B260-516-2m

BULLETIN

OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

MARCH 20 1916

The Beautification of Home Grounds

BY MARY HEARD ELLIS

Published by the University six times a month and entered as second-class matter at the postoftice at AUSTIN, TEXAS

The benefits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of a free gov- ernment.

Sam Houston,

Cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy. .. . It is the only dictator that freemen acknowl- edge and the only security that free- men desire.

Mirabeau B. Lamar.

_

~

THE BEAUTIFICATION OF THE HOME GROUNDS

The Yard a Part of the Home. The yard is a part of the home and deserves as careful planning as the house. The problem is in general the same, that is, there must be places for work and places for play, and these must be designed so that the greatest possible use may be made of the space available, so that the working places are convenient and comfortable and if possible beautiful, and the play places comfortable and cer- tainly beautiful. The wood shed, for example, should be con- venient to the house, but should not be the dominating feature of the- back yard.

Reasons for Beautifying the Yard. It may be helpful and interesting to consider the reasons for beautifying our home grounds. One object of planting the grounds is to give the house a setting. Many people fail to realize how unnatural and unhomelike a bare house looks sitting on the earth. It is an entirely artificial thing sitting on the bosom of nature, and needs some relation established between it and its support. This incongruity between house and earth, may be relieved by planting some growing things near the house, by softening with foliage the hard lines of the foundation, by trailing a vine over the entrance, by placing a tree or some shrubs or both at the sharp corners, by putting flowers and flowing green plants in window boxes and porch boxes. By these means the house is given a relation to its environment and no longer looks like an unwelcome intruder. No matter how beautiful the lines of the house, nor how refined the details, some planting near it or foliage on it will improve its appearance simply because it must be related to the ground it sits on to attain the greatest beauty.

4 Bulletin of the Unwwersity of Texas <

’

Figure 1: A new house before any planting has been done around the foundation or near the fences is very bare and unattractive.

Figure 2: Compare this back entrance with the bare and uninviting effect of the new house in Fig. 1. Here vines and flowers tie the house to the ground in a most beautiful way. (Courtesy of The Country Gentleman.)

The Beautification of the Home Grounds 5

Figure 3: Compare this aiso with Fig. 1. This planting is very beautiful and makes the house much more refined and homelike. However, the shrubs in front of the windows have been allowed to grow too tall. It is not necessary and usually not desirable to shut out light and air in making a planting.

If the house is not beautiful itself, planting becomes doubly important, as not only can much ugliness be cloaked by plants, but attention can be centered upon the beauty of the plants and then the ugliness that can not be hidden will be rendered pro- portionately less noticeable.

In this connectioin it may be said that one of the reasons for planting is to screen any unsightly object that must be in the yard. The wood shed and the wood pile should be hidden from the lawn by vines, trees, or shrubbery. Outdoor toilets should be screened by a vine-covered lattice or by thick plantings of shrubbery. These ugly but necessary things should be grouped near together where possible, and completely hidden from the lawn by a dense screen of vines or shrubbery.

6 Bulletin of the University of Texas

Figure 4: Before planting. Compare this with Fig. 5.

Figure 5: The very ugly and unhomelike-looking place shown in Fig. 4 was transformed by the planting of grass and annual vines, and the outlining of a walk. Notice how even the pile of rocks at the end of the house has been made use of in the beautification of the place.

The Beautification of the Home Grounds t

Figure 6: If these outdoor toilets must exist, they should, in all decency, be hidden from view by vines or shrubs, preferably ever-

green.

Figure 7: Here morning glory has been used to screen the closet. This does very well for summer, but affords no covering during the winter. Honeysuckle would be better because it is evergreen. Cannas are a good temporary border, but they die down in winter, and should, therefore, not be allowed indefinitely to take the place of shrubs which have some winter beauty of form, leaf or

berry.

8 Bulletin of the University of Texas

Figure 8: This house cannot be said to possess beauty, and yet its position under the trees, coupled with the delightfully informal planting along the walk and in the side yards, makes the place a beautiful home.

