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As I read the prospectus of the Civic League's boys' and 
 girls' garden competilion and drinlf in the bounteousness of its 
 promise, I am tempted to put into words — for the interested 
 boys and girls — some of my thoughts born of the experience 
 of years spent under the influence of beautiful gardens, and 
 just such v>or}( as this contest is going to create here in 
 Omaha. 
 
 If I Tvere an Omaha boy or girl I j^non* mhat I would do, 
 and as the season is already far advanced, I will be brief in 
 telling it, for many of the seeds that are to be sowed should be 
 swelling in the moist earth at this moment. First of all, I 
 would see that my father and mother read the preamble and 
 rules, and sanctioned my entering the contest; then I would 
 consider well the time and strength that would be needed, and 
 if I felt a bit doubtful on the subject I would get my friends 
 to help; next I would mal^e out and mail the application with 
 a rough little sl(etch of my home lot just as it is today to the 
 Secretary at the City National banl^ building. If the house, 
 fence, etc., needed painting, I would try to get my father to 
 have them painted. Then I would examine very carefully the 
 actual ground to be worthed upon, and if it were hard and 
 clayey, it might have to be plowed, and perhaps fertilized. 
 
 I Would get someone who has a nice garden to loo^ at it, 
 and advise me about this, and most certainly I would talie his 
 or her advice; then I would thinlf well about the actual wort^, 
 for I Would need to decide in what way I could improve it to 
 the Very best advantage. Of course, if there were no good 
 grass, that should be the first thing to thinl( of, and I would 
 have just as much of the space in front of the house in grass 
 as I could. Sodding is the best Way to get it, but if that Would 
 cost more than I could put into it, I would seed it. Again I 
 would get advice, or if I could not get any, I would spade 
 and ra\e and wor]( the ground until it was nice and fine and 
 without big lumps; then I would get white clover and blue grass 
 seed and oats, to one part blue grass, one-eighth clover and 
 one-fourth oats, and sow the mixture all over the space pre- 
 pared, spreading it as evenly as possible, and ralfing it under 
 lightly with great care. If I could borrow a roller I would 
 roll it, and if not, I would lay a flat board on it and wall( on 
 the board until it pressed the soil down, and I would do this 
 all over the seeded part. I would be careful to water it reg- 
 ularly and thoroughly through a sprinl^ler, and the best time to 
 Water it Would be in the evening. 
 
 The oats would come up first and shade the tender little 
 grass shoots until they were able to stand the sun, and it will 
 not need to be cut until I have time to write you another' letter. 
 Of course, I would decide upon the general plan of my garden 
 and thinly out the various features which were to mal(e it so 
 lovable. I would visit the Public Library and consult the shelf 
 of boo^s on garden subjects that the Library has selected and 
 placed in the reference room for the benefit of the contestants. 
 I Would discover that the word "garden" did not mean merely 
 a dug-up piece of ground with the flowers or vegetables all 
 planted in rows or beds, but that the whole lot when made 
 a thing of beauty with grass and trees and shrubs and flowers 
 Was a "garden." 
 
 Next I would try to consider the essentials of a garden — 
 its "purpose," in other Words. Town gardens are first and 
 
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foremost a setting for a house, and its character, and its posi- 
 tion on the lot must govern the treatment of the garden. If 
 the house stands near the street, in the middle of the lot, or 
 io one side, or if the laten is on the north or south side of the 
 house, these things must direct the garden's development, for 
 one reould have, as the case ma^ be, more or less space for 
 the garden, and more or less shade or sunlight. I will add a 
 little suggestive plan to mp letter. I would l^eep the center of 
 mp lawn open and plant an irregularly outlined shrubbery on 
 its sides. I would plant the highest bushes at the bacl(, the 
 lower-growing ones in front of these, and on the edges I would 
 plant perennials — the old-fashioned hard^ garden flowers which 
 live in the ground all winter, such as paeonies, phlox, iris, hardy 
 chrysanthemums, etc. If I could not get many perennials this 
 first year, I would get as many as I could, and then I would 
 use annuals, the flowers We raise from seed, as fillers. They 
 Would be cheap and easy to plant, and so delightful when 
 they bloomed. Besides, mother could cut flowers all through 
 the summer for the house, for the more they are cut the better 
 they bloom, and I Would choose poppies, candytuft, mignonette, 
 marigolds, zinnias, asters, nasturtiums, petunias, cosmos and 
 Verbenas. These are all easy to raise and may be bought for 
 five cents a pacl^et. 
 
 If there were trees on the place I would see if they did not 
 need trimming, and if so, have them trimmed immediately to 
 guide their growth and to let in light and air, and I would trim 
 them Very carefully and as little as possible, for it is rather 
 late and the sap is running. If there were no trees, or at best, 
 only a few poor ones, I would manage to get some and plant 
 them just as soon as possible. If they were for shade I would 
 plant them where the shade would be most wanted. Of course, 
 if the shade came on the west side of the house it Would malfe 
 the house cool on hot summer afternoons and be much belter 
 than if it fell on my new lawn, which never does so well in the 
 shade as in the sun. As to the Jfind of shade trees, I might 
 have to tal^e whatever I could get, but if not, I vould try to> 
 avoid soft woods, which are short-lived and cannot withstand 
 severe winds. I would try for an elm or a walnut. Maybe I 
 could get a nice little fruit tree, an apple, plum or cherry, which 
 Would go where its beautiful blossoms would help in the spring 
 effects, and its fruit would be useful in the autumn. I thinl( 
 I would not plant a peach, because Omaha winters are lil^ely 
 to Ifill it, but I would lil^e very much to plant a Lombardy pop- 
 lar toward the rear somewhere to lift the sl^yline in my gar- 
 den picture. 
 
