads. Fow low-growing masses and for Summer bloom the delicate- leaved Abelia grandiflora is most reliable and hardy. It is con- tinuously in bloom from June until October and when planted in large groups is very charming. Masses of the deciduous Spirxa Thunbergii with the Abelia make a very fine foundation planting and give good results where more delicate shrubbery is needed than is furnished by the larger-leaved varieties of these ever- greens. Abelia and Spiraea Thunbergii also make charming flowering hedges where beauty is wanted in the dividing line rather than strength. Even more dainty of foliage than the Abelia is Nandina domes- tical which is almost a Fern in its delicate greenness. In Winter the leaves assume tones of coppery orange, the new leaves always have a reddish tinge, and the contrasting tones of the leaf buds with the delicate green of the finely cut foliage is a charming and necessary addition to the darker greens of the usually somber- leaved evergreens. In the Spring there are creamy panicles of white flowers which are followed by heavy clusters of brilliantly scarlet berries; these, persisting all Winter, make this a most effec- tive garden shrub. The Chinese use it extensively in their landscape work and call it ^'Heavenly Bamboo." The best Nandinas I have seen were grown in the mountains of North Carolina and there are plants growing in nearby gardens that were put out over a hundred years ago. Still there are many who never heard of it. Ligustrum amurense, Amoor Privet, while usually planted for a hedge, also furnishes the lighter green tones and delicate leafage desired in the shrubbery border of evergreen plantings. The most exquisite of the evergreen flowers, Kalmia latijolia^ commonly known by the unpoetic name of Calico Bush, but really Mountain Laurel, grows so freely in our mountains and wildwoods that few gardens include it. Blossoming in the Spring and freshly green all the year, if it can be successfully naturalized, it is a wonderful addition to the garden. Although hard to transplant from the woodlands, it is not difficult to establish if 28 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR KALMIA LATIFOLIA, THE MOUNTAIN LAUREL It is equally at home North or East or South — in the Catskills, the Cumberlands or on the old red hills of Georgia, and beautiful everywhere. Give it a shady nook, plenty of leaf- mold and good drainage secured from a reliable nurseryman, balled and burlapped, pro- vided the gardener is careful to prepare for it the deep, rich leafmold, clean loam, and good drainage that it demands when away from its native heath. It must also have the requisite amount of sun and shade — not too much of either. Planted in heavy masses, as the Rhododendrons should always be planted, on the edges of the woodlands, where the background of hills and trees is a part of the garden picture, its beauty increases from year to year. Very seldom is this done, but why not bring the glory of the Catskills in June and the wonder of the Cumberlands and the Alleghanies in April to gladden our gardens and make beautiful pictures on our southern estates ? The English Laurel, Laurocerasus lanrocerasus, the Apollo's Laurel, Laurus nobilis, and the old favorite, Buxus sempervirens. BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS 29 are foliage plantings that are eminently desirable and reliable for evergreen effects of both formal and informal nature. The Boxwood is, of course, most used for formal pruning. Pittosporum Tobira, the Japanese Pittosporum, is a globular form of evergreen that can be sheared into any desired form. Sheared, it is excellent for accenting curves in walks or drives. It grows very rapidly and is one of the most attractive of the broad-leaved shrubs. Its creamy-white flowers that show in February are insignificant, but the plant is always beautiful. As a foreground planting, or used together with the deciduous Pearl Bushes, Exochorda grandiflora, it is wonderfully beautiful. The Gardenias, G. jasminoides florida and G. Fortunei^ should be planted in December and for those who care for the heavy odor, they are desirable and attractive shrubs. As severe Winters have disastrous effects on the Neriums (Oleanders), it would not be advisable to use them for open ground effects above the latitude of Savannah. Where they will grow, nothing is lovelier than either hedges or specimen plantings of m^ ^.* ■ sgfi-^^WK'n ; f^rs^ -^Jm^m - ^■m^^i^^^m'-m- ..M ^. .. ■ '^i:r. m 1 i. ENGLISH LAUREL IN ALL ITS BEAUTY AND USEFULNESS An effective screen planting of this popular subject is shown at the left 30 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR The starry Oleander blossom, from a plant 1 50 years old in the author's garden Oleanders. They blossom for many months, are almost immune from insect pests, through all sorts of treatment and through no sort of treat- ment, they go from glory to glory and are well worthy of the name of the very best of our garden friends. Of com- paratively rapid growth, I know of many plants that are from eight to twelve feet in height and many feet in di- ameter five or six years after planting. For tropical effects, either in the background or the fore- ground, few plantings equal the Yuccas. The plan of plant- ing hedges of the variety known as the Spanish Bayonet, Yucca aloifolia, is not to be recommended. This is the least desirable of the three kinds that are available, because it has a tendency to grow tall and, becoming top-heavy, fall in unsightly positions. If a Yucca hedge is desired, plant the lower-growing kind. Yucca filamentosa^ commonly known as Bear Grass. The finer- leaved Mexican Yucca Treculeana, is the most attractive of all, though the characteristic flower stalks are not quite so heavy as are those of Y.filamentosa and Y. aloifolia. They are all handsome when in flower. The stalks rise at least three feet above the needle-tipped leaves and the creamy, bell-shaped blossoms cover them from stem to tip. They are very fragrant also, which is an additional attraction that, added to their rather unusual form, makes them especially desirable. One could not wish to see a prettier picture than that made against a brick wall or a dark evergreen background by the gray-green Yucca spikes crowned by the handsome clusters of sweet-scented blossoms, almost like a giant Hyacinth stalk, as they ring out BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS 31 CURIOUS. BUT ATTRACTIVE. TOO Tropical Florida shows many interesting forms of the genus Euphorbia. This fine specimen is at Miami 32 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR ' '^^'»-.''v^/- '"^HMHR^^^^^^H ' ]:0^'^^':'^^^^^^!K^Bt W^-^'K-m^ ^'"'^m^ ^ 't ' ^-^'^^v '-■•- ■■-'%:^^-""'^ t ^ t MBp|^^gp8JM^j ^kH^^M^^h K. Sk jajtrf-- mUJmKj, 'PHI^MniM W' '? HMSikl^li;. S%^i ^ y "ism.il'e^^ h^l^''^ /' -'^-VlK^i Kipnii' ^' ■iiMiffrinir -•-^i ^1^ *^ , ■ -'i^m, . j^ '^^H • ^'1 El^S .jL^i^tM^ i^i^H >. mr: HP^Al "' -^MSieM it™ 1 Pliipte^^^^^w' te.^. A SPLENDID LIVE OAK Quercus virginlana In Savannah, Ga., gracefully draped with Spanish Moss BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS 33 the Summer chimes which call the humming bird and butterflies and bees to their noonday convocations. The evergreen Barberries are justly popular, the most fre- quently planted being Berberis japonica and Mahonia aquijolia^ which require a partially shaded situation and a rather moist soil and do well when planted in a thick group of shrubbery. Here the heads of yellow flowers show brilliantly in the very earliest days of Spring, and the clusters of turquoise-blue berries that persist all Summer are most interesting and unusual. Of all the evergreen plantings none can be given that are more reliable and 'satisfactory than the evergreen Privets. They are sufficient in themselves to make an interesting garden. IJgustrum japonicum^ L. lucidum and L. nepalense are most used for thick background and screen plantings and by judicious mingling of these three varieties one can make a screen twenty- five feet tall that comes close down to the turf. The blossoms of all these varieties are typical and they have large leaves of shiny green which when small are of delicate light green color and when matured are rich deep chrome. The clusters of green ber- ries on Ligustrum japonicum and L. nepalense are very attractive in Summer. In the Fall and Winter they are purple and black with a soft bloom. For Hghter plantings where a more delicate growth is needed Ligustrum ^uihoui and L. sinense are good. Their foliage is very small and dainty and much Hghter than the ones just mentioned. All of the Privets give fine results in landscape work. It were a waste of time to enumerate all the evergreen plant- ings that can be used in the Southern States. With those that are given borders of broad-leaved evergreens can be made that will serve every purpose needed and that will be in blossom from January to January and that will be always beautiful. Rhododendrons are wonderfully beautiful in the sections between Asheville and Atlanta, but farther south are hard to establish and usually unsatisfactory. This is written in spite of a few successful plantings. The average garden rule for Rho- dodendrons is failure. Why try them ? 'Our world is so full 34 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR of an infinite number of broad-leaved evergreens that grow easily and thrive well we have not time to wish for the Rhododendrons of other climes. Not the least charm of the gardens of Tea Olives, Oleasters, Pittosporums, Eriobotryas, Laurustinus and Abelias is the char- acteristic fragrance of all the varieties. Another striking merit is the beauty of the fruit of almost all of them. The scarlet berries of the Hollies, the orange clusters of the Hawthorn berries, the purple and black of the Privets, the clear blue of the Mahonia, the rosy-tipped buds of the Laurustinus, that show even while the black berries are on the plants, add brightness to the garden picture and make even Winter gay. From the creamy white of the Tea Olive and the dainty blush-tinted Abelia and the golden-hearted Tea blossoms, through the galaxy of Spring flow- ers to the starry Oleanders that come in Midsummer, down to the scarlet berries of the Hollies and the tawny clusters of the Thorns of the Autumn days, and on again through the years, always and all the time our broad-leaved evergreen flora fur- nishes wonderful interest, fragrance and beauty. ORNAMENTAL HEDGE PLANTS 35 CHAPTER III ORNAMENTAL HEDGE PLANTS— FOR EVERY GARDENER NO fence that was ever built or planned can equal in attrac- tiveness, for division lines or for street protection, a hedge of ornamental growth. Not only does the living boundary need no repair, but it grows in beauty from year to year. It is best to plant a hedge in December, but if unavoidable delay has occurred it is not too late to take advantage of the rifts in the February clouds and to plant out those shrubs, both deciduous and ever- green, those Roses and those hedge plants that are required in the garden plan, feeling sure of good results from even the late start. Clipped standards of Cerasus caroliniana, or Wild Olive, give distinction to this Ligustrum amurense hedge 36 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Preparation for planting a hedge should be even more care- fully made than in making a lawn or planting trees and shrubs. The soil should be more thoroughly enriched and the digging should be deeper because greater demands are to be made on it by the close and permanent planting. The distance at which hedge plants should be set depends entirely upon the varieties used. As close growth from the ground is the object to be attained it is necessary to put the plants closer than they will be required at full growth and, if necessary, later to cut out the surplus and intermediate growth which crowds too much. The best form for a hedge is the conical or triangular, because the tendency in this form of cutting is to encourage growth from all points along the sides, while the perpendicular pruning produces growth only at the top and is likely to develop a thin- ness at the ground where it should be thickest. For formal planting the Amoor and California Privets are unexcelled. The Amoor, Ligustrum amurense^ is unquestionably the most desirable hedge plant grown in this section for the home grounds. It is of comparatively rapid growth and retains its bright colored foliage the entire year. It should be closely cut back when put out, should be planted not more than one foot apart, and if kept closely trimmed, in two years makes not only an effective but highly ornamental division line or screen. Uncut, the Amoor Privet reaches a height of twenty feet and forms a background of indescribable loveliness when it flowers in April and May. Ligustrum ovalifolium, the California Privet, retains some of its foliage in Winter, is a darker color and is more satisfactory for the higher latitudes. It is used much more in the North and West than in the South. For a low-growing hedge, where strength as well as beauty is desirable, Thunberg's Barberry, Berberis Thunbergii, is most effective. Its leaves of bright green throughout Summer, change to a rich red in Autumn and the bright red berries which are borne in profusion are wonderfully attractive all Winter and contrast with the delicate green of the foliage in Spring. This most beautiful shrub is one of our importations from Japan. It ORNAMENTAL HEDGE PLANTS 37 38 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR o en . [j- "5b O fc O _c < OQ-S UJ ^."^ ORNAMENTAL HEDGE PLANTS 39 is hardy everywhere. If undipped it forms a low, dense hedge of great beauty and used formally it makes one of density and durability, as well as beauty. Almost as delicate as Fern fronds are the leaves of Thun- berg's Spiraea, Spirxa Thunbergii^ which usually blooms in March and whose dainty and beautiful little blossoms remind one forcibly of Baby's Breath, Gypsophila paniculata. It is commonly called Snow Garland and the finely-cut brown stems are flower-starred before the leaves show at all. Its branches are slender and droop- ing, its leaves very narrow and of light green which changes to an orange and red in the Fall. This is a planting that makes for beauty and not for protection. For lightening masses of shrub- bery, for softening the lines of buildings, for outlining terraces, 3^X jgl ^gjgHlj^^ k. IkL 1^ •^'>- ■ ^-^ . • " ' "' ■■ .VV ■ ^i::^ '■''■ -■ .. a--^- ■ ■^ |i;::r: ft.-; ^'%'<':-::^'^- \:^%^.-V4>: - •>.■..■ 2^ % ''' ^'ii^ ' ';3m '^'"' ' \ J>- ■ ■•?^^^'^-^ :.r'^>>^v^^ ^V.' '^ ^S^^ •■^v m 'm'^0^ "■ ''^.■. "* ':j^''\'A-^ />. ■. .v.. >;■■..• -■•^« . .''"•■'■l:'-4»' " -'i^KS^ ^ i ■TV';. ^^^':^-^^4 I^'^!#2.;;..- ,^^... . W^^Br^f'iism(^wSS^SH^aSS^I&tSmm\ Tree Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) as it grows in Maryland 40 THE feLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR for masses of beauty in any part of the grounds this Spiraea is invaluable to the landscape artist. For strength and durability there is no hedge plant that can equal Citrus trifoliata^ the Japan Hardy Orange, and while it is not an evergreen, the hardy wood of a rich olive-green color makes it not unsightly in Winter. If cut closely three times a year it may be kept within bounds and nothing can penetrate it "from a rabbit to an elephant." The blossoms that show in early Spring are very fragrant and add much to the attractive- ness of the hedge at this season. This is said to be hardy as far north as New Jersey. Prunus caroliniana, the Mock Orange of the South, is almost too well-known to need mention. It grows very rapidly, and must be kept closely sheared and watched carefully in order to keep it within bounds. It is, however, a beautiful evergreen hedge plant and for large boundaries where quick growth and strong protection are needed nothing will give better results. Rhamnus catharticus, the common Buckthorn, thrives in moist, loamy soils and in partial shade and is recommended for a defensive hedge where it is advisable to use a large-growing species. It has not only handsome foliage but showy berries. It is also extremely hardy and such a vigorous grower that it can be depended on for protection at an early date after planting. For the old-fashioned formal garden, such as our grand- mothers used to make. Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens, is in great demand. All along the Atlantic Coast from Boston to New Orleans, these old gardens are to be seen. Most of them were planted with formal beds outlined in the Boxwood, inclosing shrubs and perennials and annuals at random. Some of them are unkempt and uncared for, others are trim and neat and in perfect condition, and in their quaint and stilted way they stand as monuments to that ante-bellum period of the geometric design and the formal garden. They belong to the day of brick paths and tangled shrubs with an Arborvitse boundary hedge, with the lower Boxwood borders outlining the designs. These old Box- wood borders are certainly attractive, the old evergreens are many of them stately and beautiful at this time, and both seem ORNAMENTAL HEDGE PLANTS 41 A young hedge of Ligustrum amurense started in the "way it should go"— that is, a pyra- midal shape An older hedge showing the effect of pyramidal training. The Amoor Privet is the best all-round Southern hedge FOR A DENSE HEDGE KEEP THE BOTTOM WIDER THAN THE TOP 42 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR 3 11 c-= W o Z • 9 % o Z c CO S i 8 §>■€ o ^ o i ORNAMENTAL HEDGE PLANTS 43 everlasting in their slow growth, but who would make such a garden now? Let us preserve these that we have, in honor of a day long dead, but for the new ones the new order to which we have changed is certainly best. Of the new ones the most beautiful and most carefully tended formal garden that I know of has a gray stone bird bath in the center of a sweep of velvet turf. Radiating from this axis are grass walks which bound formal beds that are outlined in that beautiful dark green, dwarf Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens suffruti- cosa. Accenting the corners and marking the turns in these beds are small conifers, the Juniperus communis hibernica. It is the delight of the gardener to keep those beds filled with a changing panorama of exquisite color that varies from season to season. Once there were thousands of Darwin Tulips of every tint in their rhythm of color harmony; later there were hundreds of Phlox Drumjnondii and Sweet Williams in all the tones of pink and red; again the whole garden was carpeted in flowers of the salmon tints that line the shells on the beach on a Summer's morning; Snapdragons, Poppies, Tulips, Hyacinths, in every imaginable depth and shade, but all of the one key in the color scale. Not a discord in the whole range of the garden's harmony. Again the fragrant Violas and velvety Pansies lifted their faces skyward and the garden was tinted from white to sunny gold Juniperus virginiana behind Ligustrum amurense makes a soft but very effective screen 44 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR A USEFUL HEDGE PLANTING Note how it separates the terrace from the lawn .^, v:.^;-\ -^s « ■^NlLiJ i %f '^-^M' rrr BOXWOOD EDGING JUST SIX YEARS OLD It makes this modern garden look like those of a past century ORNAMENTAL HEDGE PLANTS 45 A closer side view of the hedge pictured on page 43, showing its curved P3rramidal outline and from violet again to pearly white; and so on through the years and ever with the dark ribbons of Boxwood to bind the harmonies of the flower tones to the velvet greens of the turf. As the ultimate growth of this variety of Boxwood is six inches there will never be other than this band of dark green ribbon to show through the garden pictures of the years. The entrance to this garden is through a wicket gate of white- wood that is set under an arch of pleached Amoor Privet, Ligus- trum amurense, and this forms part of the hedge that bounds this lovely garden unit in the beautiful grounds of which it forms a part. 46 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR TWIN CYPRESSES ACCENT THIS GARDEN ENTRANCE The borders in this unit of the garden are filled with Azaleas, Spiraeas, Lilies. Iris and bulbs, and are kept within bounds by a margin of clipped English Ivy AZALEAS AND CAMELLIAS 47 CHAPTER IV AZALEAS AND CAMELLIAS— FOR ALL WHO LOVE THEM WHETHER planted for the beauty of the individual spec- imen, for groups in the shrubbery border, for hedges, or for plantations, there is nothing which gives more satisfaction, more beauty, more fragrance than the Azaleas of all kinds. The earliest to bloom shows its color in January and from then until May one after another of the species may be seen. The native. Azalea indica, and the Chinese Azalea amoena^ are both desirable, hardy, evergreen shrubs; the latter being hardy in all the South- ern and Pacific States and the former as far north as New York. The Azaleas are very particular as to soil. They prefer a rich, moist, well-drained earth containing leafmold or wood's earth, as near like the swampy woodlands that form their native habitat as it is possible to get. For this reason, also, they ask for protection from the afternoon sun in Summer and the cold, piercing winds of Winter, and do best when planted against a background of trees or shrubbery, a garden or boundary wall, or where they are sheltered by the house. Many city homes face the north, and it is very hard to find plantings that will give satisfactory results under such conditions of shade and dampness as usually prevail there. In this situation, given the soil they need, Azalea indicas are ideal. The beautiful colorings in these plants give one wide choice, and it is possible to have not only a succession of bloom in group plantings, but also to have a gorgeous color harmony that ranges from the warm side of the color scale and the deep tones of the glowing crimson, Le Flambeau, the rich rose of Comtesse de 48 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Beaufort, the pink, delicate and exquisite Mme.Van der Cruyssen, up to the purest white of the Deutsche Perle. In the violet tones are Bernard Andre, which is dark violet purple, very large and very double, and Theo. Reimers, a double lilac, which is most dainty and beautiful. A plantation of these two varieties lightened with the Deutsche Perle gives a poem of exquisite color harmony. Against a background of Spring- blossoming shrubs in yellow tones or the deep greens of the ever- green plantings the effect is wonderfully fine and rather more unusual than the combinations generally seen of masses of pinks and reds with white. These, however, are justly the pride of our southern gardens. Many of these shrubs, in their evergreen loveliness, have attained a height of from twenty to thirty feet. Hundreds of visitors go each year to see the magnificent specimens in Magnolia Gardens at Charleston, which are known far and wide for their beauty. The gardens in New Orleans and Mobile, Augusta and Savannah, and other southern cities, are filled with these fragrant and handsome plants. They must be seen to be