‘

The main object of planting the grounds, however, is not to hide ugliness, though this is often necessary to secure the real aim. The true aim of beautifying the yard is enjoyment, the gratifying of the sense of order and harmony that is innate in all of us. The planting is done near the house to satisfy this feeling, for without these accessories the house was found to be inharmonious with its surroundings. In the same way, the rest of the yard is planted in response to a desire for beauty, that is, order and harmony. There is no question that the pos- session of a beautiful yard gives a keen delight that is wholesome for adults and children alike, and fortunately it is not one of those delights that are dependent upon the expenditure of large sums of money. A beautiful garden in which to spend leisure hours with family and friends, or upon which to look out for refreshment while at work in the house, is a form of enjoy- ment that anyone with a little time and energy ean acquire.

In addition to being a satisfaction to the aesthetic sense, a garden possesses horticultural and botanical interest and may be made a veritable school for the children.

The Beautification of the Home Grounds 9

It should also be the children’s play room, except possibly for the roughest games. The yard is as much home as the house, and should in the same degree meet the needs of the family.

Incidentally, it may be said that well planted grounds add to the money value of a place.

Where and How to Plant. In planting your grounds, remem- ber that the house is after all the center of interest in the picture you aremaking. The yard would not be made at all if the house were not there. Care should be taken, therefore, to let the house take its proper place in the scheme. Do not smother it with trees and shrubs. Plant some trees to give protection from the western sun. Plant one or two trees and some shrubbery and flowers near the house, but be wary of planting many trees on the south and east near the house. Plant a few vines on the porch, plant flowers or low growing shrubs along the walk, and then leave an open lawn. Edge the lawn with a border. This border may be made by covering a fence with a hardy vine, preferably evergreen, such as honeysuckle or Cherokee or_ McCartney rose; or it may be made of trees, shrubs, and flowers planted in gentle, natural-seeming curves. In this way the border will be now shallow, now deep, and be more interesting than if planted in a straight line. However, if a yard is quite small, it is usually better to keep the edges of the plantings practically straight. If graceful shrubs are chosen, the effect will be good. Monotony can be avoided by making the ‘‘sky line’? somewhat irregular by having the shrubs of varying heights. Ifa vine-covered fence is used, there should be planted in front of it in places some flowering shrubs and other flowers to give variety of form and color. By placing these plantings carefully, the effect of long, easy, graceful curves may be ob- tained. A trimmed hedge may be used for the background of the border. This has the advantage of being somewhat formal and looking more appropriate from the street side than informal shrubs, but has the great disadvantage of being a constant care. A trimmed hedge must be perfect to be permissible. _

The border gives a graceful boundary to the lawn and gives the family seclusion and privacy. Since the lawn is the out-

10 Bulletin of the Umversity of Texas

door living-room, it should have privacy. For this reason, too, it should have some shade. At one end or one side, plan a place in which to sit and sew or read, or eat watermelon, or supper on summer days. Have here one or two shade trees, or an arbor, with some shrubs and flowers, a table, a bench, and a few chairs finished to stand the weather.

In locating your trees and tall shrubs, consider whether there is any attractive view that should not be hidden, whether of hills, meadows, or your neighbor’s house or trees; and if you have such a view, make your plantings form a frame for it.

It is not essential that the main part of the lawn be in front of the house. The size of the yard, the size of the house and its location in the yard and with reference to the street are all factors in the determination of the position of the principal lawn. Some houses are so large that they require a large lawn to give them the proper setting. Where a house is small or of moderate size, and the lot not large enough to have a large lawn on all sides, it is better to place the house near one side of the lot, or well within one corner of it, and leave a large space for a service yard at one side and for a lawn on the other, or a large lawn at the back. <A side or back lawn is much more private than a front one. Of course, in the country it matters little how the lawn is placed unless the house is very near a road.

Figure 9: A very attractively treated ground, with lawn in front, foundation plantings of shrubbery and flowers, and flower garden made private by hedge.

The Beautification of the Home Grounds nia

Figure 10: A cordial entrance. This house is placed near the street, leaving a lawn at the side and flower garden at the back.