 Here are a few of the principles which I memorized early 
 and tried to practice all my life: "More grass and less gravel, 
 more flowers and less bare soil, more curves and fewer straight 
 lines and angles, more hardy and not so many half-hardy 
 plants, more arrangement and less disorder, more shrubs." 
 
 I Wouldn't try to do too much at first. I am perfectly sure 
 that the jury which would judge my garden would consider 
 the thoroughness and seriousness of my worif rather than the 
 elaborateness of my garden design. I would try always to 
 avoid the startling, freal^ish things, and endeavor to \eep my 
 garden simple. I thinly I would try to learn the full meaning 
 of the word "fitness." I would submit every garden scheme that 
 tempted me to that test word, and then if it passed the examina- 
 
tion I would analyze it a little further; for instance, vhen I 
 decided upon the varieties of trees to plant, I tpould consider 
 those that vtere appropriate for a tovm lot, and the next step 
 would be to consider if the trees were for shade, screens or 
 shelter, or all three purposes. Evergreen trees which grow to 
 any size are rarely suitable for the small town lot, they tal(e 
 up too much ground space and are usually too dominating. 
 There should be in every garden little spots where the heart 
 seems to have had its outpourings of love — specially considered 
 and specially tended. IVe'll tallg of those later. 
 
 If the family wanted it, I would provide for a practical 
 vegetable garden at the rear of the lot somewhere, as the little 
 plan suggests. The home might be only a rented place, but I 
 Would try to put the same effort into my garden wor]( that I 
 Would if my father owned it, and give my garden the same care, 
 for I would realize that I was learning the rudiments of a 
 great art, that I was contributing something toward beautify- 
 ing my home city and certainly preparing a better home for 
 some one who might live there afterward. Moreover, that 
 "some one" might be doing the same thing on some other lot 
 for me, and, of course, I would not forget thai I was striving 
 for that seventy-five dollar prize. 
 
When I read mjj lasl weelf's letter in the World-Herald I 
 realized how much there is to sa}) and how difficult it is to get 
 it all said in time if we are to appl^ it to our garden worl^ this 
 spring. Fortunatel'^ many things may he done yet if we hasten 
 to the worlf. There is still time to plant trees, shrubs and peren- 
 nials. When I spolfe of tree trimming I did not say half 
 that I should have said and that my loVe for the trees and my 
 horror of tree-barbers ma^e me want to be sure not to leave 
 unsaid now. Remember that trees are individuals, each one 
 has its own shape and manner of growing and should be 
 trimmed only in its very own way. Pompadour is the favorite 
 ruay of trimming all trees regardless of this, and I am perfectly 
 sure that no tree ever lived that felt happy or lool^ed well pom- 
 padoured. It is too late for general trimming, so worif in this 
 direction should be confined to cutting out the annual crop of 
 sprouts and shoots, trimming off the staggling ends of branches 
 that have grown too long for the best shape of the whole tree, 
 and cutting out all dead wood. When branches are sawed or 
 cut it is best to cover the wound with paint or liquid tar. 
 
 I am sure all those who have made a beginning are enthus- 
 iastic gardeners — in even a weeJf's time. I was permitted to see 
 a letter that one boy wrote and sent with his application. It was 
 a revelation of how much a boy might f^ow, and I shall feel no 
 longer any hesitancy in saying almost anything, being quite 
 sure that I am writing to comprehending, earnest gardeners. The 
 garden instinct is not a suddenly acquired quality in any one. It 
 is merely a discovery of something long repressed or overlool(ed. 
 I am sure that at heart every one loves a garden. With just 
 a little worI[, faithfully performed, the most barren lot may be- 
 come wondrously beautiful, because a garden is very human, 
 in that it returns the love that is given to it. 
 
 In the first letter we tallied about the lawn, which someone 
 has happily called the "heart of the garden," and a few general 
 principles. Now, let us tallf of a few particulars in garden 
 maJfing. We have discussed the proper places for trees, shrubs, 
 and perennials, and I thinly we should next consider how to 
 plant them. We will spealf specially of the shrubs, the same 
 method of planting applying to trees and perennials, varying 
 only according to size. They should not be loo large; smaller 
 bushes overiaI(e larger ones, which usually suffer a shoclf and 
 a set-bacif by being moved. The ground should be carefully 
 and thoroughly prepared and loosened to a depth of eighteen 
 inches. Shrubs do not require such very rich soil, but if it is 
 particularly poor a little fertilizer of some I(ind should be 
 worlfed into it. Mal(e the hole large enough for each tree or 
 shrub to be planted so that the roots may be spread out 
 horizontally, and then place finely pulverized earth immediately 
 over them. When the hole is partially filled they should be 
 Watered to help to settle the earth, and then as the filling pro- 
 ceeds, gently press the ground around the roots with the foot, 
 leaving a little loose earth as a final covering. The injured or 
 bruised roots should be cut away just above the injury. The 
 pruning of the bush depends upon its size and character. 
 Advice should be sought in this matter until the new 
 gardener becomes experienced. Most bushes are better for a 
 little pruning, in fact require it, but a few, lil^e the Pearl Bush, 
 cannot tolerate it. All the Ifnowledge necessary for the culti- 
 vation of such trees and shrubs as one is lil^ely to plant on a 
 
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cit\) lot is easily maslered. IVhile the planting is going on, the 
 roots of all plants should be protected from the air and sun. If 
 they seem dry they should be soal^ed a little while in lualer 
 before planting. Be sure not to cramp and overcrorvd. It 
 destroys the restfulness of a garden. Bushes which attain the 
 height of five or six feet should be planted four or five feet 
 apart. I would try to select fragrant bushes for my garden, as 
 well as those which are beautiful, and most certainly I would 
 plant a fragrant honeysucl(le vine near a window. It would 
 be no intrusion, when its sweetness steals into the house, wholly 
 unlil(e a thief in the night, for many of the fragrant flowers 
 give more bountifully of their sweetness after darl(. Lord 
 Bacon in his delightful, quaint old English essay on gardens, 
 writes: "And because the breath of flowers is far sweeter in 
 the air (where it comes and goes lil^e music) than in the hand, 
 therefore nothing is more fit for that delight than to Ifnow what 
 be the flowers and plants that do best perfume the air." 
 