appreciated. For masses among the evergreen shrubbery the Azalea Hino- digiri is a valuable acquisition. It is a Japanese Azalea, hardy, blooming for quite a long period and with flowers of the brightest carmine. They are borne in such profusion that the foliage is entirely covered during the blossoming time. In the Fall the leaves become bronze in color. The colors seen in the ircvporttdi Azalea ganadavensis^ the Ghent Azaleas, and Azalea mollis^ a native of China and Japan, which the florists offer each year, are very attractive and striking, but, while you enjoy these, invest also in those others which will grow outside and go from grace to grace and glory to glory. After the season of bloom is over, these pot-grown plants may also be put in the open ground, and will give fairly satisfactory results. To me, however, they do not appeal as do those which are indigenous. They are wonderful hybrids, but, just as a cluster of Chrysanthemums is far more beautiful than the yard of stem and the mammoth flower that have been grown from the sacrifice of the whole armful of blossoms, so the beauty of AZALEAS AND CAMELLIAS 49 TRUE HARMONY OF BOTH COLOR AND FORM The glowing colors of the Azaleas always stand out more beautifully— as here— against a background of conifers or broad-leaved evergreens 50 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR AZALEA KAEMPFERI. A VALUABLE JAPANESE ACCESSION Its brilliant colorings make it a striking feature of the flowering borders of the early Spring- time AZALEAS AND CAMELLIAS 51 the dainty and fragrant native Azaleas make a much stronger appeal in their loveliness than the darlings of the florist's skill. Who does not remember tramping into the wildwoods as the early Spring days came on and the wild Violets and Dogwood called to the open meadows and the shadowy depths of the swamps ? Can one ever forget the golden harvests of the yellow Jasmine and the pink whorls of honey sweetness and the flaming torches that we called Swamp Honeysuckle, but which we now know for the native Azaleas ? For the sake of "Auld Lang Syne," those halcyon days of childhood, let us plant them in our gardens and let the new generations revel in the beauty and drink in the fragrance of our old friends of the woodlands. We will have Azalea Vaseyi {Rhododendron Vaseyi)^ the Car- ohna Azalea, a plant which is unique, but always beautiful, its blossoms a clear rose of several shades, appearing before the leaves unfold. Much like this is Azalea nudiflora^ the Pinkster Flower, free-flowering shrubs growing from three to five feet, and also blossoming freely before a leaf bud shows. Azalea arborescens^ the most fragrant of all, is much like A. indica, but is not ever- green. It is white, tinged with pink, with long style and exserted stamens of deep red. It is one of the easiest to grow and is a very desirable plant. The leaves are a deep, rich red in the Autumn. Lastly, in this group is Azalea viscosa^ a small, white Azalea, the smallest of the species, blossoming when very young and giving satisfaction wherever found. An entirely different color rhythm is found in the flame- colored Azalea lute a {^Azalea calendulacea), which is gorgeous for many weeks with its profuse clusters of blossoms that range through all the shades of vivid red, orange and yellow. Under cultivation it grows from six to eight feet tall. Useful for group- ing with this variety is the Apollo, Azalea indica, which is an early semi-double of a clear vermilion. These plantings of orange- yellows and vermilions and scarlets Hghten the shrubbery border almost as if they were flaming torches set to show Spring the road to Summer, so vivid and beautiful are they. Be careful not to put them near shrubs with pink or crimson tones. If they are 52 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR '^^m^'w i^^f> ^^mmmm ^hJ^l ■0t^-r- vmt ^f THE DECIDUOUS, FLAME-COLORED AZALEA, A. CALENDULACEA A native of our southern swamps, it loves a deep soil and a shady corner where it strikes a brilliant note of color^in'the late Spring AZALEAS AND CAMELLIAS 53 kept separate or surrounded by masses of green and against a green background they are magnificent. The last-mentioned five of these shrubs are deciduous and natives of the Alleghany Mountains, of the Georgia and Carolina swamps, and without exception have responded to cultivation and become worthy of prominent places in any garden. Nurserymen advise the planting of all the Azaleas at any time from October to April or May. If they are put out in the Fall they must be protected during the first Winter. Planted after the blooming season is over, in either March or April, in a partially shaded situation where they are sheltered from the heated Summer suns, they will go through the Summer's heat and the Winter's cold and come into full blossom the next Spring. The main thing to do is to plant them — ^just as many as you can aflford — both of the evergreen and deciduous kinds — mass them, group them, tend them, water them, and next year, and every year thereafter, enjoy them. For the same reason that April is the best time to plant the Azaleas, it is also the accepted time to plant Camellia japonicas, which attract so much attention in our southern gardens and are unquestionably striking plants. The foliage is a rich, dark shiny green and the flowers are handsome and showy. They also thrive best in fertile, porous soils and in partial shade. They must have protection from the Winter's cold. They come into bud about Christmas time, and if the weather is propitious, the red and pink and vari-colored japonicas and the pearly white Camellias will be in full bloom by St. Valentine's Day. The cold seems not to injure the leaves, but the buds and blossoms are very tender, and often turn brown and fall off just in the midst of the blooming season. There is one variety, Mercedes, a clear rose-color, not closely double, v/ith many bright yellow stamens, that is not only beauti- ful, but has a delicate odor that is delightful making it, to me, the most attractive of the species. The waxen blooms of the other varieties, absolutely odorless, seem like ghost flowers. These two groups of evergreen shrubs, which should be planted in the Springtime instead of Fall, are generally considered more 54 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR CAMELLIAS-RARE JEWELS OF SOUTHERN GARDENING Their almost too-perfect flowers appearing in Winter are always most welcome AZALEAS AND CAMELLIAS 55 delicate and harder to grow successfully than the other broad- leaved evergreens. The Azaleas do not like a clay soil and will not grow in it. They demand much leafmold and are very par- ticular as to situation. Given these requirements, remembering that the Azaleas particularly are of very slow growth, should never be cut, and should be planted against a background of evergreen shrubbery or vines and in masses close together, the plantings will give abundant harvests of beauty, fragrance and garden joy. 56 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR EFFECTIVE USE OF CONIFERS ON A FORMAL TERRACE Abelias, Ligustrum and Pittosporum define the terrace and lawns and Biota aurea nana is used in the jars A HAPPY GROUPING OF CYPRESSES AND PINES Pinus excelsa (Bhotan Pines) and Cupressus pyramidalis royalii provide a happy solution in framing an entrance and screening a service court CONIFEROUS EVERGREENS 57 CHAPTER V CONIFEROUS EVERGREENS— FOR BEAUTY AND ACCENT ^ I ^HERE is nothing which so fitly typifies the spirit of the New -■- South as the majestic loveHness of the stately Himalayan Cedar, Cedrus Deodara. Its pyramidal outlines tower skyward unrestrained and fearless. Its roots dig deeply and lovingly into the old red clay of the Georgia hills with the same fondness with which it must cHng to Oriental clay on the heights that bound the farther shores of the Seven Seas. Its ambitions and ideals are lofty. For just sixteen short years twin sisters have stood at each side of an hospitable doorway with which I am well familiar, yet today they lift their waving branches at least sixty feet above the sod. Graceful and gentle and tenderly gracious in their soft coloring and delicate tracery of leaf and stem and branch, yet strong to endure both the Summer's heat and the Winter's cold, Antaeus-fashion they bend to touch the earth and thus gain strength with which to climb up and up and up on their ambitious way to the stars. THE SOIL FOR DEODARAS Where there is room, where dignity and grace are desirable, where soft coloring in the evergreen notes is needed, plant De- odaras. In choosing the situation for these trees perfect drainage and plenty of clay in the soil must be assured. This done, nothing will give more satisfactory or more beautiful or quicker results. It is better to select trees that have grown large enough to have some character, say from thirty inches to thirty-six inches in height, and these can be purchased from any reliable southern nursery. Small sizes can be had, but the difference in strength 58 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR and in rapidity of growth will amply repay the additional expense for the initial planting of the larger sizes. THE FORMAL BEAUTY OF THE CYPRESSES With outlines more symmetrical and formal, with branches more closely appressed, with leafage more delicate in color and feathery in texture than the native Cedar {Juniperus virginiana) of comparatively rapid growth and with great adaptability, the Cypresses from many quarters of the earth that grow easily and beautifully along the lower Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions of the Southern States form a long list. They vary in color, in height, and in contour and can be secured to suit almost any requirement of soil or situation. Where a screen planting is desirable and deciduous plantings like the Pop- lars are used as a background, the slower growing Cypress trees can be put in to fill the spaces and ultimately to make an ever- green screen. For such positions Cupressus Benthami and Cu- pressus gracilis are equally good. C. Benthami forms a perfect cone with its greatest diameter five feet or six feet from the ground. Its leaves are feathery and of a soft glaucous green that is almost the same in Summer and Winter. C. Bentha?ni is one of the most rapid growers among the evergreen trees. It is beautiful in every stage of its history, but it is more susceptible to cold than C. gracilis^ and can only be used in warm sections. Both it and C. gracilis are very fine trees for formal plantings to accent the architectural notes in the garden plan and for thickets along the boundaries. Of a rich green that is almost velvety black in the deep shadows is the pyramidal Cypress, Cupressus Knightiana. On the border of a plantation of Pines where the deep browns and vivid greens of these trees carry the same color tones, this Cypress is wonderful. Its broad base and uplifted arms with closely massed leaves are not as graceful as the softer colored and more feathery varieties, but its beauty deserves a position of prominence and its stateli- ness requires a dignified setting. CONIFEROUS EVERGREENS 59 60 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR CONIFEROUS EVERGREENS 61 OLD-WORLD CYPRESSES For the formal effects made famous by the beautiful gardens of the Orient and Italy there are the Italian and Roman Cypresses, Cupressus sempervirens {C.Jastigiatd) and the far-famed Cupressus funebris so extensively used in the temple courts of China. Both of these varieties are of easy and rapid growth and adapt them- selves readily to the various soils. Their leaves are very dehcate and the coloring is deep and rich, but not dark enough to prove somber. Single specimens of these trees planted close to the boundary lines of a brick or stucco house add dignity and grace and carry the formal architectural lines of the building into the harmony of the garden plan. The most erect and shaft-like of the Cypresses are Cupressus sempervirens pyramidalis and C. sempervirens royalii^ the latter being the most columnar and erect of all. They grow straight upward and vary very little in diameter. Even though they attain a height of from sixty feet to eighty feet the diameter never exceeds four feet or five feet at the base and at the widest part of the tree. They are wonderfully beautiful and most graceful in their stately loftiness as they sway rhythmically in the wandering breezes that bend them to and fro all through the year. Edwin Neuhaus says, in speaking of the beauty secured at the Panama-Pacific Exposition by the Cypress trees transplanted from the old Spanish Missions of CaHfornia, that if he had the making of California's laws he would require every householder to plant at least six Cypress trees, not only for the beauty and grace they would give to the present generation, but for the joy they would pass on to those who grow up in the coming years. Not quite so stringent a regulation would I urge, but for the privileged sections, able to grow these trees, not to do so is neglect of opportunity. They not only enable the planter to stress the formal evergreen note in his garden detail and to bridge the gap between the rigid lines of building and the softer lines of the garden scheme, but they introduce a note of permanency into the wonderful color harmonies that are strong in most southern gardens throughout the year. 62 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR THE BHOTAN PINE From the southern slopes of India we have secured one of the best of our trees of pyramidal outHne. This is the drooping fir of Hindustan, Pinus excelsa, sometimes called the Bhotan Pine. Of most exquisite grey-green color, the needles of this Pine are utterly different in effect from the upright Pine needles of our native trees. It is of very graceful habit, is easily grown, and more informal in effect than the Cypress. The color is much like that of the Himalayan Cedars, and the two make a delightful combination. The greens in the Cypresses, Arborvitses and Pines vary so greatly that it is necessary to exercise much care in choosing them lest the effect ultimately become as if one had tried to plant a color card of coniferous trees. Did you ever see a planting like that ? Who has not ? More's the pity. If in doubt about the color combinations, find out before you order your plants. Pinus excelsa is a graceful tree, of beautiful color and quick growth, and is not hard to transplant from the nursery. Since the inroads of the home makers have driven out the native Pines and it is almost impossible to grow them, this Bhotan Pine, with the Pinus koraiensisy the Korean Pine of dwarf growth, and Pinus densiflora^ the Japanese Pine, must be used if we do not wish to give up the genus entirely. SOME FORMAL EVERGREENS For plantings of extreme formality, for evergreen borders, where varying sizes are necessary, there is a most formidable list of the Arborvitses, Biotas and Thuyas, from which to choose. If the nurserymen would attach a color chart to the pages on which they describe their list of these plants, and use standard uniform nomenclature, it would benefit the unwary and too-trustful customers. However, the Arborvitse that is most used in this section is Biota aurea nana; and on account of its hardiness it is worthy of its popularity. The only objection to it is that it has a strong yellowish tinge on the new leaves in the Spring, but as this soon CONIFEROUS EVERGREENS 63 CHAMy^CYPARIS PISIFERA PLUMOSA This, the Japanese plume-Iike Cypress, is the author's favorite among all the members of this useful family 64 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR CONIFEROUS EVERGREENS 65 disappears and the green color is predominant we plant it in spite of its variegation at the Springtime — not because of it, as so many do. This Biota is of comparatively dwarf growth and extremely compact habit, and on this account is especially good for urns, jars, and boxes. With this, where a taller form of the same coloring is needed. Biota aurea pyramidalis or B. conspicua may be used. This becomes tree-like, ultimately growing from twenty feet to twenty-five feet. The Summer heat brings out the green tones in this tree also. Thuya orientalis compacta and Thuya orientalis globosa are two good forms of sturdy growth and graceful habit. All these will be satisfactory and will give imme- diate effects. The Retinisporas, R. plumosa and R. squarrosa Veitchii, are two of the most attractive conifers we have. The R. plumosa is pyramidal in outline and the foliage is extremely dainty and Fern-like. It turns brown in the Winter, but it is not unattractive even at that time. It is broader at the base than the Biotas and does not grow so tall as the Cypresses, ultimately. It is a very fine specimen tree. R. squarrosa Veitchii is of a beautiful blue- green color and is useful for cutting for house decoration and makes a wonderful plant for accent on either side of entrances — or walks or drives. All of these evergreens should be planted during the Winter months. From November to May is the accepted planting season. Personally, late Fall and early Spring plantings have been found most satisfactory. Holes should be dug both deep and wide. There should be plenty of good, rich, loamy soil, and six inches of clay should always be put in the bottom of the hole if the ground is inclined to be sandy. Water should be used very freely both on the leaves and around the roots during the whole of the first season after planting. The long, hot Summers are very trying on these plants. They should never be watered while the sun is shining on them. These simple rules followed, no planting can be made that will give more attractive effects or add more to the beauty of the home grounds. 66 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR OLD-FASHIONED ROSES 67 Frau Karl Druschki, the handsomest of all white Roses, although a hybrid perpetual, blooms more than once during the southern year CHAPTER VI OLD-FASHIONED ROSES— HOW TO GROW THEM AS far as the preparation of the soil and general cultural direc- tions are concerned, any good article on Rose planting applies to the South no less than to other sections. There, how- ever, we must stop and hew out for ourselves a new road to meet the climatic and growing conditions that confront us. Many years our gardens can show Roses from early March to late November and often December. South of Nashville no protection is needed for any varieties; even the tender Niphetos and the tenderer Marechal Niel go safely through our severest Winters. We might almost say, "Plant Roses and let them alone, and warm sunshine and gentle rains will do the rest." If it were possible for me to have only one kind of a flower in my garden that one would be a Rose. No other flower so well repays one for all the attention showered upon it, nor does so well without care. December and January are always Rose planting and Rose pruning time in the Southern States. After the first heavy frost 68 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR the weak canes should be cut out, and the strong ones cut back closely if long stems and fine quality of blossoms are desired. One amateur Rose grower, whose gardens are fanous for the beauty and size of the long-stemmed flowers, makes it his invari- able rule to cut back every Rose bush to within six inches of the ground and to remove the weak shoots entirely. One who has fewer plants might prefer quantity of blossoms rather than size, and if so, the pruning should be less severe. The vigorous growers need less pruning than the weaker, slower-growing va- rieties. All plants should be closely pruned when trans- planting. All but two or three of the strongest branches should be taken off and these cut back to within six or seven inches of the ground. The hole in which they are to be put should be of ample size and the newly planted bushes need to be kept well watered and the earth firmed well about the roots. Roses vary as to soil re- quirements; most Climbers and Hybrid Perpetuals like rich, heavy soil — good clay loam; while the nearer one ap- proaches the Teas and Bour- bons the lighter and sandier the soil may be. Climbing Roses must be trimmed very slightly. Of course, all weak and spindly growth should be removed annually and the side branches Caroline Testout Roses in my garden shortened in, but the main OLD-FASHIONED ROSES 69 RADIANCE, A SILVERY PINK HYBRID TEA One of the very best bedding and garden Roses we have Stem must not be disturbed. All dead canes should be removed as they appear and in the pruning of all varieties the cut should be clean, otherwise the bruised stem will decay. The Tea Roses require much less pruning than those of any other variety. The more they are cut the less they bloom. Much well-decomposed manure, used both in the Fall and in the Spring; bonemeal and liquid manure occasionally as the season progresses to increase the flower crop; the ground always free from weeds, and other plants; sunny positions; cultivation and water in quantity in Summer, particularly for the first two seasons after planting; and pruning in the Winter, make up the price one must pay for fine Roses. I do not mention the use of insecticides, but most often they are necessary. A soapy spray to kill the aphids is the worst that the bedding Roses ask for. All in all, how small the tax in comparison with the beautiful returns! 70 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR In planting due attention must be paid to soil preparation; and while it is better to plant them as early in the Winter as pos- sible, they may be safely put out from this time until the middle of May. The earlier the planting the more promising the blos- soms for the next season. As far as variety is concerned, choice is practically limited only by the lists issued by the nurserymen. Unfortunately these lists are most often misleading. It is wiser always to buy budded stock, and better to secure plants that are grown in the open ground, and for constant and varied bloom, true ever-blooming qualities, the Hybrid Tea Roses will give the best results. The usual Rose garden in the South is a mixed planting of many varieties in oblong or square beds planted in rows as they are in the nurseries. When one remembers the wonderful rosa- riums of old England with formal beds of Roses standing out in carefully chosen color tones, always bounded by borders of turf and with the divisions and walks invariably of softest, velvety green one hopes that some day the landscape architects will be able to awaken the amateur gardeners of the South to their priv- ileges and start them making such gardens on this side of the water. Small beds of single colors framed in foregrounds of turf give a proper setting for -this queenly flower. For the porch pillars, the pergola, the summerhouse, the hedge, and the wire netting that frames the tennis court, for the trellises on the garage, or to make a background for the Roses in the borders, there are the multitudes of climbers and trailers. For evergreen effects, the white and pink Cherokees, both single and double, though the former are more beautiful, and the Wichu- raianas can be depended upon for quick growth, and wonder- ful beauty of bloom and foliage. Slower of growth and not evergreen are the pink and white Dorothy Perkins, the Tausendschon, and Philadelphia, which is almost a perpetual blooming Crimson Rambler. All of these have to be cut down to the ground every few years on account of the mildew to which they are subject. Of the old favorites we have Lamarque, Devoniensis, Mal- maison. La Reine, Marie Henriette, the Marechal Niel and the OLD-FASHIONED ROSES 71 IS Hi f i^^i 1 1 ^a ^K^^^ Hr'%^^'^^ '"^" ■ HI 1,^;^.^^^ , •'■ f-_j hj^uiitu The effect here would be still better if the plants were set closer together and if dwarf Box- wood were used to edge the beds .IB Sh... Mfe- J . ^^ ■i i^H ■jMm Tj^'Vv*.-^ I^^J?^^,^ ^i^^^^^'l mm :■ ^ ^ These plants, too, are entirely too far apart. Narrower beds look better and are easier to care for GRASS WALKS AND NARROW BEDS HELP ANY ROSE GARDEN 72 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR OLD-FASHIONED ROSES 73 Reve d'Or, which carry us through an unrivaled scale of color magnificence. Many of the old southern gardens show these Roses of a century old, kissing the topmost leaves of the tallest trees or screening the porches up to the third and fourth stories. Their prodigal wealth of blossom must be seen to be appreciated. Frau Karl Druschki, Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, and the Bride are the handsomest of the white bush Roses. Of the pink, none are better than the blush Malmaison, the silvery pink Duchesse de Brabant, the pink Devoniensis, and Bridesmaid. Etoile de Lyon, Francesca Kruger, and Blumenschmidt, give us the yellow and saffron tones of our color scale, while Agrippina, Archduke Charles, and Papa Gontier give us the deeper tones of red. For the fragrance of the attar of roses — and what is a Rose garden without its sweetness ? — no garden should be without La France (even though it is a weak grower). General Jacqueminot (which blooms only once a year) and Paul Neyron. The Rugosas, Rosa alba, and R. rubra, are usually classed among the broad-leaved evergreens for landscape effects in this section, but they are not evergreen. They grow best in a par- tially shaded situation and do fairly well in the shrubbery border. But they are never as attractive here as they are in the gardens of the East. If space is limited and only a few Roses can be planted, choose one or two of the Hybrid Teas that are really everblooming, and plant them in masses or hedge effect. So many amateurs make the grave mistake of trying to see how many different kinds of Roses they can have, while the result is far more satisfactory, both in the garden and for cutting, if many plants of a few varie- ties are chosen. I remember one hedge of Bridesmaid Roses which divides two small city lawns in a nearby town. The Roses of that border are blossoming almost all the time and I am always so grateful for the good taste which chose them to be all of the same color and kind. Specialize on quality of bloom, if specialize you must, and not on number of different kinds, and joy will not only be your portion but also the portion of your friends, the passing pubHc. 74 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR As the Rose fields of Turkey and Persia are famed for the richness and fragrance of their blossoms, so ought the Rose gardens and fields of the South to be known. There can be found in no other part of the world a more magnificent wealth of bloom or more extravagant depth of colors than are to be seen in the Rose fields of the South. Hundreds of acres of Roses blossoming at one time in the grounds of the southern nurseries is a sight worth traveling far to see. Not only do Roses adorn the gardens and grounds of the rich, but even the humblest cottage will have its doorway framed in the fragrant masses of the old-fashioned Seven Sisters, the sweet-scented Lamarque, or the Magnolia Rose of the South, the creamy white Devoniensis with its rosy center, while even the hedgerows from North Carolina to Texas are framed in the rich dark green of the Cherokees. With the clear petals of snowy white and the massed stamens of pure golden yellow, sweet as the sweet-briered Eglantine of old England, is it any wonder that the home of the Cherokee is called the land of sunshine and Roses ? From mid-April until June is the time of all the year when one most enjoys the growing things, for this is the time of Roses in this section. White and gold, pink and crimson, American Beauties, La France, the beloved old General Jacqueminot, the clustering blossoms of the Dorothy Perkins, the clambering sweet old Teas, all make us glad to be alive, glad to forget that there are cares and trials to be borne, glad to remember that life is sweet, that life is beautiful, that life is worth the living, that there is a Heaven, on earth — ^just inside our garden gates. MAKING A ROSE GARDEN 75 CHAPTER VII MAKING A ROSE GARDEN— TO LIVE IN AND LOVE CAN one conceive of a more fascinating occupation for January days than that of planning and planting a Rose garden ? There are three essentials for successful Rose growing with us, as elsewhere: good soil, good drainage, plenty of sunshine, prefer- ably of the morning sun, and if the situation is sheltered without being shaded, so much the better. Deep digging, artificial drain- age, if necessary, rich, warm, loamy soil, with some sand, and always clay for the Hybrid Perpetuals, are the first steps in the creation of the Rose garden. More and more garden makers of the South are coming to realize that the planting of Roses in number sufficient to furnish blossoms for the house from month to month does not necessarily make a Rose garden. Far from it. To be a garden worthy of the name there is another requirement which needs as close con- sideration as the three that are usually stressed first. The Rose garden must be a beautiful picture, in season and out of season. Usually no artist would call that part of the grounds devoted to Rose growing either beautiful or worthy of his brush and canvas at any season. This is all wrong. Does not the "Queen of the Garden" deserve a setting fit for her majestic grace of line and wondrous beauty of color and tone ? 76 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR m^M-^^^x Then, the first requisite of a Rose garden or a Rose border is a background. It may be an evergreen hedge, an Ivy-covered wall, a trellis or pergola the lines of which are buried in the leaves of some evergreen climber. It may be a border of shrubbery that is planted along the boundaries of a city lot or an estate. But whatever and wherever it is there must be no question about its abiding qualities. For the foreground the soft greens of the evergreen turf of the South forms a most worthy treatment. The middle distance will be filled with the glowing colors and rich shades of the Roses themselves. If the walks must be brick or gravel then the beds of the Roses should have an edging of turf not less than eight inches wide and inside this edging dwarf Box- wood, or Violets, or evergreen Candytuft will make a dark green ribbon to tie the harmonies of the Roses to the velvet greens of the turf. If grass walks are possible they are the most satisfactory in every way and the Rose beds should then have the same edging of Candytuft or the dwarf Box. Since Boxwood of all varieties is almost impossible to secure in quantity and is prohibitive in price, for the dwarf evergreen edging nothing is better than II?eris sempervirens, the Candytuft. This little plant begins to bloom as early as January, and until April is a continuous delight in its snowy masses that carpet the ground. Secure good, strong plants from the nursery, place them six inches apart and in a very short while they will be gladdening your heart Lady Banksia Roses although riotously as well as your garden with their luxuriant, are at home only m the i n r warmer sections lovely flOwer faceS. ^^if^i^-. #. i^-'v ^**' MAKING A ROSE GARDEN 77 THE POPULAR POLYANTHA OR BABY RAMBLER TYPE Roses like this white Catherine Zeimet often bloom continuously from April until Christmas —if you keep the blossoms cut 78 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR 2 g > i to CO O «3 9 "-^^ ^-^ »- to MAKING A ROSE GARDEN 79 Hedera helix, the English Ivy, and Vinca major, the trailing Myrtle, that everybody in the South calls Periwinkle, if kept within bounds by regular clipping may also be used to form the boundary between the walks and beds of the Rose garden or of the perennials in the formal garden devoted to their growth. In a formal Rose garden with a bird bath or a sundial as the central axis in the midst of grass walks and Box-edged beds, as above outlined, the spaces for the Roses may be filled with the silvery pinks of the Killarneys, or the exquisite Radiance, the stately Lady Alice Stanley, or the dainty Bridesmaid, all Roses of tested value and equally desirable. Caroline Testout is another bedding Rose of prodigal wealth of blossoms, and beds of these varieties will give pleasure and satisfaction without end. For the white Roses that make the high lights in this garden canvas we will put Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, the silvery White Maman Cochet, the magnificent Frau Karl Druschki and the delicately lovely Bride. For the sunlight of the garden, Etoile de Lyon, Madame Blumenschmidt and Franz Deegen form yel- low beds of unrivaled color. Blending with these shades of gold we have the orange lights to be found in Sunburst, the coppery yellow Francesca Kruger, the Indian yellow Mrs. Aaron Ward, Madame Ravary, and Lady Hillingdon, so that these varieties with their tones of yellow, orange and salmon pink carry the color scale through the warm tones into the deeper pinks of Amer- ican Beauty and George Arends, and lead us naturally to the deeper crimson and reds of Ulrich Brunner, J. B. Clark and Meteor, and that reddest and best of all everblooming red Roses, Chateau de Clos Vougeot. All of these Roses will not only give an abundance of bloom in the Spring but most of them bloom intermittently all Summer and are gorgeous from August until the late frosts of November and December bring Winter to the garden. Framing such a garden of formal beds there should be an enclosing wall formed of a hedge of Amoor Privet, Ligustriim amurense, or Arborvitaes. Against this background the more vigorous planting like the Bourbons, Souvenir de Malmaison, 80 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Hermosa and the Burbank, with the Teas, Duchesse de Brabant, Devoniensis and others may be made. Here alone will be found room for the very vigorous growing ruddy Richmond; the Frau Karl Druschki will be better in this situation than in the beds and the Paul Neyron will not look so scraggy if placed here. Winter pruning of the Roses in this situation would keep them either lower than or on a level with the wall. If space does not permit the garden of Roses a border or hedge against an Ivy- covered wall or an evergreen planting of any kind is most artistic and always beautiful and satisfactory. BABY RAMBLER ROSES For a planting that promises the minimum of work and the maximum of results, both for cut flowers in the house and for blossoms in the borders, there is nothing that will equal the many kinds of Baby Rambler Roses. Many people confuse' these with the Wichuraiana hybrids and the Rambler Roses, and pass them by in the catalogues without reading about them. The Rambler Roses in the South are most prone to mildew and are avoided for that reason. The Baby Ramblers are the cleanest, sweetest, and loveliest Roses ever planted. They give nine solid months of bloom. Last year in March I planted 250 of these Roses in a border two feet wide to separate a grass walk from a center lawn, and there was not a single day from mid-April to Christmas that those little bushes were not masses of the soft pink clusters of Baby Dorothy Perkins Roses. The catalogue name is Annie Muller. Catherine Zeimet is the white of this Rose. Louise Walter is the softest of flesh pinks, with a cup-like individual bloom, and the outer edge of the petals Hned with a deeper touch of pink. The fullclusters look like the branches of Baby Roses that we put on the hats of the tiny little girls. They are also clean and fra- grant and absolutely everblooming. Of the reds, Erna Teschendorf? is the reddest, while Madame de Norbert Levavasseur is the color of the Crimson Rambler. All of them are good. The California Rose, Cecile Brunner, is MAKING A ROSE GARDEN 81 not only a favorite but especially deserves its popularity. It is the perfection of Rose form, a Killarney in miniature, of a creamy color with deeper saffron tones in the heart, and its clusters of blossoms are not only deliciously fragrant but continuously present. Marie Pavie is like this in white with pink center. George Elger is a Polyantha like the Cecile Brunner, but gives the yellow note in these plantings. This is truly an everblooming Rose. The clusters of buds are pure saffron yellow, exquisite in color and form, they open very quickly on the bushes and are almost white when in full bloom. This is a very desirable plant- ing. These dainty little Roses are also useful for the large beds of the informal gardens. For the Rose borders or the beds in the formal plantings. Winter carpets of Pansies and Violas are charming and the Roses seem to bloom more freely for having had their company. The hardiness of the Tea and Noisette Roses in the South enables us to plant these vigorous and rampant climbers on trel- lises, tea-houses, arbors and pergolas and revel in their boun- teous beauty and fragrance from year to year and almost from month to month. Long walks over which are arbors wreathed in the climbing forms of Devoniensis, Malmaison (which are nearly evergreen), Lamarque, Reve d'Or, Marechal Niel and Cloth of Gold, Kaiserin Augusta Victoria and Reine Marie Hen- riette are scenes of unexampled loveliness from month to month. All of these are vigorous and hardy climbers and make wonderful Summer screens for the second-story sleeping porches as well as for the lower plantings. For small arches and porch pillars it is better to plant the less vigorous varieties Hke the Ramblers and Wichuraiana hybrids. Of the latter the Lady Gay and Dorothy Perkins are the best known pink, while for yellow tones there is Gardenia, for the white, Alberic Barbier, and for the deeper color, Ferdinand Rous- sel, which is wine-red. The single-flowered Jersey Beauty and the red Hiawatha, with its white center, are also very attractive. These Roses may be trained to the desired height and then the branches, if allowed to droop, will form graceful festoons of lovely blossoms at the annual Springtime harvest. These hybrids are 82 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR B A^i \^ , ^^ ^K^ ^i^ ^ yXy'^jT an ^^ra pm gL?--< ^^^H ^ f ..-a El ^ QpHH 1 1 ^ ^ A rough stone wall and deeply recessed stairway draped with Silver Moon Roses makes one of the loveliest bits of Mr. Peter Bisset's garden in Washington, D. C. almost evergreen and very free from insect pests and for this reason perhaps are more popular in the South than the Ramblers, all of which are well known but not so vigorous here as elsewhere. For evergreen screens, for covering walls and terraces or wherever an evergreen effect is needed, the old wild Cherokee Rose of the South, Rosa laevigata, is recommended. The newer pink Cherokee is also very lovely and both of these, while rampant growers, may be kept in bounds by pruning. The Banksia Roses in snowy white and primrose yellow, with thornless stems and delicate green leaves, are not nearly so well known as they deserve to be. Annually the violet-scented clusters of blossoms cover the long, graceful drooping stems to the very tip. I saw recently a white Banksia which covered the entire south wall of a house from the ground to the roof and had begun to clamber over the eaves which extended over the second story. In April this Rose vine is a solid wall of snowy lovehness and even in Midwinter it is charming in its deep green dress. These Roses are not quite so hardy as the Cherokee, but are well worth while for all the lower Southern and Gulf Coast States. MAKING A ROSE GARDEN 83 84 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR MARCH ACTIVITIES 85 CHAPTER VIII MARCH ACTIVITIES— THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER GARDEN THE women of other sections of our United States may cover their gardens with wrappings of brown leaves and let them sleep all the long Winter through tucked away under warm blankets of soft, white snow, but not so may southern women rest from their labors. Their gardens must be kept in blossom all the year. The Violets and Tea Olives come with Christmas; January brings the Narcissus and Snowdrops; February wakes the Hyacinths, the multi-colored Japonicas and the pearly Camellias, and, by the time the March winds blow, the garden is in its early Spring attire. March is preeminently garden-waking and garden-making time in the South. A month later is the rule for other sections. The regular March work means the starting of the Summer garden. The seed of Salvias, Verbenas and Antirrhinums must be planted in boxes and also the vegetables. Tomatoes and Peppers. In sunny situations, where they are to bloom, are placed the seed of dwarf Nasturtiums, Morning Glories, dwarf Helianthus, Ager- atum. Sweet Alyssum, annual Delphiniums, and Marvel of Peru. Of the Salvias, Ball of Fire and Bonfire are most reliable and satisfactory, both as to quality of bloom and length of time of flowering. The Salvias can be depended on in any situation, whether sun or shade, provided the soil is rich and mellow. The seed is rather hard to germinate, and needs especial care in plant- ing and in seeing that it does not dry out after germinating. The Giant Antirrhinums and Mammoth Verbenas in white, pink and red, should be planted in the seed boxes or beds and transplanted later into permanent positions in the borders. They 86 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR germinate easily, grow only in sunny positions, but give most beautiful effects. For length of time of flowering, for cut flowers and for fragrance, nothing is finer than the Antirrhinums. The first stem that comes up is apt to be very tender; this should be pinched off, and the plant then becomes strong and stocky and the flower stalks come up by dozens. The colors are soft and velvety and the blooming time is for several months in the Sum- mer, then a rest period, and then again a season of bloom that lasts from February to July and August. All from one planting. The Verbenas do not stop blooming for more than a month or two in the early Winter. A mass of scarlet Verbenas in the shrub- bery borders in Winter is a most charming picture. Both of these plantings may be considered and treated as perennials in the South. One March I planted two packages of Dahlia seed. Twentieth Century or Orchid-flowered and Double Cactus, and no planting that I have ever made gave me such returns in brilliance and beauty as did those seeds. They were planted in boxes and transplanted when strong enough to the background of the borders. There must have been at least one hundred plants. They were cut back and treated exactly as were those which were already rooted, and when the Fall months came on, from early September until late frost in November, the garden was ablaze with their beauty. Zinnias, as we know them now, deserve a place in every garden. They should be planted in the open at this time. Use Dwarf Large-flowering for masses of color on the edges of the borders and the Giant varieties for the backgrounds. The mixed colors should never be bought. If the white and salmon-pink are planted near together the result is good. The scarlet varieties are wonderfully bright and most effective if planted with the white Petunias or Phlox and with the Salvias. The crimson varieties are to be avoided, for they do not come true to color, and then the magenta tones are projected into the color scheme to the dismay of the artistic gardener. Asters make stronger plants when the seed is sown in the sunny borders where they are to bloom, although they grow fairly MARCH ACTIVITIES 87 88 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR MARCH ACTIVITIES 89 well in partial shade. If the early-branching and the late-branch- ing kinds are used, a succession of many weeks of flowers may be secured. My preference is for the white, pink and pale lavender of the above varieties, and nothing that grows in my garden gives more beauty and satisfaction. Cannas in the South do not have to be taken up in the Fall, and they multiply so rapidly that care must be exercised in placing them lest they overrun their more delicate and less obtrusive garden neighbors. Naturalized in the lawn, against fences, planted in clumps in chimney corners, or where a temporary screen is needed, they make a rich and beautiful background. Careful attention must be given to color, however; for, while hedges of either yellow or orange or red varieties are good, those of the mixed colors are an abomination. For a screen, the tall kinds are best, while, for a low hedge or clumps in the perennial borders, the shorter kinds are to be preferred. There are Mme. Alfred Conard in delicate tones of pink, the white and cream and primrose Eureka, the very rich shades of red King Humbert and Meteor in the dwarf varieties, and President as the best scarlet. Masses of these in the borders are very effective. Perennials that have become crowded and need to be separated should be cared for now. Veronicas, Physostegias, perennial Phlox, Gaillardias, and all the Summer bulbs and roots should be put in. The Summer-blooming shrubs and the lawn should have a Spring treatment of fertilizer. Be generous with the manure and the bonemeal and rich blossoming will repay you. If untoward conditions have prevented the making of a lawn, begin it at once. Have the soil deeply spaded, thoroughly en- riched, plant the most carefully selected evergreen lawn grass seed, and in the Fall it will be necessary only to reseed in order for you to have from March to March a turf that is green and rich and beautiful. If there is any time left over after the busy day's work is done, after the seeds are all carefully packed away, the roots and bulbs planted where they should be, the blue skies, the robins that nest in the tree tops, and the wonderful beauty of the waking world will gladden your eyes and rejoice your heart, for March is the 90 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR MARCH ACTIVITIES 91 The wild Rosa setigera, unlike the Cherokee, has deciduous foUage; it gives similar results in the higher latitudes where the Cherokee will not grow resurrection month in the land of Cypress, Corn and Cotton, below Mason and Dixon's line. My garden book shows that for three succeeding years, March winds have brought to me the spicy sweetness of the Hyacinths, have opened the golden bells of the Daffodils, and the rich cups of the Iris and Tulips. March comes in laden with the breath of Violets and goes out shaking the snowy petals of the Spiraeas, lighting the flaming torches of the fiery Cydonias, and scattering sunshine under the long stems of the fragrant yellow Jasmines and dainty Banksia Roses. 