 The arrangement of the shrubs will have much to do with 
 the artistic effect of the garden. Do not have too large an 
 assortment. Have variety in their growth, flowers and foliage, 
 but do not strive for a great variety in color, and so confuse 
 your garden picture — ^eep it harmonious. Blend your colors 
 and remember that while, which is the palest tint of each 
 color, merges and blends. Do not let a Japanese quince come 
 next to a flowering almond. They bloom at the same time and 
 each, quite lovely in itself, can never live in peace with the 
 other at blooming time.. The golden, bronze and variegated- 
 leaved shrubs add a charm to the garden, but they should b6 
 used cautiously, as anything so pronounced may be easily over- 
 done and defeat the object of their use — which is to give 
 touches of high light in masses of green. One of the easiest 
 and most attractive shrubs to plant is the weigela. The com- 
 monest variety of it is IVeigela rosa, which has pinl( flowers, 
 but I prefer the white IVeigela, and the Weigela Desboisi, 
 which is a lovely, soft, deep rose color. These shrubs tempt 
 dainty visitors to the garden, for the little ruby-throated hum- 
 ming bird may be seen darting and poising airily over the 
 flowers, while he slips his little slender bill into their long 
 tubes to sip their honey. There are many ways of attracting 
 the birds to one's garden, and we will speal( of them at another 
 time. Avoid flowers that are magenta in tone. They do not 
 blend with other colors, and cause color riots in the garden. As 
 you Wander in the city parli;s, study the planting for grouping 
 and combinations. Study Nature's way too. Notice that while 
 she plants in masses, it is never with sharply defined lines, and 
 that one tone melts imperceptibly into another. Notice, too, 
 how generously the wild plants share their holdings, as if they 
 had discovered the true spirit of ideal community life. Little 
 by little one learns to extract l(nowledge that trains one's taste 
 until it becomes instinctive to do the right thing. 
 
 Avoid geometrical flower beds on the lawn, for they dis- 
 figure it. Keep the garden a unit. It should have parts, but 
 these should merge and blend. Soften the angle where the 
 house joins the lawn by planting shrubs close to it or vines 
 on it. There should be little sequestered nool(s with seats that 
 tempt one to drop into them for rest. I will have little slfetches 
 of arbors and seats in my next letter. There should be no 
 
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 spot in the garden from J»hich one could see everything in il 
 al once. Curiosity is not a sin in a garden — stimulate it! 
 
 Planting the shrubbery^ along the fence conceals the bound- 
 ary) of the garden, and gives it the aspect of greater extent. 
 And this brings me to the subject of fences. There are three 
 general classes according to their purposes — enclosing, division, 
 and special. Enclosing fences in towns or cities are those that 
 separate the iots from the streets and alleys. On the street 
 they should not only protect, hut be ornamental. Division 
 fences may be mere markers, or a continuation of the enclosing 
 fence with all its functions. In the special class are those for 
 special purposes, such as masljing or screening objects, and 
 trellises for the support of vines. Fences may be of Wood, 
 iron, bric}( or stone, or simply planted hedges. I append some 
 sketches of types of fences that are easy to ma}(e. Almost any 
 boy with mechanical tendencies can maJ(e most of them. When 
 it is necessary to have a tight board fence at the rear or side, 
 even that may be made an attractive feature of the garden 
 simply by the way in which we saw the boards. 
 
Then there are the n>a/^s io he consiJereJ. The real im- 
 pression of a TvalJi is that of pushing its Tva}; across the open, 
 or through the planting, and not that the rval^ was laid first 
 and the shrubs and flowers planted afterward and accordingly. 
 Be sure when the wal^ has a curve that it is for some apparent 
 reason — the planting must account for it, and therefore group 
 some shrubs on the inside of the curve if nothing else is there. 
 Sometimes the edges ma\) be defined by planting; especially 
 with annuals and other flowers that are to be gathered in rainy 
 weather. The path may be of board, gravel, bricif or tile, or 
 even of stepping stones. In general it should go very directly 
 to the object to which it leads, and should always approach the 
 object at right angles, and should never be wider than neces- 
 sary. Bricli wallas are rather the best of all for inside-the-lol 
 lines, and slay and lool^ best laid in herring-bone pattern. One 
 advantage of a bricl( wall^ is its peculiarity of taking on the 
 loo\ of its surroundings. 
 
 In my first letter I cautioned you against the use of the 
 freakish, startling things. I did not mean that you should shun 
 the strong and stril(ing effects altogether — one needs focusing 
 points — / did mean that you should avoid the grotesque. A 
 garden would be monotonous and uninteresting that did not seel( 
 to produce variety and contrast. See^ this in color or in form 
 effects in the class of things selected, and by massing, having 
 quantities of some things, for which your garden may acquire 
 some little fame and you the reputation of l(nowing so much 
 about the needs of those plants that you will be considered an 
 authority. Do not hesitate to go begging for knowledge or 
 plants. The greatest joy a true gardener experiences is being 
 able to share both. I am sure that many a dream garden is 
 destined to become real, and many a boy and girl will find 
 that other beautiful things than plants grow in them. 
 
^3 
 
 'TheLawTi as a picft 
 
 Perhaps some of the boys and girls have Ifept the little gar- 
 den plan that accompanied my first letter, and I fill asl( them 
 to step into that garden and wallf there ivilh me. 
 