92 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR APRIL LEAVES 93 CHAPTER IX APRIL LEAVES— FROM MY GARDEN BOOK EVERY man or woman who makes a garden should keep a garden calendar or book. Mine is a small blankbook about seven by five inches — small enough to slip easily into my hand- bag, and thus enable me to make my entries either at home or abroad. The records are written across each double page, which represents the record of a week in garden operations. It is really a logbook of my journey on the road to garden success, and, because the journeying was so rough at first, and mistakes were so frequent, the first entry on each page is one of encouragement — that of the blossoms, then the buds, the planting operations, and, lastly, notes or remarks. When entries of planting are made, whether of seeds, or peren- nials, or shrubs, the situation is also noted, and, as all the original entries are written with ink, a later entry in pencil is made if it is necessary to note that the work is a failure. At first there were many "n. g.'s." The book is a complete record of what is planted, when it is done, where it is placed, how it grows, and what the ultimate result is. Experiments are noted with especial care. Perhaps it would seem an arduous task; but, systematized in this way, it really has taken only a few minutes each week, and has been worth much to me. I copy the April leaves of last year that the reader may see how simple and yet how valuable a record it is. The pencil notations are put in parentheses: April 1 to 8 Blooming. Tulips, very fine; Hyacinths; Crocuses; Daffodils; Violets; Pansies, very few; Devoniensis Rose; Banksia Roses, east border (shade). 94 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Azalea indica, white and pink. Beautiful. Northern ex- posure, full shade, early morning sun only. Budding. All Roses, all shrubs. Planted. Seed o^ Phlox Brummondii., west border front garden, shade. (N. g. on account of lack of sunlight.) Nasturtiums on west side of driveway, full sun, (good). Grass seed in back lawn, (fine). April 8 to 15 Blossoms. Same as last week. Germinated. Asters and Zinnias in borders; Petunias in box. Remarks. Radishes for the table daily. Hyacinth and Daffodil bulbs removed from porch boxes and Summer Ferns planted in same. House plants. Ferns, Palms and Pines repotted. April 15 to 22 Blossoms. Azalea indica. Grand. Philadelphus coronarius or Syringa, east border, shade. Very fine. Kerria japonica, Japanese Globe Flower, west border, (shade). Solfaterre Rose, climbing, on west side of front porch, (full sun). Pansies and Tulips in all borders. Devoniensis Rose, climbing; red Roses, pink Roses in Rose garden, (full sun). Germinated. All seed in boxes and borders. Remarks. Radishes and Lettuce for the table daily. Very fine. April 22 to 30 Blossoms. Pansies everywhere. Roses in full bloom in Rose garden; glorious. Syringa beautiful. Transplanted. Tomatoes and Peppers into full sun of veg- etable garden. Thinned out Asters, Zinnias, and Helianthus. Perennial Phlox, all white, into east and west borders front garden. Sun and shade. (Results excellent in both situations.) APRIL LEAVES 95 Remarks. Planted hedge of Hollyhocks between front and back gardens. Full sun. (Although planted several weeks late they were very beautiful.) Lettuce and Radishes for the table. As last year was the first time I attempted to raise Pansies from seed, I made careful entries of my operations, and, tabulating these, I find the life history of my beautiful blossoms as follows: September 15 Planted. Giant Trimardeau Pansy seed of the following varieties; Adonis, hght blue; Emperor William, deep blue; Fire King, mahogany and gold; Golden Gem, rich yellow; King of the Blacks; Lord Beaconsfield, blue-violet; Snow Queen, white with yellow eye; Striped, white with purple eyes; Yellow, with dark center. The seeds were planted in a shallow box, in well-prepared soil, the different varieties in separate rows, and kept carefully mois- tened and covered with glass until germination had taken place. October 15 Pansies up. Four leaves. January 10 Pansies transplanted into sunny borders. (January 11 to 15, heaviest snowfall in the history of our city. Pansies unpro- tected.) April 1 to 8 Pansies slowly coming into bloom. April 15 to June 15 The same entry was made, "Pansies everywhere," for eight consecutive weeks. (They were picked daily by the hundreds and this lengthened the time of bloom.) 96 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR June 21 Pansies over. Plants thrown out. They were planted in the borders next to the Violets, which separate the flowers from the lawn, and the colors were so massed that when they came into bloom the varieties were distinct. The effect was very striking and beautiful. For December and Winter bloom it is necessary to germinate and carry the seedlings under cover, on account of the heat at the time of planting. For this reason it is easier and more satis- factory to secure the earlier plantings from the nurserymen. From the record it will be seen that I have in my garden book a complete garden guide, and am enabled by its help to repeat my successes and to avoid my mistakes. I could easily multiply instances that would serve to show how this little calendar of my weekly garden progress has helped me to gain garden joy. Not the least of its pleasant features is that it makes of the garden a permanent possession; for is not memory possession ? It is easy to recall the beauty and sweetness of the flowers as I turn over its almost fragrant leaves. As I read on the April pages, "Pansies everywhere," my memory gives me a glowing picture of their bright faces and rich colors in the borders and in the bowls and vases, which brought joy not only to me, but to many, many of my friends. I can see the rhythmic beauty of my Pansy color scale, with its snowy masses of white melting into the deli- cate blues, which again darkened into the deeper tones. I remember the golden glories of the yellow blending with the rich harmonies of the mauves, turning again into violets and reds and blacks and, whether in the garden or in the rooms, always and everywhere fragrant and beautiful. Ten weeks of such won- derful harmony are enough garden joy to balance the mistakes and failures of a year. "Shirley Poppies" reminds me that never were any flowers more enjoyed by a whole town than those grown from one-half ounce of seed in the 250 feet of border of the Sumter (S. C.) Memorial Park. They were cut daily by hundreds. Little children, old men, pretty girls, sturdy boys, charming women. APRIL LEAVES 97 98 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR WHEN THE SHIRLEY POPPIES BLOOM It is April in my garden, and in my heart APRIL LEAVES 99 and Negro workmen came to the Memorial Park for Popples. No one was turned away empty handed. The flowers went to the schools, they brightened countless homes, they graced receptions, they were placed on the altars of the churches, they softened the harshness of new-made graves, and they gave pleasure to numberless visitors. The soil in the park is a very light sandy loam with a clay subsoil about three feet underneath. The sand is so porous that no water is held in it. In the Spring of 1920, shrubbery beds were prepared by digging down to this clay subsoil and removing much of the top sand. Then a layer of stable manure, mostly fresh because that was all that was available, was placed in the trench and the sandy topsoil was replaced. This made as nearly ideal a shrubbery foundation as was possible under the circumstances. In November the only preparation for the Poppy seed was to clear away all grass and weeds and rake the ground smooth. This was done in the foreground of an evergreen shrubbery border and the seed of mixed Shirley Poppies sown broadcast on November 15th, the bed being about three feet wide. The plants were then left absolutely alone all Winter; they were not even weeded or thinned out. Other work on the street trees kept the men busy and it was not until the first week of April that they came back. Then the Poppy buds were beginning to open. Weeds were pulled out of the border but no thinning was done. On April 9th a lawn party was given in the park in order that the women might see and enjoy the Poppies. Many boxes of buds were sent to xAugusta with no other preparation for shipment than wrapping in waxed paper imme- diately after cutting. One friend wrote, "When the box of Poppy buds came on Sunday, they were a mystery. On Monday, the opening calyxes and unfolding petals were an ecstasy. On Tues- day they are the glory of the whole house. I thank you for remembering me in so colorful a way." One box sent on Monday furnished decorations for a party on Friday and were the wonder and admiration of all the guests. On June 3rd the plants were pulled up and thrown out, having provided eight consecutive weeks of beauty. They were all of 100 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR PANSIES AND SPANISH IRIS And Roses coming into bloom combine to make April gay in all southern gardens that deserve the name such dainty, exquisite coloring and the texture was so fine that they were Hke butterflies or fairy flowers in the garden as well as in the rooms. "Lettuce fine," calls to my mind the long lines of delicate green that formed such a beautiful background for my Pansies and such a delicious foreground for the luncheon table. "Roses glorious," serves to emphasize the fact that Roses are always wonderful and that April is essentially the month of Roses in the South, as June is in the North and East. Then it is that they blossom out in their full Spring fragrance and loveliness. White or yellow, crimson or scarlet, clearest and most dainty of pinks, or deepest and richest of reds, climbing to the tops of the tallest tree or trellises, or blooming a foot or two above the ground, wherever and whenever found, the Rose is the queen of the garden beauties and best of our garden friends. MAY WORK 101 CHAPTER X MAY WORK— FOR FALL GLORY THE refreshing showers of April and the bahny skies of May bring forth such a riot of blossoms in gardens, fields and woods that amateur gardeners are apt to feel content to rest on their laurels. With Lilacs, and Spiraeas, and Deutzias lighting up the shrubbery border, with bulbs gloriously beautiful in blos- som throughout the cooler sections, while in the gardens of the South the tall white Oleanders are masses of starry flowers, with Crimson Rambler Roses vying with the Star Jasmine to see which can be most beautiful, with bright-faced Pansies by the hun- dreds in the borders, with Nasturtiums rich and glowing in their places, with Sweet Peas delicately beaudful as Orchids in the rows, with hedges of Hollyhocks, stately and tall, lending their dignity of color and line to the garden picture, it is hard to realize that eternal vigilance is the price of a garden, and that May must be a busy month if Summer flowers and vegetables are desired. The Violets must be looked after, first of all. No matter how luxuriantly they are growing, after the season of bloom is over, every plant must be taken up, the leaves cut off and the roots planted in permanent positions about three inches apart. This is the only way to grow them successfully. If not separated annually they multiply so rapidly that deterioration takes place very quickly. Many do not think it necessary to cut the leaves when transplanting, and the result is unsightly withered or dead leaves on every plant, marring the appearance of the whole garden. Planted with the leaves cut, not too closely, the strength of the plant goes to form new roots, and when the leaves begin to unfold they are fresh and green, and stay so. It is a great deal of trouble to take up the Violets every year, separate the roots, and replant, 102 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR but what do we have in life that is worth having, without working to gain it ? My Violets are planted on the edge of the flower borders, separating them from the lawn. I also use them to divide the lawn from the driveway and to edge my porch boxes. They make a satisfactory evergreen border edging. Blooming from October to April, at first not very freely, coming into full beauty in December and blossoming by thousands from then until late March, I know of no flowers that so well repay a minimum amount of thought and care. If it is very cold the leaves may become yellow, but the brave little plants seem to flower more freely for the touch of Winter. To gardeners who can plant little and give that little indifferent care, I should say plant a grass plot and edge it with Violets. Chrysanthemums also must be looked after in May. They, like the Violets, do equally well in sun or shade, and well repay all care. They should be carefully separated, kept well watered and shaded until rooted in the new positions, and then left alone until August. By buying a dozen good plants to start with, and adding a few each year, these will so increase that the garden will be well supplied with this bravest and best of Autumn flowers. A dozen White Bonnaffon, a like number of Alice Byron, six each of Major Bonnaffon, and six of Yellow October Frost, with twelve Dr. Enguehard, made my May contribution to last Autumn's blooms. They were a gorgeous gift to the family and to the passersby. They bloomed from October until late frost, which did not come until nearly December. In the Spring each of these plants was the center of a clump which was separated to secure strong, stocky plants for Fall bloom this year. There were not less than four in the smallest clumps and as many as ten in others. Do not mix the colors of the Chrysanthemum plantings. Grouping the colors separately gives much finer effects. A long border, closely planted, of golden yellow against the gray-green of the foliage, masses of white intermingled with the shrubbery, glowing crimsons, dainty pinks in beds and borders, deep rich MAY WORK 103 YUCCA FILAMENTOSA IS WONDERFUL IN MAY It is the only member of its family free from dangerously pointed leaves. Otherwise it is typical of the genus 104 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR MAY WORK 105 maroons, and orange tones as deep as flames, make of the Fall gardens pictures of unsurpassed loveliness. A plantation of deep rose-pink single hardy Chrysanthemums, on each side of the entrance steps of a gray stone State House, planted against a background of dark evergreen shrubbery, seems, as I recall it, as if a part of the sunset sky had fallen to the lawn, so vivid and beautiful was the efl^ect. The hand of the Master Artist splashes the colors from His palette in broad masses and sweeps of rhythmic harmony of tone. We cannot follow a better example, and no flower gives better results from such plantings than the hardy Chrysanthemums. If your garden scheme requires the planting of narrow borders, by using Dahlias with their brilliant colors in the background, and cutting and pinching the Chrysanthemums to form masses of color on a lower level, borders of rare beauty can be secured. May is the last month in which the Summer-flowering perennials may be put out. Rudbeckias, or Golden Glow, if planted early in May, need only to be thinned out annually to keep them from covering the earth. They are desirable because they give a wealth of gay blossoms in Midsummer, when flowers are scarce. They make a gorgeous yellow background for the white perennial Phlox. Growing tall and having rather scraggy stems, they should always be placed at the back of the sunny border, for they will not grow in the shade. Another Fall flower which is excellent for backgrounds is the Cosmos. It grows in poor soil, even where there is much sand, is hardy and late to bloom, but must have the sun. Sow seed where the plants are to flower. I remember well how beautiful were the dooryards of a certain mill village last Fall with masses of Cosmos planted against the wire poultry netting that fenced in most of the plots. The ugly landscape was really glorified by the dainty foliage and bright blossoms of these plants. I had not thought them worthy of a place in my Fall garden, but am including them hereafter. The new Klondyke Cosmos, with dark green foliage and masses of tawny orange flowers, adds a brilliant color note to the Fall garden and, if the season is mild 106 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR blossoms until December. It Is fine in the garden and gorgeous in the living-room of the dwelling. Annuals, such as Asters, Zinnias and Salvias, must be placed in their permanent positions this month. The more carefully the colors are grouped the more satisfactory and attractive the garden composition will be. Scarlet Zinnias planted back of the Violets, always with rich green foliage, against a background of white Phlox, or white Asters against scarlet Salvias, make charming combinations. Salvia, used sparingly, with groups of shrubbery to break the color line, is beautiful and satisfactory. With the soft greens of the lawn in front, the dark evergreen shrubbery in the back- ground, with only white flowers against its vivid masses of glowing red, the picture is all that could be desired. When planted along the lines of the house or framing the porch, in the porch boxes, massed against dark green of the English or Algerian Ivy that is so often used to cover the foundation stones of buildings or walls, the efl^ect is charming — the trouble is that it is used in this way by so many. But Salvia and Cannas are our most abused plants. How often we see beds, cut round or square, or star- shape, or even in a Maltese cross, filled with these two plants in the midst of a beautiful stretch of lawn ? No matter how beauti- ful the blossoms of this or any other flowers are individually, it is never good taste to use them in this way. They attract atten- tion surely, but do they not make a high light that is too strong for the rest of the garden picture ? Keep to the borders and not only will the effects be more pleasing, but you can also have the satisfaction of knowing that it is more artistic and according to all the canons of good taste in planting. The composition of the garden should be as carefully thought out as the composition of any artist's canvas, with true regard for light and shadow, color and line, background and foreground, and while there must be high lights as well as deep tones, the whole must be at the final judging a picture that never jars. MAY WORK 107 108 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR DAISIES ARE BEAUTIFUL. WHETHER WILD OR TAME They are common in fields all over the South, but the cultivated Shasta Daisy is particularly good in the perennial border TAKING STOCK OF THE GARDEN 109 CHAPTER XI TAKING STOCK OF THE GARDEN— UNDER JUNE'S SUNNY SKIES THE other day I asked one of my garden-making friends what she did in her garden in June, and, being somewhat of an epicure, after thinking hard for a minute or two, her answer was: "Why, I just eat figs." Writing this in the shade of my own Fig tree, where the shadows from the thick, green leaves fall soft and cool and, remembering the delicious sweetness and delicate flavor of the figs that grow in our southern gardens, I think I should like to follow her example. But this is too often what we do: Sit with folded hands and enjoy the fragrance and beauty of the Spring shrubs and flowers and fruits and watch them quietly fade away, and then wonder why there are no blos- soms later in the Summer. It is largely upon the June work that the blossoming glory of the Midsummer garden depends. June should be the stock-taking month. There is no time for rest or hesitation now. The first thing to be done is to get through with the clearing of the borders. Bulbs of Narcissus, Snowdrops, Roman Hyacinths, Daffodils and Jonquils seem to grow and multiply better if left in the borders where they have been placed. Tulips, Crocuses, the double Hyacinths, and all the finer bulbs must be left in the ground until fully matured, which is indicated by the decay of the leaves, and as soon as these have turned yellow and fallen off the bulbs must be taken up and stored in a dry place until it is time to replant them in the Fall. After the crop of flowers is over, the deciduous shrubs should be cut back, in order that the new wood, on which the blossoms no THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR JUNE OPENS THE TRUSSES OF THE PERENNIAL PHLOX This flower is well called the Queen of the southern Summer garden of the next year will come, may put forth in abundance. The symmetry of the specimens may also be improved by the use of the clippers at this time — but be careful not to cut too much. The Cydonias, Deutzias, Philadelphius, Jasminums, Spiraeas, Viburnums, Syringas, Punicas, Forsythias, Weigelas and Hy- drangeas and the Spring blossoming vines, like the Wistarias and Jasmines, should all receive careful attention. None of them should be touched until the blooming season is over. For most of these June is the right month, but some of the later-blooming ones had better be left until July. The broad-leaved evergreens I never prune at all, except to take off the dead branches after a trying Winter, and possibly to remove some of the lower shoots for the sake of neatness. By the end of June the Sweet Peas will be over and the trel- lises must be removed and carefully put away until another year rolls around. The long lines left vacant, when the Pansies are thrown out, the places where the Poppies glorified the border and where the Sweet Peas blossomed for so many weeks, are TAKING STOCK OF THE GARDEN 111 filled with Verbenas, Snapdragons, Mignonette, Zinnias, Asters, Ageratum, and Salvias. June is very late to do this transplant- ing, but if It is done in the late afternoon after a rain and the plants are trimmed before planting and shaded during the noon hours for a day or two, the chances are that most of them will thrive. This is the time when the thinning-out process serves the gardener in good stead. There are sure to be parts of the borders where the plants are as thick as peas and other places where the seed has forgotten to germinate. All these spots should be evened out. Now Is the accepted time. Because the garden is a blaze of glory with Helianthus, Sweet Williams, Zinnias, Hollyhocks, Petunias, Nasturtiums, and all the other blossoms in full beauty, is all the more reason why you should plan to keep It so, and not only planning, but everlastingly keeping at it. Is necessary to accomplish this. If the bare spots 331 'im,-^' A MOST EFFECTIVE SUMMER-FLOWERING HEDGE Is Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora. Its snowy blossoms last for many weeks THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR TAKING STOCK OF THE GARDEN 113 are filled in, the crowded places thinned out, the colors changed or arranged so that they do not clash, a garden of Midsummer loveliness will be the reward. Except in the old southern gardens where the