 We Tvill enter from the street and notice that the planting 
 by the gate gives the entrance a homey, cosy looli iphich comes, 
 I thinly, from irvo causes: one probably because the planting 
 seems to part to let us in, and the other from a sense of privacy. 
 Instead of going to the house, n>e will turn aside into the 
 garden, and tvhen roe loo}( over the laivn and its beautiful even 
 carpet of uninterrupted green to the shrubbery margins, V)e ivill 
 realize why it is called "the heart of the garden." It offers us 
 such peace and understanding as can only come from the heart, 
 whether it is nature's offering or a human gift. 
 
 We will follow along the edges of the shrubbery bordering 
 the side fence, and we will find ever so many bushes in bloom — 
 lilacs, Japanese quince, the earliest spiraeas, bush honeysuclfles 
 and many more coming. These bushes are at the bacf( of the 
 shrubbery, and so we note that the highest-growing ones are 
 
v>here the border is the Tuidesi, because where It recedes Into 
 lillle coves or ba^s the planting should be lower. Just as the 
 land seems to be highest, where there are promontories on the 
 ica coast, so there should be bolder planting on the promontories 
 of the shrubberT). But the little coves! I love them best. 
 There should always be a surprise in store for one in those, 
 because they are the mysteries of the Utile garden — the parts 
 we do not see until we come to them, and some choice flowers, 
 some lovely combination, some little lure should captivate and 
 hold us there, or something tempting like a berry bush or a few 
 strawberry plants tucked in on the edge might add a bit of 
 sweetness that pleases another sense than that of sight. 
 
 Of course, there are tulips in bloom in the garden now, 
 scattered all along the edges of the border. How much pret- 
 tier they are growing in a naturalized way than in beds! I 
 Ifnow every boy and girl will resolve to plant tulip bulbs this 
 autumn so they may have them next spring. There are little 
 colonies of daffodils just going by, and the same boys and 
 girls will have these too. All this lovely lawn was starred 
 with crocuses earlier, and so we wait a bit until their leaves 
 ripen some before we mow it. The garden is full of the promise 
 of other things, for the flower buds are swelling on so many 
 shrubs and plants. 
 
 The Irises, those garden orchids, will soon be in bloom, and 
 the first of the tall varieties is the delicate silver gray Floren- 
 tine. I Wonder how many of the boys and girls Jjnow that 
 orris root is ground from the root of this Iris? The Colum- 
 bines, too, are shooting up, and will soon give showers of 
 pendulous bloom in lovely, dainty colors. The paeonies are 
 full of buds and I am sure the blossoms will be extra large 
 and full, for some one has dug well.rotted manure all round 
 the roots for them to feed upon. Toward the bacl;, holly- 
 hoc}(s are getting strength from the enriched soil to send up 
 spires of gay flowers a little later. Here is a perfect love 
 spot of forget-me-nots and over there on the edge I catch a 
 glimpse of a cheery little mass of English daisies. 
 
 Beyond is a fine plant of the precious old-fashioned Bleeding 
 Heart. How we love the things that grew in our grand- 
 mothers' gardens! and I wonder if we were to name the flowers 
 today if we could give them the quaint, sweel-sounding names 
 that our grandmothers and their grandmothers gave them. Let 
 us cling to the old names and leave the Latin ones to the 
 botanist. Here are large clumps of golden glow to brighten 
 a darli corner, but I fear there are enemies at n»or^. The little 
 fallen shoots tell a sad tale, and betray the presence of the 
 cut-worm. The gardener must dig carefully about the roots 
 hunting for the destroyers and the sentence must be "death." 
 Coal ashes worlfed in about the roots are recommended, but I 
 much prefer a personal encounter with the little demons. The 
 boys and girls who entered in the contest should now be watch- 
 ful. The pests will soon be at wor}(, for most plants have 
 enemies to be guarded against, and they will soon be on the 
 ground and are full of wielded energy. This, however, is to 
 be borne in mind — a garden well cared for with strong, 
 healthy plants has not much to fear from pests, for the ounce 
 of prevention lies in faithful, constant care, loosening the soil, 
 watering when necessary, and peeping out the weeds. Remem- 
 ber that our plants are our garden guests and that we should 
 
treat them with due hospitality, receiving them upon those 
 terms of formality or intimacy to T»hich their ranl( in the 
 flower kingdom entitles them. 
 
 Some little spots on the edges of the shrubbery lool( bare 
 just noiv. They are the places to be filled in with annuals 
 for the summer bloom, as most of the perennials give us early 
 flowers, and each season should contribute its share. The 
 border is such a lovely, fascinating thing! If I could not buy 
 bushes and perennials this year, I would still have a border. 
 I Would ma^e it all of annuals, planting the tallest things at 
 the bacJf, and graduating to the tiniest dwarf Tom Thumb 
 nasturtiums and sweet alyssum on the edges. I would go out 
 into the country and seeJ( the wild flowers, always being careful 
 to asl( the owner's permission to dig them, for many persons 
 love these wild flowers in their natural places, and are not 
 ungenerous when they decline to have them dug. Besides, 
 the roadsides offer many treasures, and there the lives 
 of the little plants are endangered so that digging them 
 and taking them to a garden is really a rescue. The struggle 
 for existence being lessened, the plants improve marvelously, 
 so much that sometimes they are scarcely recognizable. The 
 wild hemp, which grows so abundantly here, would be effective 
 in the border. The English plant it for its delicate, graceful 
 foliage, and there are the butterfly weed — could anything be 
 more gorgeous? — the purple cone flower, the iron weed, the wild 
 roses, the snaf^e root (which florists raise in greenhouses in 
 winter), and the Wonderful variety of asters, besides many other 
 things. 
 