Oleanders (Neriums), the Pomegranate blossoms (Punicas), and the Sum- mer Lilies make Summer gay, the usual rule is that after the June blossoms are over, there is no more bloom until Fall, except the masses of the Hydrangeas, the Cannas, or sporadic perennials. This is all wrong, and June stock taking will remedy this fault. The wonderful beauty of the Spring blossoms should not cause us to forget that judicious planning and planting will make our southern gardens beautiful for twelve months every year. The numerous annuals, if kept well cut, will give bloom until frost. If the perennial Phlox is planted in mass and in abundance the garden will be fragrant and beautiful through all the trying heat of the Summer days. If the Asters, Zinnias, Salvias and Coleus are planted in proper proportion, the borders will be rich and colorful from June until Autumn is over. Now, now is the time to fill up the barren spots. I cannot reiterate this too often. A June inheritance of my garden, that has given pleasure and beauty for a half century, is Hydrangea grandiflora^ which, with its masses of blue and pink loveliness, has framed the lines of our front porch for all these years. For immediate effect, for terrace and porch decorations or for masses anywhere, this and the Neriums may be purchased in tubs and used during the Summer and placed in permanent positions in the Fall. H. g. monstrosa^ H. g. Otaksa^ and other pink varieties of Hydrangea grandiflora are more attractive to me than the white kinds. The use of small lumps of alum around the roots of the pink varieties will cause them to show heads of clear, beautiful blue blossoms. Salts of iron changes the blue to pink. A little pruning, after the Winter is over, to get rid of the dead branches, much fertilizer in the Spring and Fall, and sunshine and rain will do the rest. They prefer a well-drained, partially shaded situation and do well in a northern exposure. The glory of my June garden is a stately white Oleander or Nerium, which has been a joy for many months each year, for 114 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR at least one hundred years. It was planted by my great-grand- mother and its fragrant clusters of starry white blossoms are as invariably a part of our garden picture as the Summer itself. Annually I thank the dear old lady, whom I never saw, for this, my heritage. For many years it was absolutely neglected, but bravely and proudly it held up its head, and now repays the extra feeding of manure in the Fall and fertilizer in the Spring, by a prodigal munificence of bloom. It must be seen to be appreciated. At least fifteen feet tall and with a spread of eighteen feet in its branches, with every stem topped by one or a dozen clusters of white blossoms, with the sharp lanceolate leaves of every shade of green, with the black branches strongly outlined against the soft greens of the lawn in the foreground, it is a June poem. Some- times it is a January poem, with the snow wreaths from the skies enfolding its evergreen loveliness. All of the plants of this species grow in luxuriance and are perfectly hardy in this latitude. From the coast of South Car- olina to the borders of the Gulf in Texas they are to be found in every garden of the olden days, and the greater the age, the greater the beauty with which they bless the world. No southern garden of this later day should be without them. They grow slowly at first, but are well worth while at any age. In both light and dark pinks, in single and double, they are very desirable additions to our garden and the northern greenhouse plants. I find the single white hardier than the pink varieties, and more satisfactory both in point of growth and abundance of flower. Beginning to bloom in May, in full glory in June and July, they lift their snowy masses skyward, dimly beautiful in the starlight, radiant in the moon- light, and glorious in the sunlight, until the chill of October brings the message that Autumn has come and Winter is not far away. JULY PLANNING 115 CHAPTER XII JULY PLANNING— FOR PERMANENT EFFECTS JULY is the best month in the year for the studying of garden effects. It is the time of all times to note what has been done; to realize what can be done and to plan for what shall be done. If the garden is bare of shrubs that bloom in Midsummer make notes now of those that can be put in after frost, that will add their July quota to the glory of the garden picture in after years. In the fierce heat of Midsummer days how refreshing it is to note the cool depths of shade under the Laurels, to glimpse the beautiful clusters of white and pink blossoms of Neriums and GOOD FOUNDATION PLANTINGS -WHILE THEY LAST These annual Vincas and Cannas look good now, but they leave the ground bare from Fall until late Spring 116 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR JULY PLANNING 117 Lagerstroemias that grow in so many southern gardens and deserve to be grown in all. Another evergreen shrub that con- tributes fragrant white blossoms to the calendar for July and August and on into September is the Gardenia — Gardenia jas- minoides florida and G. jasminoides Foriunei — the latter with fewer blossoms of finer size and more double than the former but both very satisfactory. The Gardenias and Neriums with Abelia grandiflora^ that charming shrub of lower growth and smaller flowers than the other two, but equally desirable for all other reasons, make a trilogy of sweetness and evergreen loveliness that no garden should be without. Next in order of consideration will be the Lagerstroemias, L. indica alba^ L. i. rosea^ and L. i. rubra^ which are nearly ever- green and wonderfully beautiful. Whether small shrubs or almost trees they are always effective. A hedge of the white is particularly fine, the panicles being as useful for cutting as the shrubs are for landscape effects. The Althaea Jrutex^ if the new and clear-colored varieties are chosen, gives charming results as a flowering hedge or when planted in mass in the shrubbery border or where a Summer screen is needed. The old purplish-pink kinds are never good. Not often enough do we see the broad Oak-leaved Hydrangea quercijolia^ with its immense panicles of creamy white blossoms. They are very hardy and easy to grow, asking only a partially shaded and damp situation; also they lighten up the dark corners where nothing else will thrive. For a Summer blooming hedge in a shaded situation Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora can be used with fine results. Close Winter pruning is necessary for the finest flowers. The golden St. John's Wort, Hypericum Moserianum^ is prac- tically an evergreen shrub of low growth and seems to thriv^e equally well in sun and shade. With its bright yellow flowers and delicate green leaves it can be counted on for sunshiny effects from season to season. While you are planning do not fail to enter in your notebook those two delightfully fragrant perennials that are truly ever- green shrubs in this section, Rosmarinus officinalis and Lavandula 118 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR vera. They should be found in all our gardens as they were in those of our grandmothers. The joy of my heart in the July days is a blue and white and gold border that stretches for sixty feet along the driveway and frames the lines of our house in masses of glorious color. The background of Rudbeckia (Golden Glow) that rises sheer five feet is not yet in bloom, but the nodding heads and saucy faces of the dwarf Helianthus in all the shades of yellow furnish the depth of tone desired. Against these colonies of rich green and deeper yellows, here and there, are masses of white Petunias, fragrant and beautiful. African Marigolds make brilliant spots of color amidst the heavy clusters of snow-white perennial Phlox. Dwarf Zinnias, in yellow and white, and giant Zinnias, in yellow, orange and canary, finish out the warm side of the scale. Masses of feathery white Ageratum, a long border of dainty white Alyssum, nodding spikes of a colony of blue Larkspurs, blue Cornflowers, azure as the sky, and perennial Salvia, deep as the blue of the deepest seas, and in front of the whole long row an edging of rich dark green Violet leaves, is the planting. When August comes, the Rudbeckia will add its glory and give sixty feet of golden glow. September brings the blue and white Asters in all their dainty perfection, and October adds the gracious Chrysanthemums in yellow and white alone. For four months, at least, this planting will be worth while, needing only to have the dead branches of the Helianthus removed and the flowers cut promptly to insure a wealth of bloom continuously. For the Winter bloom there are the Russian Violets from December to May. The Narcissi and Roman Hyacinths come in January and February, while Snowdrops, Daff"odils and Jonquils carry the color scale over into March. Then come the blue and white Hyacinths, the Irises, in white, and yellow, and kingly blues, with snowy Candytuft, and Alyssum saxatile for the touch of gold in the Springtime bloom. If this border in my garden were situated so that it would receive the morning sun I would add the white, and yellow, and blue of the Pansies, and mingle with them those loveliest of new JULY PLANNING 119 ^^^ ^ ^^Hjl^^^^Kii;^!^''- ' 0,^^^^ ,3 THE WILD CACTUS (OPUNTIA) OF MEADOWS AND WOODLOTS In the garden, too, its yellow blooms are attractive in July. It strikes a tropical note in any scene 120 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR JULY PLANNING 121 rf i 1 n#- - : ■ m. .*.■»* TJiFi HWl NERIUMS SHOULD BE IN BLOOM IN JULY Cold Winters frequently injure them, but against a well-kept hedge as shown here, they are protected and attractive. Closer planting would be better garden children, the flowers of Fio/a cornnta. These blossoms have the colors of the Pansy and the fragrance of the Violet and bloom from month to month. Then each returning season would have its quota of blossom and my continental border would delight with its sweetness and bless with its brightness for twelve months every year. Surely the old gardens of Colonial days must have had such borders in them, for the regimental colors are to be seen in full splendor. White of the snowflakes, the sea foam, the moonlight; blue of the starshine, the sea depths and the Summer skies; gold of the sunlight, the fruit-laden Orange groves, the ripening Wheat fields, and precious metal of the mines — these are the pictures this part of my garden calls to mind. For the benefit of those who may care to make such a border in their own gardens, I append a summary of the plantings for the Blue, White and Gold Border: White Flowers, Spanish Iris, British Queen, La Tendresse; 122 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Roman Hyacinths; white l^utch Hyacinths; Narcissus, -Paper- white grandiflor a ^ White Pearl; hardy Phlox, Mrs. Jenkins, Jeanne d'Arc; White Bonnaffon Chrysanthemum; Arabis alpina\ early and late-branching Asters; White Pearl Petunias; Ageratum; Sweet Alyssum; Pansy, White Queen; Viola cornuta^ White Perfection; giant white Antirrhinums; Iberis sempervirens. Yellow Flowers. Spanish Iris, Belle Chinoise, Chrysolora; Daffodils, Emperor, Empress, Trumpet Major, Van Sion; Jonquils, Campernelle; Alyssum saxatile; Yellow October Frost Chrysan- themums; Rudbeckias; dwarf Helianthus, all shades of yellow; giant Zinnias, yellow, orange, canary; dwarf large-flowering Zinnias, yellow; African Marigolds; Viola cornuta^ V. lutea splendens\ Pansy, Golden Queen; giant yellow Antirrhinums; Aquilegia chrysantha. Blue Flowers. Spanish Iris, King of the Blues, Louise; early blue Roman Hyacinths; single blue Dutch Hyacinths; Russian Violets; Ageratum; Centaureas, light and dark blues; Asters; annual Larkspurs; Delphininums; Veronica; Aquilegia cosrulea; Pansies, Adonis, Lord Beaconsfield, Prince Henry, Emperor William; Viola cornuta^ Blue Perfection; Salvia patens. FIGHTING THE MIDSUMMER PESTS 123 CHAPTER XIII FIGHTING THE MIDSUMMER PESTS WHEN one has achieved the glory of the Midsummer Phlox; when Crape Myrtles, mist-crowned in white, vie in loveli- ness with the rose-colored, like the sky at dawn, or the deeper sunset tinted; when starry Oleanders lift their snowy beauty by the side of Althseas that are blooming everywhere; when Abelias, dainty as Arbutus blooms and Buddleias like the Lilacs of Springtime, are showing on every side, it would seem that the time had come when all that one needs to do is just to enjoy the garden. There are Banana trees and Caladiums lending their tropical luxuriance to the scene; there are glorious Gladioli; there are masses of Cannas, deep crimsons, clear yellows, dainty primrose and soft pink; there are Cacti here and Daisies there; there are annuals in full bloom on all sides, and we prepare to sit and rest in the midst of all the sweetness and beauty, when the heat of the midday sun has passed and the long shadows begin to fall on the lawn. Earlier in the day it is comfortable only in the shelter of the broad, deep-shaded porches and in the sun-excluded rooms, from which all unnecessary articles have been removed. We think, "Summer in the South is delightful, even though it is warm." This is our Midsummer night's dream. Lo, when morning comes we discover a blight on the Maples, spots show on the Poplar's leaves, caterpillars crawl on the Cannas, black rot forms on the Phlox, white flies appear in clouds on the Privets and broad-leaved evergreens and the joy in our gardens is turned in an instant into the fiercest kind of war. Our state of pre- paredness being far from equal to the occasion we are almost 124 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Bamboo fittingly used in a Georgia garden defeated before we begin the fight. War to the death, however, no quarter asked nor given, it must be. After a beautiful vacation last Summer, just when it seemed as if it were going to be possible to sit down quietly and get some writing and drawing done, the call to arms came and for twelve consecutive weeks, between June and October, it was a daily fight against every insect and fungus pest known to the flora of the South — or so it seemed to be. It was necessary to arise at dawn, get the mixture ready and spray, and spray, and spray again. In a small garden it is not hard to keep ahead of the enemy, but usually there is a lack of appliances which makes the work doubly hard and, truth to tell, it is not easy when done with the best of help, with the most carefully prepared mixtures, and the best spray pumps. Hard or easy, it must be done. For several years each recurring Spring in the South brought a very excessive and prolonged drought. This was followed by a season of tropical rains, making the climatic conditions almost those of two distinct, main seasons: a rainy one and a dry one. The vegetation, stunted by the long, dry spell, began to grow FIGHTING THE MIDSUMMER PESTS 125 rampantly and soon exceeded its strength which had been ex- hausted by the long drought. The inevitable mildew, black rot, rust, and other fungous growths appeared. For these Bordeaux mixture, used in the proportion of one gallon to sixty gallons of water, is the standard remedy. This spraying must be done when the sun is off the plants. In all such garden warfare, choose either the early morning hours before the sun is up, or the period after sunset and into the long twilight, which is not so comfortable and convenient a time as early morning but is much better for the plants. When the fungus appears it is too late to save the tree or shrub on which it shows, but if immediate steps are taken and the spray is used on all the other members of the family it is possible to save nine- tenths of them. When the Poplars showed rust last Summer spraying was begun at once, repeated in four weeks and a third time four weeks later. Only two trees were lost out of a very large number treated. When the dry spells of the late Spring are succeeded by days of Summer heat and the nights are still cool, the Rambler Roses and Wichuraiana hybrids all show mildew. This Spring they have been very badly infected. Flowers of sulphur is the stand- ard remedy used with a dry duster early in the morning when the dew is on the vines. Often, however, this does not have the desired effect and we must resort to the second strength Bordeaux mixture. Spray with it as soon as possible after the blooming season is over. Wait a few weeks and spray a second time; if necessary, do it again after four more weeks have passed. Should these remedies fail there is nothing to do but to cut off the in- fected canes and burn them. This is a good thing to do in the beginning if the vines are very badly infected. If not, take off only the weak stock. This pruning will enable the plants to gain their Summer's growth and make the wood on which the next year's blooms will come. If the cutting is very severe the blos- soms will not be so abundant. For this reason the other remedies may be used first. With all other types of Roses there are little disease and few insects that need to be fought. An occasional bath of soapy 126 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR water, a strong spraying from the hose, often will keep the aphids controlled, and potassium sulphide and arsenate of lead will do the rest applied as needed in season. The remedies used in other sections will give relief in most cases of insects and fungous pests, but the most dreaded and the most insidious of our Summer insect enemies is that one, par- ticularly ubiquitous in the regions of the citrus plants, the white fly. Lime-sulphur solution applied in the Winter months is an excellent preventive of disease, but when torrential rains of July and August are daily occurrences, followed by blistering heat in the afternoon and cool winds at night, these adjuncts to our gardens appear like the far-famed locust plagues of Palestine. If the season is equable and not out of the ordinary they are never seen. Without warning they appear in clouds on the Amoor River Privet hedges and before one knows it they are all over the world. Gnats, gnats, gnats! All the beautiful broad-leaved evergreens will be covered with white spots and after a day or two the leaves will fall to the ground. Absolutely all the vitality of the leaf has gone to supply the needs of the newly hatched larvae pro- duced by the whitish spots which prove to be eggs. The stems and bark of the shrubs will also be infected and will appear as if covered with a scale, much in appearance like the San Jose scale. They are an abomination and a desolation. How we hate them! How we dread them! How we hope they will not show themselves this Summer! There are several remedies: Lime-sulphur used in the pro- portion of one part to 25 gallons of water, which is very strong and liable to injure the plants — but, if you do not use it they are gone anyway, so what is the difference ? For small places whale oil soap, \y2 ounces to a gallon of water, is very good. Several specific remedies selling for 75 cents a gallon and used Xyi gallons to 100 gallons of water are by far the cheapest and most reliable destroyers. These sprays will destroy them root and branch — that is, wings and feet — and nothing else will. Think what work it entails to go over whole Orange groves, to spray thousands of feet of hedges, to spray hundreds of yards FIGHTING THE MIDSUMMER PESTS 127 MIDSUMMER IN THE AUTHOR'S GARDEN 128 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR of shrubbery borders, and remember that all the spraying must be done when the sun is not shining on the plants. Do you wonder that the workmen — and workwomen — dread the appear- ance of the iniquitous white fly ? There must be a first applica- tion, then a waiting time of three weeks and then a second spray, and so on until three or four applications have been made with the waiting spaces between. Are not these enough ? They are not all, never fear — there are still others. After the Roses, and Poplars, and Privets, and evergreens have been treated, what should we discover but a new kind of scale altogether. This time it was the oyster shell scale on Tamarix plumosa. The same insecticide as that for white flies might have done the work, but kerosene emulsion was used and only two applications were necessary to clean the one infected shrub and to keep the pest off the other plants. Surely this was enough for one Summer, not to mention the tribe of aphids which are ubiquitous. No, the end was not yet. In a single day every leaf was stripped from three Poplars, two Privets and one Spiraea. While away fighting the enemy in the gardens of my friends the hungry caterpillar was at his deadly work. His name was legion. An early start, a carefully pre- pared breakfast food of arsenate of lead spread in front of his wandering feet was sufficient unto his death and that of all his tribe. When the leaf-curl appeared it became a question of lime- sulphur again and although the foliage was spotted and the smell was anything but attractive this dosage was apphed in second strength. This sanguinary history of one Summer's fight was succeeded by a very much tired-out feeling at the season's end. Do you wonder ? You will also see the wisdom of cutting out a spraying table and pasting it in your Gardener's Calendar. The instruc- tions given in any standard table include mixtures and quantities of sprays for all kinds of insects, fungi and pests. This table should have a prominent place in the garden preparations, not only for the Summer, but for all the year. To adapt this table to southern conditions, it is necessary only to antedate the work FIGHTING THE MIDSUMMER PESTS 129 130 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR by six or eight weeks. Usually all the garden instructions are based on the latitude of New York, which is the Greenwich meridian of garden calendars. The only insect not thus given in the proper valuation for his southern connections is the exclusive white fly. This chapter covers his work and extinction. While studying about these variously inclined enemies it occurred to me that our great-grandmothers and grandmothers must have made their gardens without having to take all the precaution we do to insure bloom and leaf and fruit. Immedi- ately search was made in the old books in the library. In Prince's Manual of Roses, issued in 1846, it says: **Even the Rose has its enemies and these enemies, although of the most contemptible description, are extremely pernicious in their habits, until their efforts have been thwarted." Certainly we will all agree with him on this. He says that the green fly may be destroyed by syringing the plants with tobacco water, that the slug is much complained of in New England, and that the rose bug or beetle must be picked off by hand and destroyed. For mildew syringing the plants with sulphur water is suggested. In William Cobbett's American Gardener, published in 1819, we are told: "Diseases of trees are various of their kinds but nine times out of ten they proceed from the root. Insects are much more frequently an effect than a cause. The best and perhaps the only remedy against the species of disease of which they are the symptoms, consists of good plants, good planting, good till- age." This sounds as familiar as if it were printed in a current magazine instead of in a book 100 years old. The striking point of interest in the "Ladies' Companion to the Flower Garden," written by Mrs. Loudon and edited by A. J. Downing, is in the fact that there is no reference to insects or insecticides. Would it not be fine if "lady's gardens" in these brave days were as free from such infection as one wouki like to believe they were seventy-five years ago ? The one volume written for the South is unique because the others all state distinctly that the tables and planting lists are given for the latitude of New York — even as now. In this com- FIGHTING THE MIDSUMMER FESTS 131 pendium of garden suggestions for the southern planter issued in 1842, the author, Francis S. Holmes, says that he realizes that all the books and instructions are written for other sections where climatic differences are so great as to make the major por- tion of their directions of no value. That Mr. Holmes convinced the Horticultural Society of Charleston of the truth of his prem- ises is evidenced by their letter of commendation in the preface. His suggestions as to the use of the berries of Melia Azedarach^ Pride of India or China Berry Trees, as they are so commonly called, are corporate in the garden lore of the South. The remedy for green cabbage worm, plant lice, etc., is as follows: Take a half bushel of Pride of India berries, well ripened, put them in a barrel and add 15 gallons of water. After the mixture has stood for two or three days sprinkle the plants with it and in most cases it will prevent the depredations of these insects. The negroes use a "bed of berries" around their fruit trees and Cabbages and in their vegetable gardens to prevent worms in fruit and cutworms and black grub. Some of our best gar- deners also follow them in the use of this simple insecticide which has the advantage of being easy to procure, easier to apply and costing nothing except the labor of gathering. All these garden stories of the old days would seem to imply that there were the same old gardens, the same old pests, the same fresh beauties, the same rich joys. The work of spraying is so largely overbalanced by the garden joy that it does not enter into our calculations at all. The destruction of insects and fungi, the taking of preventive measures against the ravages of scale and other blights, is just a part of the regular routine work and that some of these operations have to be carried on during Midsummer heat is our misfortune, not our fault. Go at it with a will, stick to it with determination, and before you know it the work will be done, and you will feel as proud of your achievement as if vou had won a victorvon a more ambitious field. 