 To the boys and girls who are in the Civic League garden 
 contest, I am sure time must be fairly galloping. To every 
 true gardener it always gallops at this time of year, but there 
 is still time to do many things, and there is still a full weet( to 
 enter the contest, for it is open until May fifteenth. It is never 
 too late to plant the wild things from the woods, and nothing 
 could be nicer than to have one shaded spot wholly devoted to 
 the Wood flowers. I feel sure that those who have wild violets 
 in profusion will gladly share them with any boy or girl who 
 wishes them for his or her garden. Creat clumps can be trans- 
 planted without stopping their blooming if only we taJ^e them 
 up carefully with a good ball of earth squeezed tightly around 
 their roots. Keep them moist and shaded and water well after 
 
planting and Jjou n>i7/ be surprised to see luhal a showing the^ 
 Tvill mal^e. In the woods about Omaha there are blue, white, 
 and yellow violets, adder's tongues, Dutchman's breeches, wild 
 plox, bloodroot, sometimes a dainty lady slipper for the 
 hunting, and many, many more, all worth having for near 
 neighbors. There are other things which live in the woods 
 that would be sweet neighbors too if only we could persuade 
 them to come and live in the new garden. It is for just this 
 thing that we are worl(ing, mal(ing a livable place, livable for 
 birds as well as ourselves. 
 
 Cosy little seats, clever arbors and trellises and vases all 
 malfe it attractive to people. A little drinl(ing pool or fountain 
 would mal^e it much sought by our bird friends who are such 
 excellent assistant gardeners. Little houses for them can be 
 arranged in the garden, oh! so easily, and the chance of a 
 tenant is very good. Jennie Wren can hardly resist an old 
 tomato can if it has just the right sized door bent down to form 
 a convenient little porch, the whole securely fastened in a tree 
 crotch. Bluebirds sometimes come to a tin can 'home, and both 
 wrens and bluebirds are exquisite musicians. A little winter and 
 early spring feeding gives your lot a bird reputation for true 
 hospitality. You might try it by sawing off the ends of a 
 cocoanut, filling it with suet through which a twig is pushed 
 for a perch, the whole to hang in a raffia swing near some 
 
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 nimJoJv Tvhere the feasting can be enjoyed fcp the family too. 
 There are so many things to add to the lure of the garden and 
 I shall try to have sl^etches of a few of them to go juith this 
 letter. I add drawings of quite a number of bird houses, for 
 I am so very fond of the birds myself, but you should be sure 
 to have a cat guard around the supporting pole or tree; other- 
 wise it means a neslful of little birds fed to the cat. 
 
 Maybe there would be places for window boxes and hanging 
 basinets. They help to bring the house and lot together. An 
 ordinary shallow flower pot eight or ten inches in diameter 
 hung in a strong wire frame to a screw hoolf above and filled 
 with plants that echo the colors of the garden below maizes a 
 good substitute for the most costly basinet one can buy. 
 Nasturtiums of the right colors to go with the house, say red 
 for a green house, yellow for a yellow one and white for any 
 color, with Wandering Jew, plain and variegated, and a 
 geranium of a color to go with its neighbors; then a bit of some 
 sweet-smelling thing lij^e lemon Verbena, and a little filling of 
 sweet alyssum, and the thing is quite complete. I show such a 
 basl(et among the appended sl^etches — (or if the basl(et is 
 planted only with asparagus fern, or oxalis, or yellow myrtle, 
 it Would be simple and just as pretty). If I had a very nice 
 place for a vase or two, I would pic}( out one of rather simple 
 form, and not too large, such as either of those sl^eiched. 
 
qJI colony boojt 
 of (olu<^<3e4 CkQ-. 
 
 If I could not spend the money this year for vases I v>ould 
 mat(e square tubs oul of boards and paint them a pleasant 
 green. In some gardens there may be a chance to have a 
 pergola, so I add a sl^etch of a simple one. The pergola 
 
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 C>J Virtl*' banqueTt j4oll 
 
 
 
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 ZI3 
 
 cf/umns may te of ordinary twelve-inch drain tile, plastered 
 on the outside and left while. The grape arbor in the garden 
 we are visiting might easil\) be made into a little tea house, 
 opening on the side toward the lawn, paving the floor with 
 
bric](s and giving it a Utile furniture — a table and some benches 
 as the accompanying stretch suggests. 
 
 I doubt if a sun-dial properly^ belongs on a city lot, rvhich 
 has more or less the spirit of modernity. A sun-dial should 
 suggest the charm of venerableness, and I believe belongs strictly 
 in larger gardens where some quaintness may be given to its 
 setting, and where age may seem to give it a closer l(inship 
 with its surroundings and a deeper sentiment, for of all garden 
 embellishments it must not be incongruous. 
 
 ) 
 
r'-'^^'h 
 
 
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 C^ i.-rr.\>^e. ^e>r^oW,; 
 
 / said in mp firsl letter that large evergreens are rarely suited 
 to the small ioivn lot. There are a fen> small evergreens that 
 add beauty to the shrubbery, but they are difficult to please. 
 They need clean, pure air, and until Omaha is able to abolish 
 the smof(e nuisance, it is better not to attempt to plant them in 
 such smol^y, sooty atmosphere, for it would only enfeeble their 
 growth and shorten their lives. 
 
 I have given much space in this letter to the subject of garden 
 embellishments, feeling that when carefully chosen such evi- 
 dences of human life in the garden lend a charm without which 
 no garden approaches completeness — though no garden should 
 ever really arrive there — and if we cannot "have all of them, 
 perhaps we may have some, and at any rate we are training our 
 minds to conceive and our tastes to reject or select. 
 
 
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 Mp personal inlerest in the little "contest gardens" has so 
 grown during the writing of these n>ee^/p letters thai I hove 
 quite made up ml; mind to tal^e a secret peep at each one, 
 and lo hope that when I do see them their little owners will 
 be busily at worl( malting them more beautiful. Yon see 
 when the garden has arrived at the point where it can real'y 
 call itself a garden it becomes too personal a thing for letter 
 writing, so 1 shall let this letter be the last for this year. 
 There are a few things still to sa\), and I shall try to gel most 
 of them into this letter. 
 
/ am including, rviih some grading profiles, a s}(eich of 
 a terraced approach and plans for a practical cat-proof hird- 
 balh or pool of eas^ manufacture, also a graceful tall one that 
 maji he had in the marl^et tp those who prefer to have a more, 
 pretentious ornament of this sort. In our lot-improvement juor^ 
 this year, it is probabl'^ quite beyond the contestant's reach to 
 mal(e much change in the actual way the house is placed on 
 the ground, hut I am sure rve should consider ihs question. 
 It is by just such observation and study that tve educate 
 ourselves. 
 
 
 iheioU Kin«i or lai H 4-ou\'^ 
 
 \anr\ 
 
 In my second letter I told how the actual angle of the house 
 with the ground might he softened and hidden by planting. 
 Maybe by a little grading, matters may be bettered still further. 
 For example: When your house sits up on a high terrace, 
 the ground should slope away from the house to the street in 
 an easy curve as shown in figure A, and not as in either figure 
 B or C. It needs no argument to malfe one feel sure that the 
 house should be on the highest ground, to prevent rain water 
 from running toward it. It is equally true that the slopes should 
 be as easy as possible, for on steep ones, grass has an unhappy 
 time, and is dreadfully hard to cut. Then if it is very steep, 
 Iiard rains will wash it away, so when the house is much higher 
 than the street, a simple wall is far the best way to treat it, for 
 it does away with all these troubles and maizes a wider space 
 for a lawn, and one that is less public. Of course the problem 
 Varies in difficulty as the difference in grades varies. One little 
 sl^etch shows how a very high lot may be treated by planting, 
 to mal(e a thing of beauty out of what is almost always an 
 eyesore. 
 
 By this time many of the seeds will have sprouted, and the 
 necessity for thinning them must be given attention. All 
 growing things need room, and overcrowding means exhaustion 
 of the soil and hungry little, half-starved plants. By being 
 
careful In thinning them you can have quite a number of extra 
 ones to give to some other gardener who has not been so for- 
 tunate. I am sure the jury jvill want to tal^e into account all 
 such acts and to hear of every case where one of the gardeners 
 has helped another and so had a hand in malting two beauty 
 spots instead of one; and that reminds me to suggest that each 
 contestant l^eep a noteboolf with every day's doings and progress 
 jotted down for use and guidance another year, for that is one 
 of the best things that will come out of the season's worl(, and 
 I have an idea that the prize winners will be asl(ed to write 
 for the jury a simple little story of how he or she made the 
 garden so beautiful that it won a prize. Maybe such little 
 stories will be published in the newspapers to help the new con* 
 testants next year. 
 
 In peeping a garden record note the blooming time of each 
 shrub or plant. It helps so much in arranging combinations fot 
 another year. Flowers are more beautiful in their effects if 
 they have a background or a foil. All go charmingly with 
 green, for the eye has formed the habit of seeing things against 
 a green bacI(ground. Yellow gives us sunlight and is admissible 
 everywhere. Harsh yellows mql(e too much sunlight; grays 
 and pale lilac lool^ well with all colors, because gray is the 
 combination of all colors. Orange and blue intensify each 
 other and go Well with each other; the same is true of red and 
 green, yellow and purple. Let no flower in your garden be 
 other than a note in a beautiful chord of color. If it is^ 
 inharmonious, have the courage to drop it out. 
 
 In training climbers, we must let them have their own way 
 Very largely. It is an indulgence not to be regretted, for theit 
 caprices and humors are their graces. We must give them the 
 proper support in the way of loving guidance, not harsh dicta- 
 tion, for if We control and restrain them too much we give 
 them a stiff, self-conscious little air, as if they were out of 
 place and felt it. Some are strong and sturdy, others are fine 
 and delicate. We should choose the right vine for the right 
 place and then let it mal^e its own little delightful efforts to 
 mal(e itself at home and express the joyousness of its life. 
 Many an unsightly old building may be made a thing of 
 beauty with the help of vines. There are climbing roses, 
 Virginia creeper, clematis, honeysucl(le, wistaria, trumpet' 
 creeper, morning-glories, moon vine, gourds, and oh, so 
 many more! We must not forget the wild grape. I would 
 not be without its fragrance in my garden — the most exquisite 
 in all nature — floating out from little unseen flowers, a 
 "chastened sweetness" which some one has said "seems lil(e the 
 air of heaven falling in a benediction." This easily procured 
 vine has so many virtues to commend it to our favor. It grows 
 quicl(ly and retains its beautiful spring-li\e green far into 
 the autumn months. 
 
 No one thing will prove such an attraction to bird neighbors 
 as a safe place where they may bathe and drinl(. One little 
 pool so placed as to be seen from the windows of the house 
 will give the little foU^s who live there a constant example of 
 the two most important uses of water, an example that most 
 little "humans" can well afford to study carefully. To be 
 really successful such a pool must be properly made and so 
 planned as to be a safe place from the cat, who, of course. 
 

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 has rights thai must he considered as ivell as limited. Our pool 
 must be so made that it can be easil}) drained, cleaned and 
 supplied with fresh iva/er, and must be good to looJi at, too. 
 The location determined, scoop out the basin as near the shape 
 of the section shown as possible, deep at the edges and with a 
 high place in the middle. After shaping, carefully plaster it 
 all over with a mortar of thic}( Portland cement and sand (one 
 of cement to three of sand), then bend into shape strips of 
 
ordinary chicken ttire neiling Juilh one continaoas hand all 
 around the edge, press this into the cement and stay it in 
 place, letting the wire overlap everya>here ; cover this with 
 two inches more of the cement mortar, finishing and brushing 
 the surface as smooth and even as possible; form the round 
 cup in the center about an inch deep and ten inches across; 
 this comes at the highest point inhere the Tvater is most shallot), 
 and is to receive from time to time a fresh layer of sod for 
 a bath rug. 
 