132 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Artemisia lactifolia effectively used in the garden of which another view is shown on page 1 16 A "close-up" of the striking, fluffy foliage that marks the curve in the pathway ONE OF THE SHOWIEST PERENNIALS FOR MASSING DEPENDABLE PERENNIALS 133 CHAPTER XIV DEPENDABLE PERENNIALS— WHEN TO PLANT THEM FROM the long list of perennials given in the catalogues of the nurserymen and by the writers of garden books for other sections, it seems hard that we who make gardens in the South should have our list of desirable and dependable perennials reduced to a mere baker's dozen, but this is a true statement of the case — not only of my case, but of that of many of my garden- loving friends who have been beguiled by the pictures and stories in the above-mentioned books and also by their memories of the beautiful gardens of the East. Many trials, in every possible situation and under every known condition, much wasted energy and money, have con- vinced me that in order to grow perennials successfully in the South it is necessary to have southern-raised plants. FALL PLANTINGS It is rather an easy matter to grow perennials from the seed. One September I planted the seed of Aquilegia (Columbine), Gaillardia, Hollyhocks, Phlox paniculata^ Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William), Dianthus plumarius (the Scotch hardy Pink), and Oriental and Iceland Poppies, in rows in the borders on the west side of my garden. The situation is sheltered but sunny. The seed germinated promptly and the plants were left in these positions and unprotected until large enough to be transplanted, which in most cases was not until February and March. In colder sections it is necessary to protect these seedlings. The Poppies needed only to be thinned out, the seed having been sown in the parts of the borders where they were to bloom. 134 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR The primary cost of the seed was about one dollar and fifty cents, and, from the planting, the garden was richer by at least one hundred hardy Phlox, dozens of Columbine plants, Gaillardias by the score, a rich and beautiful bed of Poppies, rows of stately Hollyhocks, velvety Sweet Williams for both sunny and shady spots, and fragrant Clove Pinks that shone star-like against their carpet of gray-green leaves and scented the whole Springtime with their sweetness. The Columbines were not satisfactory from this planting for the first year. The second Spring saw them in varied tones, Aquilegia aierulea^ a heavenly blue, A. chrysantha, clearest of primrose yellows, a pure white, and the typical deep blue A. vulgaris. They proved to be not only perennial, but evergreen, and the dainty loveliness of the plants at blossoming time hardly exceeds the delicate beauty of the finely cut foliage of soft blue green that lasts all the year. The Hollyhocks in a sandy soil and sunny situation are all that can be desired. They bloom from early Spring until late Summer and always give dignity and grace to the borders and brightness and color to the garden picture. No garden can have too many Hollyhocks, provided they are kept as part of the back- ground. No words of praise can be too strong for the description of the beauty, grace and reliability of the hardy Phlox. Of all the perennials, whether raised from seed or planted from nursery stock, it is my favorite because of these characteristics. Through neglect and drought, through carelessness and flood, the Phlox blooms bravely on, always graceful, always fragrant, and to me its panicles are the gracious queens that crown our Summer gar- dens. Elizabeth Campbell and others of clear salmon pink and deep crimson and maroon are very desirable and beautiful when first planted. After a few years, however, they lose their clarity of tone and must be replanted if the garden color scheme is to be kept true to scale. From the seed sown in September I have secured several desirable varieties, but my best-loved ones are the white, Jeanne d'Arc and Mrs. Jenkins, and the Beranger, DEPENDABLE PERENNIALS 135 136 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR CANNAS USED TO GOOD EFFECT IN CALIFORNIA Yet any southern garden could have just as attractive a planting as this with all its August glory which is white suffused with rosy pink with a deeper pink center. I plant these "en masse" and never tire of their beauty. Blossoms from the seedlings of that sowing have given four months or more of bloom for many succeeding Summers. There were just a few of the seedlings that showed the magenta pink that seems to be typical of the old-fashioned hardy Phlox. These had to be dug up and thrown away, for that muddy mixture of pink and blue and violet that is named magenta will *'queer" a whol&i garden quicker than any other color in the scale. Watch out' for it, and if your garden shows it in Petunias, Zinnias or Phlox, root it out, being sure that, if you are minus that quantity in the ' color scheme, your garden equation will resolve itself into a picture,: that will make glad an artist's eye and heart. The Gaillardias are most satisfactory. The gray-green leaves adorn the borders from season to season and the gay blossoms of orange and scarlet, and yellow, that is as rich as gold, are to be had for the cutting continuously from early in April until Mid- DEPENDABLE PERENNIALS 137 summer. Close cutting of the flower stalks is necessary to gain this result, but for both the flowers in the border and for vases in the rooms they are very desirable and not usually seen in the South. SPRING PLANTINGS OF EARLY PERENNIALS Unquestionably April is the most beautiful month of the year in this section. Then it is that the Spring-blossoming shrubs are in full flower, the bulbs are still glorious, Darwin Tulips, Iris and Lilies show all their exquisite loveliness. The Dogwoods star the roadsides, woodlands and gardens, the drooping racemes of the Wistaria hang from every trellis, screen and porch, and golden-hearted Cherokee Roses send out spicy fragrance on the soft, balmy air. The blue sky and warm sunshine of noontide alternate with the chill of the midnight air, and so this is the accepted time for planting the seed of those perennials which will not germinate in the heat of the later days. Few southern gardeners plant the early perennials which are the one thing lack- ing from the radiant glory of our April bloom. All southern gardens, where there is room, should know the dainty loveliness of the Aquilegias, the soft-hued Campanulas, the stately Digitalis, the wonderful colors of the Platycodon, and the fairy-like Delphiniums. These flowers are not only well worth while in themselves, but they fill the long gap between the Spring flowers of the shrubs and bulbs and the blossoms of the annuals that do not bloom until later in the Summer. All of these perennials are valuable for the shaded situations found in every garden and which are usually bare because so few things will grow even in half shade. The heavenly blue tones found in the Campanulas, Delphiniums, Platycodons and Aqui- legias are also unusual in the garden picture. Fill the flats as usual, plant the seeds very carefully, and as soon as the plants begin to crowd transplant into a shaded corner of thfe garden. Leave them there until the late Fall and then place them in permanent positions. For two years at least they will repay you for your initial trouble, your careful watching and patient waiting. 138 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Of the Columbines, Aquilcgia asrulca^ in blue and white, and A. hybrida will be found satisfactory. This plant is exceed- ingly decorative from the foliage standpoint as well as for the blossoms. If cut, the latter will continue for several months. The Japanese Bell Flower, Platycodon grandiflora^ in blue and white, is charming and effective when combined with Heynerocallis flava, or H. fulva. Campanula carpatica and C. pyramidalis, the Chimney Bell Flower, with the Cup and Saucer of the Canterbury Bells, give another set of blue values in the garden color scale. These may also be planted in rose and white. The Foxgloves, Digitalis gloxinixflora^ are wonderful when they can be successfully grown. They must have a cool start for seed germination, shade through the Summer months and a sheltered position for the Winter. This done, they begin to bloom in February and for six weeks are glorious anywhere. Planted among the broad-leaved evergreens so generally used in the South, they are more effective than when seen in the gar- dens of other sections, perhaps because to see them blooming so early is such a surprise. In these, my favorite colors are the rose and white, although the purple is ^ood in some combina- tions. Being biennials the Foxgloves must be planted each year. Foxgloves are so beautiful! Just the name always brings to my mind the picture of a rich and effective garden scene at High- land Falls, New York, three Summers ago. Long lines of stately, dignified blossoms, rich in color harmonies, stood sentinel-like against the dark rich greens of Pine and Fir and Cedar, with soft green grass stretching away in the foreground until lost in the shadows of the lofty trees that rim the beautiful river at that point. Foxgloves against conifers with turf in the foreground: an ideal to be striven for. In February also the flower stalks of the perennial Delphin- iums, or hardy Larkspurs, begin to lift themselves above the cleanly cut leaves. In mid-March the flower buds unfold and the blue of the sky is then a part of the garden glory. No flower shows so clear a cerulean blue, so heavenly an azure as does Del- phinium Th'IIadoJina. A clump of these Delphiniums planted in DEPENDABLE PERENNIALS 139 140 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR the foreground of the shrubbery border, or in a border of peren- nials framed in grass walks, with the clear sun shining through the petals of the lifted flower stalks that rise at least two feet above the ground, is achievement enough to satisfy the heart of a gardener through many weary days. Other perennials of easier growth and more widely known than those just enumerated are the Candytuft, Iberis sempervirens^ the golden Coreopsis lanceolata^ for all Summer bloom, and the Physostegia virginica, the False Dragonhead. This begins to bloom very late in August, and continues steadily until Decem- ber. The colors are pink and white and a soft lavender. Plant one package of each of the seeds just given, follow care- fully the directions, and for each dime that you invest in seed you may count on having a harvest of at least one hundredfold of joy, beauty and fragrance in your garden. OCTOBER GLORIES 141 CHAPTER XV OCTOBER GLORIES— AND OCTOBER WORK THEN, if ever, come perfect days," might have been said as truly of October on the banks of the Savannah as of June on the banks of the Charles. If there is a time of the year when the colors of the blossoms seem most gorgeous, when our gardens are most attractive, it is the time of the Harvest Moon. There is a charm, a witchery, about a garden in the glory of the October moonlight that is to be met there in no other month of the year. It must be that the chill of the almost-frosty nights, that the seeing of the garden-children droop under the tang of cold in the air and watching them fade one by one, gives to those that are left a supreme wizardry that their more tender brothers and sisters did not possess. Always the Fall Roses are richer in color and in fragrance, finer in every way, than those that queened it in the Spring. Never does the Scarlet Sage shine so brightly as when on some frosty morning it stands alone — sole survivor of an onslaught from Jack Frost. The Phlox holds up its snowy masses to the Autumn sun and the glory of the regal Chrysanthemums is only another marvel of an October day. The beauties that stand amidst impending desolation serve to remind us that time presses and Christmas gardens must be made now. With good soil, an exposure that greets the morning sun. Pansy plants put in the open now will be gloriously beautiful in December. I purchase from the nurseries in October my first planting of Pansies for Christmas blossoms in the porch boxes and borders. The South is so hot in July and x^ugust that closer attention is required for the seedlings than I have time to give; 142 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR CHRYSANTHEMUMS-REIGNING FLOWERS OF THE FALL Here are pictured two types as grown in the author's garden OCTOBER GLORIES 143 144 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR hence my dependence on the florists for the first blossoms — which I must have for the love I bear for the unexpectedness of the Winter flowers. As to the cultivation of Pansies and Violas in the South, Chapter IX, quoting from ''April Leaves from my Garden Book," covers the subject in detail. If you would have green turf that is like a soft rich velvet carpet for the Winter, now is the last minute in which you have to work. Many southern gardeners spade up the lawn as soon as the Summer sun begins to turn it brown, put in fertilizer, and sow the seed. The object here is to secure a deep root system before the cold weather comes, but, on the other hand, if the weather is very dry and hot, the seedlings are apt to burn and the best gardeners wait until October to avoid this probability. As much as possible of the work in the border should be done before the lawn is dug up and replanted because, if not, there must be a constant making over of the parts stepped on, or else all plantings must be delayed. If the turf is very badly worn, if the lawn needs to be regraded, if the drainage is not what it should be, and it must be made over, the sooner it is done now, the better results you will have. If you have a Bermuda or a Kentucky Blue Grass sod, use bone- meal liberally, reseed thickly with the best grade Italian Rye Grass seed, sowing in one direction and then across at right angles to the first sowing, rake it in carefully, roll it well, or press down with a board if the soil has been dug up and the lawn is being made anew and no roller is at hand, and in a few weeks you will marvel at the freshness and beauty of your turf. You will think Springtime has come to your door again. For small plots the rolling that comes with the use of the lawn mower will be sufficient to make the turf firm and solid, but the heavier and oftener the rolling is done the quicker will the lawn become like the velvet carpet you are aiming to make it. The best gardeners do not dig up the lawn each year; they work over the bad spots, root up the weeds, reseed for the Winter greenness and each year the turf becomes firmer and more beau- tiful. OCTOBER GLORIES 145 Any householder in the South who allows his lawn to become brown and stay so all Winter is cheating himself, his family, and his neighbors — to say nothing of his section of the country. Noth- ing appeals to the tourists from the snowbound sections more than our green, mossy lawns and dooryards, when January snows have driven them to our more favored clime. Plant, then, grass seed and plant it generously. As the Summer flowers wither and die, fertilizer should be put in, the perennials carefully attended to and the bulbs planted. If the lawn does not have to be made over from the beginning it is possible to plant the bulbs as the borders are ready for them and, in this way, a natural succession of bloom is assured. All the standard bulbs. Hyacinths, Narcissi, Daffodils, Crocuses, Jonquils, Tulips and Snowdrops, are perfectly hardy in the South and may be put out safely until December. It is only when a sharp, cold snap comes after the blossoms are showing that dis- aster results. This does not often happen. In buying bulbs remember that the best are always the cheapest. Plant them in masses, as many as you can possibly buy, follow any good article on the planting of the same and no mistake or disappoint- ment will result. When making out your list — which ought to have been done in August — do not forget to include the Irises, /. hispanica^ those orchids of the Spring garden, /. Kaemp/eri and /. germanica. Iris hispanica is not usually seen in the South but all of the group are radiantly lovely, easily grown and as well adapted to the formal bulb garden as to the naturalized plantings. The most wonderfully beautiful Iris planting that I have ever seen, however, was where bulbs were planted by the thousand on the banks of a small brooklet that made merry music as it rippled over the stones from one level to another and sang its song of Springtime and Summer as it made its way between these lovely. flowers of softest Hlac, clearest azure, deepest violet, golden yellow, silvery white, and softest ivory and creamy tones. One associates them with water and if it is possible plant them near a pool or pond or brook, but, if not, plant them anywhere, always 146 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR in sunshiny situations. They are worth while wherever and whenever seen. October is truly the between-time in our gardens. The bor- ders are still filled with blossoms bright and flowers gay, the Summer vegetables are not yet over, the seed beds are filled with plants waiting to be put out and yet all one can do is to wait. Fortunately, the best scheme for the garden maker is the same as the best scheme of life: do each day the duty that lies nearest, enjoy to the full the beauty and fragrance of each one of the passing hours and flowers, and living in the happy present, the future will take care of itself. A bird's-eye view of Sweet Peas as grown at Bryan, Texas, taken in April. Who says the South cannot enjoy Sweet Peas ? SWEET PEAS 147 CHAPTER XVI SWEET PEAS— FOR SPRING BLOSSOMING NO plants in our garden catalogues give more of beauty, more of sweetness, more of pleasure in the growing than the dainty Sweet Peas. They are impracticable for the small garden, however. To be successfully grown they must have a deep rich soil, preferably rather heavy, as clay loam, good drainage and a sunny situation. They should be planted in November. In planting, always have a trench dug about a foot wide and nearly that deep. In this put well-decomposed manure, wood ashes and soil, thoroughly mixed. Plant the seeds in the bottom of a trench which is left, about seven inches deep. Pack the earth firmly about them and as soon as they grow to about three inches draw the earth up around them; do this two inches at a time thereafter, not only until the trench is filled, but until the Peas are hilled for several inches. This gives them a very deep root system and enables them to stand the southern heat. By Christmas the trenches will be nearly full and nearly always at Easter the first Sweet Peas are in bloom. Those who grow the finest Sweet Peas in this section advise Fall planting, but good results may be obtained from sowings made as late as January. The latter practice is a little risky, however. The newly planted seeds are very much more apt to be injured by the cold that usually comes in January and Feb- ruary than when the plants are securely rooted as a result of their Autumn start. For support for Sweet Peas use four-foot chicken wire, with two-inch mesh, fastened to stout stakes. I use thirty-foot lengths and three stakes are all that are necessary. These stakes are 148 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR 1 "' ^^^sSk^'-MM 1 M^k^'- m r ' . .-^.Jhi mm % ^w^^- §M^ v/^ if! :*•■ .■'■■^^#f2^:.i^ '^^ ^ ik ''^ k, t ■"••: • > X • - :■« ft /*'.*' s^.iJ ** msm I^Hai MTri M.VV.t^' I'':-: 4 r »^^T^ 9 1 .' 1, 1 ,,,^^ 4 1^''^ '4 h iiiii#f_ . . 't — ^ . ^ • 1 r'^^^I^H ^^ ^ rm - ^^3KKKKKKKm ^*i^i !RKIUi-i H nl o C z C 4J (T -o ;^, , _Q C^' * • A*'^^ f^'^J 1 *^;-* J^^^E^--^ ~ %, , .miimamam ■■ ■ ■ A in, 1 4 i .»