 By reference to the section, sizes and depths can be determ- 
 ined, and the outside form can be made to best suit the place 
 chosen for it. The Tvater line is a very important thing and- 
 should be l(ept five inches beloii) the top of the outside rim, 
 so that the birds ivill not be tempted to risl( feeding the cat 
 by lighting on the rim to drinl(. One or two little pebbles 
 placed on the sod and coming just above the ivater ivill provide 
 a perfectly safe and dry footing to drinf( from. The pool 
 should be at least three feet in its smallest diameter and may be 
 as much larger as the builder chooses to mal(e it, and should 
 be the home of at least tmo small fish, as a precaution against 
 hatching mosquitoes. Pigmy water lilies Tvill thrive wonder- 
 fully in the three-inch earth and sand bottom of this pool. We 
 should consider the birds when we plant our shrubs and trees, 
 and select some of those varieties which provide fruit and 
 berries for the birds to feast upon. 
 
 At first, in our garden Worl(, we musl be imitators more or 
 less and borrow our ideas, but as time goes on and we acquire 
 Ifnowledge through experience we should venture to be experi- 
 mental. By that time we will have learned the fundamental 
 principles which will l(eep us from committing very serious 
 garden sins, and we must let our own individuality dominate 
 a little in our gardens, because it is that personal quality that 
 gives a garden its recognized, felt, though subtle charm. If you 
 are told that certain plants will not grow in Nebrasl^a gardens 
 and you have reason to thinlf that perhaps they might be 
 coaxed to grow in yours, do not hesitate to try. Sometimes 
 il is only a matter of the right exposure, or of satisfying the 
 litde hunger needs of the plant, or of drainage, or of winter 
 protection. 
 
 I l(now a western garden to which a large number of 
 Madonna lily bulbs were sent from an old Manor-house garden 
 in the east one August (which is the proper time for planting 
 them), and when they were put into the ground they had the 
 required handful of sand under each. They rooted quickly 
 and sent up the healthiest tufts of leaves, but that was all they 
 did for five years. They were about to receive their order of 
 banishment, when some little instinct, or some last effort to l^eep 
 them, led the gardener, who so longed to cherish them, to clear 
 the earth carefully away around each bulb without disturbing 
 the roots and to fill in around each liberally with sand. Almost 
 instantly they began to send up their tall wands, and at the 
 proper time they burst into glorious bloom. In the height 
 of all their beauty, as difficult as it was, they were cut and sent 
 to a friend whose appreciation warranted whatever sacrifice 
 Was made, but the gardener was seen to close her eyes when 
 the did it. 
 
 Work joyously and diligently in your garden, but loiter idly 
 
in ii too. Thai is ihe time vhen the inspirations come, the 
 thoughts that materialize into those lovely features of poor 
 garden. Tal^e a little stool out into it, move it about, and stud}f 
 your garden from every point of v/em, for in that vtay it 
 becomes a series of pictures. The painter's and the gardener's 
 arts are closely allied. There should be the effect of natural- 
 ness, care and simplicity in the l»or^ of each — the concealed 
 art — "the simple truth, miscalled simplicity." While one vorJgs 
 Viith paint in creating his picture, the other njorfs a>ith living 
 pigments, but Rusl^in has said so beautifully that this "human 
 art can only flourish where its derv is Affection: its air. Devo- 
 tion; the rocJi of its roots. Patience, and its sunshine. Cod." 
 It is sad to ihin\ that there are those ivho are deprived of the 
 joy of garden Tvorl(, and vho never ^non> the beauty of its 
 revelations and its cheer. 
 
 The summer is coming to more than fulfill the promise of 
 the spring, and then the autumn ivill come ivith a l^ind of sweet 
 garden pensiveness when the garden goes to sleep and n>c 
 blanl^et it where it needs it. While it rests we will malfe new 
 plans, and in those winter days when you wall( menially in 
 the vision of a new and more beautiful garden, though I ma^e 
 my little bow to you now, I shall waH( there with you. 
 
 qM^ 
 
 <3aeii. 
 
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 .Tf"^. 
 
 
 
 Q/3rici of itjelf, TtTe^ordeii, dhufj /^qIg. 
 Onhim- ifiaTi ^ardj co/d , uncom/DaJj/on£7{e.; 
 
 To jej<7}7tc a^ /ouc <77ic/ /tr/Zr ^ood coJ/l . . . 
 
Tl^e 1S^05^: Satisfactory Sl^rUb^ 
 
 Almond, double flowering (Prunus Japonica). May. 
 
 Althaea, in variefy. August and September. 
 
 *BaTberry) in variely. 
 
 Burning-bush (Euonymus atropurpureus). 
 
 Chinese double rose-flowering Crab (Prunus Japonica). May. 
 
 *Deutzia gracilis. June. 
 
 Forsylhia, in variety. May. 
 
 Golden Currant (Ribes aureum). May. 
 
 Honeysucl^le, Tartarian (Lonicera Tartarica). May. 
 
 Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora. August and September. 
 
 *Indian Currant (Symphoricarpus vulgaris). July. 
 
 Japanese Quince (Cydonia Japonica). May. 
 
 Judas-tree (Cercis Canadensis). May. 
 
 Lilac (Syringa) in variety. May. 
 
 Rosa rugosa. Entire season. 
 
 *Snowberry (Symphoricarpus racemosus). 
 