«-^ /'^M^^^SB < o o c CQ u <-. (L> < *±: Q IS Si >:^ O 2 CO H W < D Z a: D D3 > 158 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR VINES FOR COTTAGE AND MANSION 159 Rosa de Montana or Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus) CHAPTER XVIII VINES— FOR COTTAGE AND FOR MANSION TT^ROM the multiplicity of vines that may be grown in the ^ South, choice would seem to be unlimited, but in reality there are not a great many on which one can depend for unfailing beauty and grace. First among the evergreen vines for founda- tion walls of buildings and terraces, and also for climbing on pil- lars and pergolas, nothing is more desirable than the English Ivy, Hede7'a helix. For the same purposes, of a lighter green in color, with larger leaves and ranker growth, but much less hardy, is the Hedera algeriensis^ which is a very beautiful vine coming into more and more general use. Of slower growth and suited more for covering walls and banks and carpeting the ground than for climbing to heights is the climbing ^.uonymuSy Euonyjnus radicans. For a close covering of stone or brick or wooden walls the trailing Fig, Ficus repens, is a most beautiful vine. It clings 160 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR ROSE VINES ARE NEVER MORE CHARMING THAN ON A PERGOLA TRELLIS The plants shown will be more effective as they grow larger. As to the piece of pipe with the Palm in the center of the bed— does anyone think it attractive? ' very closely, does not have to be supported or fastened to the wall, as do the Hederas and Euonymus, and is very delicate and dainty. It makes a thick green mass, of almost the same color. Its leaves are very dark green, finely marked, and unless the Winter is very severe it is hardy and evergreen in the latitude of Augusta. If killed down in the Winter, it very quickly puts out in the Spring and grows many feet each season. It is not hardy farther north. The bristly Greenbrier, Smilax Bona-nox, which is evergreen in the South, is one of the most beautiful of the wild vines. It is always of a beautiful clear color, the young leaves are of a del- icate green and for covering columns and for an evergreen screen where a dense growth is required nothing will give more satis- faction. VINES FOR COTTAGE AND MANSION 161 YOUNG VINES ON AN OLD HOUSE -BUT YOU'D NEVER KNOW IT Who would guess that the English Ivy draping this ancient dwelling— the home of the Augusta (Ga.) Women's Clubs — is not over ten years old? 162 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR GRACEFUL GARLANDS OF VIRGINIA CREEPER The Ampe'icpsis quinquefolia drooping from above greatly increases the charm of this portico VINES FOR COTTAGE AND iMANSION 163 The two most attractive evergreen vines with blossoms for southern plantings, are Rhynchospermu?njasminoides, the Malayan Jasmme, and Geisemimn sempervirens, the Carolina Yellow Jas- mme, of course, not including the evergreen climbers among the Roses, which are mentioned in a preceding chapter. The Rhvnchos- permum is easily grown and blooms continuously from April to July. It is of rather slow growth, but gains in beauty year by year. Its fragrant clusters of starry white blossoms against the background of rich, dark green leaves always create a most strik- ing picture. The Yellow Jasmine is of daintier foliage than the Star Jasmine and its blossoming period is shorter, but it is a mass of golden yellow cups of amazing sweetness just about the time that the purple tones of the fragrant Wistarias are flung out as heralds of the Spring that is to be. These two vines are wonderfully beautiful when planted in conjunction with the Wistarias, /F. chinensis and W. chinensis alba. The Wistaria comes into flower before it shows its leafage and needs an evergreen background to bring out the full beauty of its racemes of purple and white flowers that are usually borne in such rich luxuriance. A per- gola planted with Rhynchospermum and either the white or the purple Wistaria is a picture that never fails to delight. Masses of the purple blossoms hanging from the top of a leafless, weather- bleached grey tree trunk with a long reach of green turf in the foreground and evergreen shrubbery in the background, was one of the finest pictures caught by the camera artist this fleeting Spring and cherished thus for a leaf in memory's garden book. The Boston Ivy, Ampelopsis Veitchii, and the Virginia Creeper, Ampelopsis quinquefolia, are two of the hardy vines that are used for covering walls and structures where it is not advisable to use evergreen vines. For screening porches on the second floor Ampelopsis arborea, the Pepper Vine, is a handsome climber with compound leaves of a beautiful bluish green that climbs quickly to great heights. The blossoms are insignificant, but very fragrant, and the bees are very fond of them. The berries are at first red and finally black, and borne in such quantities 164 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR that the vines are quite ornamental in the Fall. It is hardy south of Virginia and Missouri. The Honeysuckles are evergreen in the South and are much used for screens and trellises and, in fact, anywhere that a vine is to be used. Lonicera japonica is a rampant grower frequently used for covering tall screens, and the blue-green leaves of the native Woodbine, Lonicera sempervirens^ are most attractive when trained around the porch pillars where their scarlet blos- soms can show in the early Spring. The purple-leaved Chinese Honeysuckle, Lonicera chinensis, is also evergreen and not very often seen. A very showy wild vine that should be more often used is the evergreen Trumpet Flower, commonly called the Cross Vine, Bignonia crucigera, which thrives in rich moist soils and quickly IVY IS A MOST APPROPRIATE DRAPERY FOR A SUNDIAL Here the vine-clad dial stands just beyond the shadow of a Mimosa tree; clipped Amoor Privet the walk VINES FOR COTTAGE AND MANSION 165 STAR JASMINE AND CHEROKEE ROSES Both are evergreen and wonderfully lovely here. The Jasmine is Rhynochospermum jasminoides 166 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR VINES FOR COTTAGE AND MANSION 167 climbs to fifty feet or more. It is wonderfully beautiful in the woods of Louisiana but is easily naturalized and worthy of garden space. This vine should not be confused with the deciduous Trumpet Vine, Tecoma radicans^ which bears its showy clusters of tawny red-orange flowers in Midsummer. The Cross Vine has orange-yellow flowers in late Spring and early Summer and is a much more vigorous grower than the later American Trumpet Vine. All the Clematis vines are delicate and beautiful, but the easiest to grow, as well as the hardiest, is Clematis paniculata, which is much used for covering trellises and porches and can be relied on for a perennial efl^ect. The large flowering hybrid kinds require deep, moist soils, yet the situation must be well- drained and the soil porous. In the latitude of Savannah and New Orleans and farther South they grow vigorously. In the higher altitudes they need to be protected. The annual vines, such as the Ipomoeas, the climbing Nasturtiums, the graceful and delicate Cypress, the Cardinal Flower, Humulus japonica (the hardy and quick-growing Hop), the ornamental Gourds, the Dolichos or Hyacinth Bean, both red and white, delicate and fragrant in flower and making a thick screen — and many others, are valuable, beautiful, and quick climbers. That Jack-and-the- Beanstalk Vine, the Kudzu, is, perhaps, almost of too rank a growth to be recommended. However, the main point is, plant vines and cover up the fences, screen the ugly views and keep them screened and out of sight from month to month and year to year. The simplest cottage is made more attractive by such plantings and the lord- liest mansion is made more gracious by their use. They take up less ground space than any other growing things, and by blos- som and leaf and tendrils do their part to make the world greener, more artistic and less ugly all the time. After the beautiful Clematis paniculata has showered its clouds of white fragrance through all the Midsummer days we are sur- prised to find that September brings it fair rivals in two other hardy vines of heart-shaped leaves and wonderful beauty of flower. 168 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Polygonum marginatum is a vine of recent introduction. Its leaves are silky and smooth, and the growth of the vine is very graceful. Both this vine and the Mexican Rose, x^ntigonon, have heart-shaped foliage that covers the long drooping tendrils with leaves of varied sizes, beginning with baby hearts and increas- ing in size until they are as large as a giant's hand. When the Polygonum is a cloud of white the Antigonon is covered with masses of pink coral drops. Both of these vines are most useful for covering trellises, making screens wherever needed, and are much used for decoration. September brides are very fond of them. Pergola and porch effects of great beauty may be gained by planting two or more vines in combination. Always use an evergreen vine for background and to give the requisite evergreen note, thus avoiding ugliness and bareness in the Winter months. The wild Smilax with pink Antigonon and Cle^natis paniculata^ and white Wistaria or purple with yellow Jasmine, are favorite combinations. White Wistaria and scarlet Trumpet Honey- suckle with Ivy to give depth, is often seen. The Star Jasmine and a Crimson Rambler Rose blooming at the same time make a wonderful picture of rich loveliness. Pink Cherokee Roses entwined with Honeysuckle and Polygonum are exquisite. White Roses and Honeysuckles or Caroline Testout Roses with Polygonum marginatwn are beautiful together, and for quick growth and hurry-up effects the wealth of annual vines are ours for the choosing. With Moonflower for fragrance, blue Morning Glories for joy and Cardinal Vines for brilliance — who would have a bare column or a sunny porch ? VINES FOR COTTAGE AND IVIAXSIOX 169 CHARMING SCREENS OF WHITE WISTARIA AND CLEMATIS PANICULATA Boxwood, Ivy and Periwinkle in boxes make hanging gardens in all the windows of Gertrude Capen Whitney's home 170 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR SOUTHERN LAWNS 171 CHAPTER XIX THE MAKING AND CARE OF SOUTHERN LAWNS ON many ot the estates in the South, which are used only as Winter residences, June is the regular time for making over the lawns. Fertilizers are freely used, and after being spread over the surface are ploughed in. The ploughing is usually very deep and the sod is then disc-harrowed in order to cut it very fine. This done, the surface is raked as fine and smooth as it is possible to get it and then is left to mellow until October. Deep raking and smoothing at this time are followed by thick seeding with an evergreen lawn grass seed, and after a rolling with a heavy roller and a watering, the lawn is left to grow. In a few weeks the seed will have germinated and grown sufficently to allow cutting. Alternate rolling and cutting, weekly, from this 'time until December will result in a sod that is springy and firm to walk on, soft and velvety to touch, and a picture of green loveliness on which to feast the eyes. This procedure is most expensive, and only those with long purses can afford to indulge. There is no doubt but that most of us have to live in our homes twelve months of the year, rather than five, and are more interested, therefore, in the making and care of an all-the-year lawn, than we are in one that is beautiful for less than half of that time. In this section of the South and farther, there is but one grass that can be depended upon to give greenness throughout the hot, dry Summer months: that is Bermuda grass, Capriola iCy no- don) dactylon. This grows anywhere, except under trees where .there is dense shade; it may be depended on for lush, rich turf in fertile soils, and for strong, good sod on even the poorest soil. 172 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR The roots spread by an underground system and go down so deep that for planting on banks or where the soil is apt to wash, nothing is better. The best way to plant Bermuda is to get the roots, cut them up fine, and drill the sprigs in furrows twelve inches apart each way. Then the ground should be rolled. The cuttings grow easily in the Spring and can be planted at any time except in extremely dry weather in Midsummer and in the Midwinter season. This planting will give an even turf that should be rolled regularly and cut often. This grass alone will give a beautiful, soft, blue-green Summer sod that will stand the hardest wear. When September comes the Bermuda begins to turn brown, and quick, hard work is necessary to keep the lawn in trim. The sod should be cut very closely with a good lawn mower, raked as smooth and clean as is possible, and over it a seeding of Winter grasses should be made. Italian Rye grass, Lolium italicum^ and White Clover, Tri- folium repenSy used in the proportions of three to two, make a delightful Winter combination. The Rye grass is an annual and must be sown anew each Fall, but there is no grass known to us that makes so fresh and green a lawn. Closely cut and regularly rolled, it is impossible to describe its beauty. Clover is always lovely and does not have to be sown again each season. Also it grows under the trees where the Bermuda will not thrive. Pacey's, or English Rye grass, Lolium perenne^ is not quite so desirable as the Italian for fresh beauty in the Winter months, but it is a perennial and will last four or five years. This is also about the length of time allowed by many good gardeners for the making over of the Bermuda lawns, so that if the Bermuda is used in the Spring, and the Clover and Rye in the Fall, the lawn should last for several years, with just enough reseeding of the bare spots to keep it even and neat. Cottonseed meal and bonemeal used in the Spring are most valuable aids to strong growth and even sods. They should be used in preference to stable manure, unless the latter can be ploughed in deeply, and, even then, this must always be followed by a warfare against weeds that must be waged even more vigor- SOUTHERN LAWNS 173 CO o o = H a o .£ 174 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR SOUTHERN LAWNS 175 176 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR ,5 ^ c3 O 4J .^ z ■-- ^ £-c CO rj C Z «! >- ij «J U SOUTHERN LAWNS 177 ously than usual, and all of us who make lawns know that this is an endless battle. Where it is not possible to secure the Bermuda roots for Sum- mer growth, plant the seed. Many use the Bermuda roots in Spring and disc-harrow in the Fall and plant the Georgia Bur Clover, Medicago arabica^ declaring that one planting of this makes either pasture or lawn for a lifetime. For large areas, for parks and much-used lawns, these two grasses are unequaled. For the smaller places the Rye grasses and Clover for Winter and the Bermuda grass for the Summer will give best results. Farther South, in Charleston and Savannah, and on the warm, sandy coastlands, St. Augustine Grass, Stenotaphrum dimitiatum^ is much used. This is grown from cuttings set in Summer, one foot apart; every joint takes root and becomes a new center. It makes a dense, carpet-like growth and is almost evergreen. It is often planted inland but seems to need the tang of the salt air for best results. An attested mixture of evergreen lawn grass (recleaned, seed) that has been used this Winter with excellent results and is now making a strong Spring growth that bids fair to hold out through the Summer, is composed of the following six grasses: Kentucky Blue {Poa pratensis), good for the higher sections of the South; Red Top {Agrostis vulgaris)^ good for filling in with the Blue Grass; English Rye {Lolium perenne); Italian Rye {Lolium italicum); Bermuda {Capriola dactylon)^ and White Clover {Trifoliujn repens). This may be planted in either Fall or Spring with good results and if the soil is properly prepared, if the lawn is kept well rolled and carefully cut — not only will it be in good condition for the Winter but throughout all the year. My favorite lawn is that first mentioned: Bermuda Grass for the Summer, Italian Rye for Winter, and White Clover for the shady spots and for Spring and Fall. There is absolute necessity for close cutting at all seasons if you would have a good lawn. Not only must this be done but eternal warfare must be waged on the weeds. My ambition for the South is not only a garden for every home, but a lawn as well. 178 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR FLOWERING TREES 179 CHAPTER XX FLOWERING TREES FOR ALL SEASONS ^T^HE Winter-blossoming trees available for planting along the -■- Gulf Coast and in the lower sections of the South are all beautiful and many of them are unusual. The Tea Olive, Oka fragrans, is usually classed as a shrub, but, if well cultivated and given plenty of room, soon attains the proportions of a tree. It is the most fragrant of all our trees and shrubs, the blossoms making up in sweetness what they lack in size. The Japanese Loquat or Medlar, Eriobotrya japonica, is another tree with flowers of cloying fragrance that comes into bloom in November and lasts almost until Christmas. This tree also has bright yellow fruit from February until May that adds much to its attractiveness. The fruit, however, does not mature in the sections colder than Savannah. The ever-beautiful Photinia serrulata, with its leaf buds of brilliant red in Midwinter, becomes a sight to delight both gods and men when February's chilling rains make life a burden and cheer much needed. It is then covered with corymbs of creamy-white flowers that remind one of the Summer-flowering Elders. With the Photinias, the native Wild Olive, Oka americana, blooms. The blossoms of this tree are individually insignificant, but when the multitudi- nous clusters show among the always ghstening green leaves it IS one of the most charming of the evergreen trees. Defohation is necessary in transplanting this tree and as the nurserymen do not handle it very often it is well to remember this in digging specimens in the woods to transport to the lawns and gardens which they so worthily adorn. 180 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Another evergreen tree that is very beautiful and hardy all along the Gulf Coast is Cinnamomum camphora. While it cannot be called a flowering tree, the dainty coloring in the young leaves makes it worthy of a prominent place in the plantings wherever it can be grown. All of the above trees are classed as broad- leaved evergreens and are valuable, therefore, for their Winter foliage as well as for their blossoms. The golden yellow balls of the Opoponax, Acacia Jam esiana^ with their delicate fragrance, bring to the gardens of the far South and Florida the aroma of the gardens of the Orient. With dainty foliage, finely cut and sensitive to the touch, and an outline of characteristic grace, this tree should be planted in the sub-tropical sections much more often than it is, for its blossoms also project their haunting odor on the Midwinter air. The early Spring-flowering trees that have small white flowers are the White Fringe, Chionanthus virginica^ that we know in the woodland roamings of childhood as Grand-Daddy's Grey- beard; the Silver Bell and Snowdrop Trees, Mohrodendron caro- linum and M. dipterum^ which tell by their common names the nature of the blossoms; the characteristic and fragrant clusters of the hardy Black Locust, Robinia pseudacacia; the Hillside Thorn, Crataegus collina, the English and evergreen Hawthorns, Cratxgus monogyna and Crataegus coccinea Lalandii; the Service Berry and Shadbush, Ajnelanchier botryapium and Amelanchier canadensis^ known to all plant lovers; with the later blooms of the Yellow Wood, Virgilia lutea, and the most lovely of all, the Sourwood, Oxydendron arboreum, which bears clusters of flowers like Lilies of the Valley, all add daintiness to the landscape and most of them fragrance as well. For the broader-petaled white blooms of early Spring the most popular (and deservedly so) is the Dogwood in its various forms. Cornus florida alba is most used in the South. The Hardy Oranges, and the Citrange, grafted on the stock of Citrus trifoiiata^ are most attractive, and the Starry Magnolia, M. stellata, the creamy- white Horse Chestnut, ^s cuius parvi flora ^ and JEsculus Hip- pocastanum^ with the Mountain Ash, Sorbus americana^ for the colder sections, will round out the Hst. FLOWERING TREES 181 SYRINGA JAPONICA IN ALL ITS SPRING LOVELINESS This is a New York State picture, but the tree would be equally attractive in Georgia and would grow as well. I know, for I have tried it 182 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR FLOWERING TREES 183 To these trees we may add for the white blossoms the fruit trees, Cherry, Plum, Pear and the flowering Peach, Persica chrys- anthemmn alba or Persica vulgaris. In Midsummer, the white Crape Myrtle, LagerstrcsJiiia indica alba, is very beautiful. This form is not a very vigorous grower nor as hardy as the pink varie- ties, but it is lovely enough to be widely used. If anything can be more exquisite than the snowy charm of the white-blossomed trees of the Springtime it is when the roseate hues of Peach and Apricot, Crab Apple and flowering Cherries are seen etched in all their dainty loveliness against the soft, clear blue of the Spring skies and washed in the showers of an April noon. In order to be sure of getting what you want from the florists all trees should be ordered by their standard names. The nomenclature of the pink-flowering trees of Springtime is: Cornus florida rubra, pink Dogwood; Cerasus japonica, flowering Cherry; Cercis japonica, Judas tree; Japanese Magnolia, Mag- nolia Soulangeana, and the Persica chrysanthejnum rosea and rubra, the pink- and red-flowering Peaches. The unequaled richness of the red Horse Chestnut, /Esculus rubicunda, and the fiery scarlet of the Maple bloom, Acer rubrum, and the carmine Lagerstroemia of Summer flower add deeper notes to the color scheme and beauty to the landscape picture. In striking contrast to the blossoms of pink and white and red are the trees with flowers of yellow tones. Of the larger trees the Parasol Tree {Sterculia platanifolia) , Laburnum vulgaris, the Golden Chain Tree, and the Tulip Poplars, Liriodendron tulipijera, are rich and colorful. The Tulip Tree is the hardest to transplant but once established is much the most desirable and beautiful of this group. For sidewalk, parks, street and lawn planting no other tree is better. The deep orange found in the Tulip Tree flowers is repeated in the blossoms of the Golden Rain Tree or Varnish Tree, K(£lreuteria paniculata, which is a very attractive plant and free from the blights which so often attack the Laburnums. The creamy yellow Southern Black Haw, Viburnum rufidulum, and the Japanese Pagoda Tree, Sophora japonica, complete the yellow side of the scale. 184 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR The feathery purphsh plumes of the Smoke Tree, Rhus Cotinus^ form a most charming contrast when planted in conjunction with tawny yellow flowers of the Tulip trees. For the best effects the Smoke Trees should be planted in masses. On the driveways of the farms beautiful screens can be made of these trees if planted with the evergreen Cassine berries and the Japanese Privets. The quick-growing China Berry trees, Melia Azederach and the umbrella form, Melia Azederach umbraculiformisy are universal favorites. Unquestionably the delicate flowers of lilac and primrose yellow with deeper purple tips are beautiful and the fragrance is very penetrating; but the tree is such a glutton that it absorbs all the soil nourishment within many feet of it and is such a pig when it comes to making trash that it would be more deserving of its widespread use if it could be induced to change its bad habits. Stately and elegant both in blossom and foliage are the broad- leaved Catalpas, Catalpa bignioides and C. speciosa. The panicles of purple blossom with orange throats that cover these trees in May and June are very handsome and the pale violet clusters that crown the Empress Tree, Paulownia imperialism make a fitting garland for this queen who has come to us from across the Pacific. Both the Catalpas are subject to a scale that is very hard to eradicate and is likely to injure other plantings near it. The Flowering Willow, Chilopsis linearis^ and Vitex Agnus- castuSy the Chaste Tree, are the only trees with purple blooms that we have in the Summer months. The so-called purple Lagerstrcemia indica is so nearly a magenta in shade that it should be barred from every garden. The Summer-flowering trees are not numerous, but they make up in brilliance what they lack in number. The evergreen Privet trees, Ligustrum japonica and L. lucidum^ begin to bloom in late May and continue well into June. The flowers of characteristic beauty and odor are followed by heavy clusters of berries which are green with a soft bloom in Fall and black in Winter. They are truly beautiful and are quick growing and desirable garden and lawn ornaments. They are also particularly useful for ever- green screenings. Even as far north as West Point, N. Y., the FLOWERING TREES 185 186 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR MAGNOLIA BLOSSOMS PRODUCE AN EFFECT THAT IS ALMOST UNBELIEV- ABLE-UNTIL YOU SEE IT This is a specimen of Magnolia Soulangeana FLOWERING TREES 187 Japanese Lilac, Syringa japonica^ is hardy and wonderfully beautiful. The broad corymbs of creamy white flowers stand well above the dark green of the leaves which are of large size and heavy texture and the fragrance of the flowers is pungent and strong. An avenue or drive lined with these trees in bloom makes a picture of exceeding loveliness. More strictly southern and bringing the flavor of the gardens of the Old South into those of the New is Magnolia grandiflora, that lifts unnumbered cups of old ivory tints on lacquered trays of shining green that the gods may sip to their fill of the nectar that can only be distilled for them among the fragrant blossoms of southern gardens in Midsummer. As dainty as the ladies of those olden days, whose gardens they adorned, is the exquisite Mimosa, Acacia Julibrissin, with its pink-tipped, thistle-like blooms of pearl color. Every southern garden large enough to contain them should have both of these trees, purely for senti- ment's sake, even if not for their own beauty. The Magnolias, Mimosas, and Crape Myrtles are companions in the romantic history of the South and no trio of tree planting could be more beautiful. The delicate rose-pink and the deeper rose madder of the Crape Myrtles make them objects of striking interest and beauty for many months each year. As hedges they are most eff"ective. A vine-covered pergola with snowy columns limned against the masses of a group of pink Crape Myrtles forms a most artistic picture. Distinction in the planting of flowering trees can be secured only by planting them in masses, and where the place is small it is far better to confine oneself to one variety exclusively than to attempt to mingle the groupings. Who has not heard of the beautiful avenues of Cherry blossoms that make the roadways' of Japan the Mecca of tourists from all parts of the world ? In North Georgia there is a turnpike which is bordered by Apple trees for a distance of forty miles. Some day, when the motorists discover its fairy-like beauty in the early Spring, it will also become a famous trysting place for the beauty-lovers of the world. High up among the old red hills its beauty and charm are worth while from early Spring until late Fall. One home in mid-Georgia is 188 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Eriobotrya japonica the Japanese Medlar or Loquat, as found at Brooksville, Fla. Foliage, blossoms and fruit all find favor FLOWERING TREES 189 known far and wide for the white and pink Crape Myrtles, which fill the air with fragrance and delight the eye with beauty, all through the long, hot Summer months. Another home is the delight of all the passing throng in the early Spring, on account of the wonderful vistas framed by its blossoming Dogwood trees, both the white and the pink varieties. I might cite instance after instance of places made beautiful and become famous by massed plantings, but these are mentioned in passing, as it were, to stress the suggestion that if you can only have a few shrubs or trees you should plant those you select in worthy numbers, revel in their beauty each recurring season and live on the memories of them for the rest of the year. ^^TT 190 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR THE HISTORIC CORNWALLIS OAK At Guilford, N. C, says tradition, on March 15, 1751, Lord Cornwallis, in command of the British troops, tied his horse to an Oak sapling. The horse ate the main leader and the tree developed this magnificent spreading head. Who would not treasure such an heirloom in his or her garden ? CONCLUSION 191 CHAPTER XXI CONCLUSION— DEVOUTLY HOPED FOR THE small householder is apt to think that the cost of perma- nent shrubbery is so great as to be prohibitive to the man of small means. This is not true. The average price of the small deciduous and evergreen shrubs is from twenty-five to seventy-five cents and many of the former can be bought for as little as ten cents each. Many of our most beautiful garden children can be found in the wild woods for the digging and can be safely transplanted, if proper attention is given to pruning and planting at the time of moving. But, when these plants must be bought from the nurserymen (£hd this is the easiest and usually most satisfactory way of handling them) it must be remem- bered that the primary cost is the only one to be considered, so they are really much cheaper in the end than the flowers that grow from seed and must be planted anew each year. The ultimate care of a shrubbery border is negligible as com- pared to the borders of annual flowers, which to the average man or woman is the meaning conveyed when one speaks of making a garden. Reliable garden help is very hard to secure, and this is another argument in favor of the garden that is planted with evergreen and deciduous shrubs, that is a joy to the maker of it from its inception, repays every moment of care expended on it, and grows in interest and charm from season to season. No garden was ever made in a day and the starting of it right, with dependable plantings, and with a clear idea of the aim to be reached, will mean untold pleasure in the future. 192 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Making a garden in the South is different from making one in any other section only in the fact that every month can be and should be a garden working month and every season should have its share of bloom and beauty and sweetness. Midwinter blossoms are no rarer than Midsummer ones and garden work is much easier done in January than in August. The cold invig- orates one to energetic efforts without destroying the result of the labor of one's hands and heart and brain. The heat, on the other hand, enervates and often parches the plantings and not much gardening can be done in the hot Summer months. Because this is true, the Winter months give to the women and men of the Southern States the opportunity they need to make beauti- ful their homes. Think what it would mean to the physical value of the farms of these sections if every farmer would make of his dooryard a lawn, would plant screens of flowering trees to hide the service quarters of his farm, would plant the foundation lines of his home with shrubs and would shield the porches from the Summer sun by means of ornamental vines! With the prodigal wealth of our flora, with the ease of growth, why is it that the people of the South have not taken advantage of their opportunities and made this section the most wonder- fully beautiful of the world ^ It is simply because they have not seen the vision of concerted action, of definite planting plans, of working for beauty on the farms as well as for utility. This has been true of the past. It will not be true of the future. Our boys have seen the gardens of old England and France, they have come home with inspiration and the will to translate that ideal into action. This means the inception of a new era and the development of the home grounds of the South in a way that has not been considered possible heretofore. The slogan, "Every home in a garden" will become a truism before many years have passed. When I began my garden the plantings were good enough, but were so scattered, so hidden by fences and buildings, that there was needed the eye of faith, the heart of patience, and the prayer of courage to undertake to transform the higgledy-piggledy city lot into a place of beauty and fragrance; a garden worthy CONCLUSION 193 194 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR CONCLUSION 195 of the name, but that is what it is today. My ideal has been to make a picture of greenness and brilliance that will be seen from every window in the house on every day in the year. This I have done. It is a hard task, and I have just begun to realize my ideals of smooth, close-shaven lawns bordered by blossoms against a background of shrubs, which are sometimes brilliantly flower-starred and the rest of the time rich and green. There is much, much, yet to do, but it has been so well worth while in every possible way that I am glad to pass the story of my efforts on, hoping that some other busy woman or man with no more time nor money than I have had will take heart of grace and go forth and do likewise. The worst part of a working woman's garden is her limita- tion of time and money. There are so many things one would like to do that just cannot be done on account of lack of funds, and the going must be so discouragingly slow. After a time, one realizes that to "make haste slowly" is a good motto for the garden maker. The best part of the worker's garden is that, because each week means a sacrifice for the garden work and plantings, everything that gives beauty or fragrance is doubly a joy. The men and women who make gardens will find them safety valves for the spirit when things go wrong. They will not tire of garden making, for the fascinating part of it is that it is never finished. They must plant in faith, water with hope, take counsel of patience; then, if they are long-suffering and kind, they will reap an abundant harvest of joy and peace and happiness as well as of Pansies, and Roses, and Lilies, and Poppies, and blossoms of every hue. The End. 196 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR INDEX OF OWNERS OR SITES OF GARDENS ILLUSTRATED Page Augusta (Ga.) Women's Clubs 161 Henry Barnett, Sumter, S. C 121 Mr. Beagle, Chico, Cal 136 Frank E. Beane, Augusta, Ga 15 Peter Bisset, Washington, D. C 82 Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Ga 32 Mrs. A. H. Brenner, Augusta, Ga (top) 41 A. L. Brooks, Irving Park, Goldsboro, N. C 194 Mrs. F. N. Brunson, Sumter, S. C 107 Carter Burdell, "Winterholme," Augusta, Ga 66, 84, 87 Judge E. H. Calloway, Augusta, Ga 76 Bryan Gumming, Augusta, Ga 16 Mrs. Hiram Price Dillon, Topeka, Neb 148 Mrs. Julia Lester Dillon, "Lesterholme," Augusta, Ga.30, 68, 100, 110, 127 Eben W. Doughty, Augusta, Ga 124 Lawton B. Evans, Augusta, Ga 77, 104 Fisher Park, Greensboro, N. C 88, 166 Georgia Railroad Station, Augusta, Ga 129 C. W. Gold, Goldsboro, N. C 112 Francis A. Hardy, Augusta, Ga Cover, frontispiece, 46, 49, 78, 92, 143, 158, 173, 175 H. C. Haynesworth, Sumter, S. C 42, 43, 44 (bottom), 45 Mrs. John W. Herbert, "Palmetto Lodge," North Augusta, S. C.29, 83, 164 Highland Park, Rochester, N. Y 181 Gardiner G. Hubbard, "Twin Oaks," Washington, D. C 67, 69, 77 C. C. Hudson, Greensboro, N. C 25 Miss M. Hughson, Sumter, S. C 135 Irving Park, Greensboro, N. C 38, 193 Dr. C. J. Lemmon, Sumter, S. C 115 Mrs. J. H. Levy, Augusta, Ga 60, 160 Paul C. Lindley, Greensboro, N. C 22, 116, 132, 178 C. T. Mason, Sumter, S. C 35 Memorial Park, Sumter, S. C 98, 176 H. H. Morris, Augusta, Ga (bottom) 41 R. C. Neely, Jr., Augusta, Ga (top) 44 H. Nehrling, Gotha, Fla 54 James Parmalee, Painesville, 0 170 Royal Palm Hotel, Miami, Fla 31 Coles Phinizy, Augusta, Ga 104 E. Sternberger, Greensboro, N. C 37, 56 Mrs. I. C. Strauss, Sumter, S. C 91 Miss Marie Sumerau, Augusta, Ga 185 Gertrude Capen Whitney, Augusta, Ga 169 Dr. Walter Van Fleet, Bell Station, Md 50 Boykin Wright, "Coniston," Augusta, Ga 56, 162, 165, 174 {Illustrations on pages 146 and 149, courtesy of W. Atlee Burpee Co.) INDEX 197 INDEX (Figures in italics ind A Page Abelia grandiflora S5, 27, 117 Acacia Farnesiana, 180; Julibris- sin 187 Acer plantanoides, 38; rubrum.. . . 183 iEsculus Hippocastanum,180; par- viflora, 180; rubicunda 183 African Marigolds 118, 122 Ageratum 85,111,118,122 Agrostis vulgaris 177 Althsa, 155; frutex 117 Alyssum saxatile 118, 122 Amelanchier Botryapium, 180; canadensis . 180 Ampelopsis arborea, 163; quin- quefolia, 162, 163; Veitchii 163 Antigonon leptopus 159, 166 Antirrhinum 85, 86, 122 Apple, Flowering Crab 183 Aphids 69,126 Aquilegia.. 122, 133, 134, 138 Arabis alpina 122, 133 Arborvitse 79 Artemisia lactifolia 116, 132 Arsenate of lead 126 Assam Tea Plant 23 Asters 106, 111, 113, 118, 122 Augusta gardens 48 Autumn sowing 147 Azalea amcena, 47; arborescens, 51; calendulacea, 51, 52; Hi- nodigiri, 48; Kaempferi, 60; lutea, 51; mollis, 48; Vaseyi,. . 51 Azaleas, 47, 49; deciduous 51, 5^ B Baby's Breath 39 Bamboo, 12J^; Heavenly ;^^, 27 Banana Tree 123 Bear Grass 30 Berberis japonica, 33; Thunber- gii 36, 3S Bermuda Grass. . . .171, 172, 174, 177 Bignonia crucigera 164 icate illustrations.) Page Biota aurea conspicua, 65; B. a. nana, 56', 62; B. a. pyramidalis. 65 Bordeaux mixture 125 Boxwood, dwarf, 43, U, 76, 169; tall, 2^,39,84 Bridal Wreath 152 Broad-leaved evergreens 19 Bur Clover, Georgia 177 Burning Bush 152 Buxus sempervirens, 28, 39, 40; B. s. suffruticosa 43 C Cactus 16,119 Calico Bush 27,28 Camellias 47,53,5.^ Campanula carpatica, 138; pyra- midalis 138 Camphor Tree 180 Candytuft 76,118 Canna, 89, 106, 113, 115, 123, 135, 136 Canterbury Bells 138 Capriola dactylon 171, 174, 177 Cardinal Vine 167, 168 Catalpa bignonoides, 184; spe- ciosa 184 Cassine Berry 184 Cedrus Deodara 57, 60 Centaurea 122 Cerasus caroliniana, 20, 35; japon- ica 183 Cercis japonica 183 Chamaxyparis pisifera plumosa,^5, 64 Charleston 13 Chaste Tree 184 Chattahoochee 17 Cherry Trees, Carolina, 20; Flow- ering 183 Chimney Bell Flower 138 China Berry Tree 184 Chionanthus virginica 180 Chrysanthemum 102, 105, 118, 122, 14^ 198 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Page Cinnamomum Camphora 180 Citrange 180 Citrus trifoliata 40, 180 Clematis paniculata 167 Clover, Bur, 177; White 177 Columbine 122, 133, 134, 138 Concord 13 Conifers Jt,56, 57, 59, 60, 63, 64 Coral Vine 159 Coreopsis lanceolata 140 Cornflower 118 Cornwallis Oak, The 190 Cornus florida alba, 180, 182; C. f. rubra 183 Cosmos 105 Crape Myrtle. 183, 187, 189 Crataegus coccinea, 180; collina, 180; monogyna, 180; pyracan- tha Lalandii (see Pyracantha). Crocus.. 109 Cross Vine 164 Cumberland 17 Cupressus Benthamii, 58; C. B. Knightiana, 58; C. funebris, 61; C. sempervirens, 61; pyra- midalis royalii 56, 60, Ql Cydonia 110, 152 Cypress Trees. 4^, 56, 58, 59, 60, 129 Cypress Vine 167 D Daffodils 90, 109, 118, 122 Dahlia 105 Daisies, 108, 123, 185; African.. . . 91 Darwin Tulips 4 Delphinium 14, 85, 122, 138 Deutzia, 110, 154; crenata, 152; gracilis 152 Dianthus plumarius 133 Diervilla florida 152 Digitalis gloxiniaeflora 138 Dogwood, pink, 183; white 182 Dolichos 167 E Elseagnus 23 Elder, American 155 Empress Tree 184 English Rye Grass 177 Eriobotrya japonica 23, 179, 188 Euonymus radicans 159, 170 Page Euphorbia 31 Evergreens, Broad-leaved 19 Exochorda grandiflora 29, 152 F Ficus repens 159 Fig, Trailing, 159; Tree 109 Florida 14 Flowering Cherry, 183; Peach, 183; Plum, 183; trees, 138, Willow. .184 Flowers of sulphur 125 Forsythia, 110; Fortunei, 152; suspensa, 152, 158; viridissima.152 Foxglove 138 Fragrance 34 Fringe Tree 180 G Gaillardia 89, 133, 136 Gardenia jasminoides florida, 29, 117; G.j. Fortunei 29, 117 Gelsemium sempervirens 163 Georgia 14 Gladiolus 123 Golden Bell, 152, 158; Chain Tree, 183, Glow, 105, 118; Rain Tree.183 Grass seed 171 Greenbrier 160 Gynerium 16 Gypsophila paniculata 39 H Haw, Black 183 Hawthorn 19,20,26, 180 Heavenly Bamboo 26 Hedera algeriensis, 159; Helix. 79, 159 Hedge plants 35 Helianthus. 85, 111, 118, 122 Hibiscus syriacus 155 Hillside Thorn 180 Holly 22,23,24: Hollyhocks 111,133 Honeysuckle 152 Hop Vine 167 Horse Chestnut Tree 180, 183 Hudson 13, 17 Humulus japonicus 167 Hyacinth, 84, 85, 90, 109, 118, 122; Hyacinth Bean 167 INDEX 199 Page Hydrangea, 110, 111, 112, 113; arborescens, 155; monstrosa, 155; Otaksa, 155; paniculata grandiflora. 111, 113, 117, 155; quercifolia 117 Hypericum Moserianum 117 I Iberis sempervirens 76, 122 Ilex aquifolium, 24; cassine, 20, 24; cornuta, 24; crenata, 22, 24; glabra, 20, 24; opaca. . . .20, 24 Inkberry 24 Insecticides 126, 128, 131 Ipomoea 167 Iris, 97, 118, 121, 122; germanica, 145, 158; hispanica, 145; Kaempferi 145, 158 Italian Rye Grass 144, 172, 177 Ivy, Algerian, 106; Boston, 163, 166; English 46, US, 159, 164- J Jasmine, Malayan, 163; Star, 163, 165; Yellow 163 Jasminum nudiflorum, 88, 152, 153, 158; revolutum 155 Jonquils .....109,118, 122 Juniperus communis, 43, 64; vir- giniana 43,58,64 K Kalmia latifolia 27,28 Kentucky Blue Grass 176, 177 Kerosene emulsion 128 Kerria japonica 152 Kcelreuteria paniculata 183 Kudzu Vine 167 Laburnum vulgare 183 Lagerstroemia 117, 129, 183, 184 Larkspur 107, 118, 122 Laurel, English, 28, 29, 115; Mountain 27,^5 Laurocerasus 20, 21, 28 Laurus nobilis 28 Laurustinus 24 Lavender 117 Lavandula vera 117 Lawns 144, 171, 175, 176, 178 Page Ligustrum amurense, 27, 35, 36, 41, 43, 45, 79; chinensis, 33; japonicum, 20, 33, 37, 184; lucidum, 20,33, 184; nepalense, 33; ovalifolium,36; Quihoui. . . 33 Lilac 152,187 Lime-sulphur 126 Liriodendron tulipifera 183 Locust, Black 180 Lolium italicum, 172, 173, 177; perenne. . 172, 177 Lonicera chinensis, 164; fragran- tissima, 152; sempervirens 164 Loquat 20, 23, 179, 188 M Magnolia fuscata, 20; gloriosa, 20; grandiflora, 20, 187; Sou- langeana, 183, 186; stellata 180 Mahonia japonica 21 Maples, Norway 38 Marvel of Peru 85 Massachusetts 18 Medicago arabis 177 Medlar 20, 23, 179, 188 Melia Azederach, 184; M. A. um- braculiformis 131, 184 Mildew 125 Mimosa 188 Mohrodendron carolinianum, 180; dipterum 180 Moonflower.. 168 Morning Glories 85 Mountain Ash, 180; Laurel,... .27, 28 Myrtle, Crape, 123; Trailing 79 N Nandina domestica ^^,27 Narcissus 85, 109, 118, 122 Nasturtium 85, 111, 167 Nerium 20, IIZ, 121 New Orleans 13 O Oak, Cornwallis, 190; Live 32 Olea americana, 20; fragrans, .23, 179 Oleander 29, 50, 113, 123, 121 Oleaster 23 Olive, Tea, 23^ 85; Wild! . .' . .' .' .'26, 35 Opoponax 180 Opuntia 16,119 200 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR Page Oxydendron, arboreum 180 Oyster-shell scale 128 Pagoda Tree 183 Pansies 81,110,118,122 Parasol Tree 183 Paulownia imperialis 184 Peach, Flowering 87, 183 Pear, Flowering 183 Pearl Bush : 27,152 Persica chrysanthemum, 183; vulgaris 183 Peony 139 Periwinkle 7^,169 Perennials 137 Pests 123 Petunias 86, 107, 111, 118, 122 Philadelphus, 110; coronarius 152 Phlox, 86, 105, 106, 110, 113, 118, 122, 123, 134; paniculata. .133, 134 Photinia serrulata 179 Physostegia virginiana 89 Pinks 133 Pinus densiflora, 62; excelsa, 56, 62; koraiensis 62 Pittosporum Tobira 29 Plant lice 69,126,131 Platycodon grandiflora 138 Poa pratensis. 176,177 Polygonum marginatum 168 Pomegranates 113, 155 Poplars 129 Poppies, 110; Iceland, 133; Shir- ley 9Q,98 Potassium sulphide 126 Pride of India Tree 131 Privet. . . .27, 33, 35, 36, 37, 41, 43, 45, 79, 184 Pruning. .....; 109 Prunus caroliniana 40 Punica 110,155 Pyracantha coccinea Lalandii, 19, 20,26 Pyrus floribunda 152 Q Quercus 32 Quince, Japanese 112, 152 Ramblers, Baby 129 Red Top 177 Page Retinospora plumosa, 59, 65; squarrosa Veitchii 65 Rhamnus catharticus 40 Rhododendron 33 Rhodotypos 152 Rhus aromatica, 155; Cotinus, 155, 184; michauxi 155 Robinia pseudacacia 180 Rosa de Montana 159 Rosa laevigata, 82; rugosa 73 Rose garden, Making a, 75; view of 71,78 Rose of Sharon 155 Roses, Baby Rambler, i^5; Cher- okee, 66, 82, 83; Climbing, 66, 68, 125, 160; old-fashioned, 67; Polyantha, 77; hybrid.. ..67, 69, 72 Rudbeckia 105, 118, 122 Rust 125 Rye Grass, English, 177; Italian. 144, 172, 177 S Salvia. .85, 86, 106, 111, 113, 118, 122 Sambucus canadensis 155 Savannah 17 Scale, Oyster-shell 128 Service Tree 180 Shasta Daisy 185 Shrubs, deciduous, 151; ever- green 19, 35 Silver Bell Tree 180 Smilax, Bonanox, 160; Wild 160 Smoke Tree 155, 184 Snowball \U2,157 Snowdrop, 85, 109, 118; tree 180 Snow Garland 39 Sophora japonica 183 Sorbus americana 180 Sourwood Tree 180 South Carolina 18 Spanish Bayonet 16, 30, 103 Spiraea, 110, 155; Reevesiana, 152; Thunbergii, 27, 37, 39, 129', Vanhouttei 152 Sprays. . . . 124, 125, 126, 128, 130, 131 Sterculia platanifolia 183 Sweet Peas. ... 110, 146, 147, 149, 150 Sweet William 111,133 St. John's Wort 117 St. Augustine's Grass 177 Stenotaphrum dimitiatum 177 INDEX 201 Page Sumac 155 Syringa, 110, 152; japonica, 181, 187; vulgaris 152 T Tamarix plumosa 128 Tea Olive 23,85,179 Tea Plant, Assam 23 Tecoma radicans 167 Texas 14 Thea Bohea 23 Thorn, Hillside 180 Thuya 65 Trifolium repens 172, 176, 177 Trumpet Flower, 164; Vine 167 Tulip Tree 183 Tulips 90, 109 U Umbrella Tree 185 V Varnish Tree 183 Verbena 85,86,111 Veronica 89, 122 Viburnum plicatum, 152; rufidu- lum, 183; Tinus 24 Page Vinca major, 79; minor 115 Vines 159 Viola cornuta 81, 121, 122 Violets 85, 90, 101, 118 Virgilia lutea 180 Virginia 14, 18 Virginia creeper 162, 163 Vitex Angus-castus 184 W Weigela 152 Whale oil soap 126 White Clover 172, 176, 177 White Fringe Tree 180 Wild Olive 20,5^ Willow, Flowering 184 Wistaria chinensis 163 Yellow Wood. 180 Yucca aloifolia, 16, 30; filamen- tosa, 30, 103] Treculeana 30 Zinnia 86, 106, 111, 113, 118, 122 qA Suggestion ONE of the joys of garcleuing is that it is never finished, never with- out new interests and possibilities that come to light not only in onr own gardens but also in those that we maj^ chance to visit. To fully realize these possibilities, however, we must take note of them, remem- ber them, compare, contemplate and develop them. The following pages are left blank so that you can make such gar- den notes and memoranda, with which to render your future work and study more enjoyable, more successful and more profitable — for your- self and for your garden brethren, also. If their use should lead you into the habit of keeping a garden diary such as that mentioned in Chapter IX, so much the better. (garden ^^tes and