 Snowball (Viburnum Opulus var. sterilis). May. 
 
 Spiraea, callosa alba. July. 
 
 Spiraea, callosa. July. 
 
 Spiraea, lanceolata. June. 
 
 Spiraea prunifolia flore plena. May. 
 
 Syringa, Mocl(-orange (Philadelphus Coronarius). June. 
 
 Tamarisk (Tamarix Chinensis). 
 
 Tamarislf (Tamarix Africana). 
 
 Weigela (Diervdla) in variety. June. 
 
 Hed^e plants 
 
 Japanese Barberry (Berberis Thunbergii). 
 Honeysuclfle, Tartarian (Lonicera Tartarica). 
 Locust, Honey (Cleditschia triachanthos). 
 Mulberry, Russian. 
 Osage Orange (Madura auranliaca). 
 Quince, Japanese (Cydonia Japonica). 
 Rosa rugosa. 
 
 -p 
 
 erennlals 
 
 Asters (Michaelmas Daisies), in variety. 
 
 Bellis perennis (English Daisy). 
 
 Bleeding- Heart. 
 
 Bocconia (Plume Poppy). 
 
 Bollonia. 
 
 Chrysanthemums in variety. 
 
 Columbines in variety. 
 
 Coreopsis. 
 
 Day Lily. 
 
 Foxglove. 
 
 Caillardia. 
 
 Hardy Crosses in variety. 
 
 Hibiscus. 
 
 Hollyhocks. 
 
 Iris in variety. 
 
 Larlfspurs in variety. 
 
 *Grows well in shade. 
 
mi 11 is^^ 
 
 Lilies in variety^. 
 
 Lily of the Valley. 
 
 Lychnis. 
 
 Meadotv-Rue. 
 
 M eadoro-SiDeel. 
 
 Monarda. 
 
 Oriental Poppy. 
 
 Paeonies in variety. 
 
 Phlox in variety. 
 
 Physostegia. 
 
 Plantain Lily. 
 
 Plalycodon. 
 
 Pyrethrum. 
 
 Rudbec}{ia. 
 
 Sedum. 
 
 Sioeet Rocl(et. 
 
 Smeet IVilliam. 
 
 Veronica. 
 
 Vinca. 
 
 Yucca. 
 
 l^ardy \J\ne^ 
 
 Ampelopsis Engelmanni. 
 
 Ampelopsis quinquefolia (Virginia Creeper). 
 
 Atfebia quinala. 
 
 Arislolochia Sipho (Dutchman's Pipe). 
 
 Celastrus scandens (Bitter Sweet). 
 
 Clematis paniculata. 
 
 Climbing Roses — 
 
 Crimson Rambler. 
 
 Dorothy Perkins. Pin\. 
 
 Wichuriana. While. 
 
 Setigera. Rose. 
 Lonicera (HoneysucJile) in variety. 
 Lycium, Chinese (Matrimony Vine). 
 Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Pea). 
 Dignonia radicans (Trumpet-creeper). 
 JVistaria, both blue and white. 
 Wild Crape. 
 
 /\ntt\ial \J\ne^ 
 
 Balloon Vine. 
 
 Cobea Scandens. 
 
 Gourds in variety. 
 
 Humulus Japonicus, var. Variegatus (Japanese Hop). 
 
 Ipomoea Noctifolia (Moon Flower). 
 
 Ipomoea purpurea (Morning Clory). 
 
 Nasturtiums in variety. 
 
 Phaseolus multiflorus (Scarlet Runner Bean). 
 
 Tropaeolum Canariense (Canary-bird Vine). 
 
"A Garden With House Aitached" . .Broods 
 
 "A Plea for Hard^ Plants" /. Wilkinson Elliolt 
 
 "A Woman's Hard}) Garden" Helena Rutherford El^ 
 
 "Another Hardy Garden Book" Helena Rutherford Ely 
 
 "Book of the Wild Garden" 5. W. Fitzherbert 
 
 "Common Sense Gardens" Seiuell 
 
 "Gardening for Beginners" E. T. Cook 
 
 "Gardening for Pleasure" Henderson 
 
 "Gardens of England" Charles Holme 
 
 "Hardy Plants for Cottage Gardens" .Helen R. Albee 
 
 "How to Lay Out a Garden" Kemp 
 
 "How to Make a Flower Garden" 
 (Collected articles published by 
 Doubleday, Page & Co.) 
 
 "Italian Gardens" C. A. Piatt 
 
 "Landscape Gardening" Gilpin 
 
 "Landscape Gardening" Kern 
 
 "Landscape Gardening" Milner 
 
 "Landscape Gardening" Parsons 
 
 ' "Little Gardens" Charles M. Skinner 
 
 "Manual of Gardening" L. H. Bailey 
 
 "Ornamental Gardening" Long 
 
 "Our Gardens" Dean Hole 
 
 "The Art of Landscape Gardening" .. Nolen 
 
 "The Book of f^^ Cottage Garden" . .Charles Thonger 
 
 "The English Flower Garden" W.Robinson 
 
 "The Flower Garden" Ida D. Bennett 
 
 "The Formal Garden in England" .. .Blomfield and Thomas 
 "The Garden and Its Accessories" .. .Loring Underwood 
 
 "The Garden Beautiful" W. Robinson 
 
 "The Garden That I Love" Alfred Austin 
 
 "The Garden, You and I" M. O. Wright 
 
 "The Landscape Gardening Book" .. .Grace Tabor 
 
 "The Rescue of an Old Place" Mary C. Robbins 
 
 "The Seasons in a Flower Garden" . .Louise Shelton 
 
 Most of these books are to be found at the Omaha Public 
 Library. 
 
 C^Cmitl Ibetteir ri^wst all cfeUal^^^tll bs 
 
 '==' fiioardilf or. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 000 913 583 2