How to Plant. Judicious planting is not the kind that smothers the house in trees or shrubbery or covers the windows with thick vines that keep the light and breeze out and hold the mosquitoes in, nor the kind that fills the yard with trees and shrubs dotted about at random, or planted in regular rows like a nursery, nor yet the kind that places round, diamond shaped, or star shaped beds of flowers in stiff order about the yard. In our enthusiasm in planting, we must remember the necessity for breeze in summer. We can get beautiful effects without interfering with a free circulation of air. Trees and shrubs scattered indiscriminately over the yard are bad in every way. They make the yard seem much smaller, and give it an inhospitable appearance. Planted in this way they are also much more troublesome to cultivate than when planted in a border. Beds set out in the lawn are subject to the same criticisms. See Figures 11, 12, and 13.

12 Bulletin of the University of Texas

Figure 11: This illustration shows two types of planting to be avoided: namely, the scattering of trees or shrubs here and there without any relation to one another, thus giving the yard a dis- orderly and restless appearance, and the planting of geometrical beds: of flowers and “foliage plants” in the middle of the lawn. Compare the effect of this yard with that shown in Fig. 12.

Figure 12: A back yard. Note the spacious, restful effect obtained by leaving an open lawn and bordering it with trees, shrubs, and flowers. Even here an improvement could be made by planting under the trees shrubs tall enough to hide the fence.

iv

al

eng ene

= wt

The Beautification of the Home Grounds 13

Figure 13: This picturd illustrates a number of bad features. The yard is very crowded. No open space whatever is left. There is a confusion of formal with informal planting, of trimmed with untrimmed shrubs. Formal gardens have their place and are very beautiful when properly cared for, but a confusion such as shown here has no meaning. The tree that has been trimmed until it grew tall and then allowed to grow naturally is a con- tradiction. The three trees on the other sidé trimmed in three different forms are too individual. They do not harmonize with each other nor with their surroundings. The two trees bent and trimmed to form the arch look strained and uncomfortable. With- out doubt these evergreens look much better in summer when surrounded and partly hidden by the foliage of the decideous shrubs, but in winter their eccentric forms give the yard a gro- tesque appearance. The same labor that has produced this very unsatisfactory result could have secured a yard that would have been attractive the year round by putting both evergreens and decideous shrubs in a border around an open space in front of the house.

14 Bulletin of the Unwersity of Texas

What to Plant. The plantings at the foundation and in the border should be of permanent and hardy plants. It cannot be too strongly urged that native or thoroughly acclimated plants be selected. They will require less care and give more pleasure than imported plants. Not only is the chance of success greater in growing native things, but there is more distinction in using local material than in copying the eastern plantings. Of course, one whu has time and space to spare might make interesting experiments and probably in time get valuable results in trying to aeclimatize plants not common in the section, but most people are too impatient to see their garden realized to be willing to wait on doubtful results, even if they have the space to give to the experiments. Local nurserymen are now carrying many of the native things, and all of the naturalized ones in stock, so that they can be bought when it is not practicable to bring them in from the neighboring countryside. In making the se- lections, think of the winter form of the plant, as well as the summer form, the color of the foliage, and the kind, color, and season of the bloom. There should be something of beauty and interest in the yard the year round. By a careful study of the plants best suited to your location, this can be accom- plished. It cannot be done in one year, or even two perhaps, but will be gradually worked out, while the garden grows more beautiful with each season. The shrubs that flower in early spring, such as Japan quince, red bud, dogwood, and haws, should be particularly made use of. These bloom usually before their foliage is advanced, and are made more effective by being placed in front of something already in foliage or evergreen. Evergreen vines are excellent for backgrounds. There is noth- ing more satisfactory than the McCartney (Fig. 14) rose for this purpose. It is hardy, evergreen in Central Texas, drought resistent, has beautiful foliage and blossoms, and a blooming season of several weeks. In using it for a background, do not let its beauty be too much hidden. <A very beautiful shrub blooming later than those just mentioned is the pomegranate. This shrub deserves a wide use. It has grace, bright flowers,

The Beautification of the Home Grounds 15

Figure 14: The McCartney rose. An excellent fence covering. Ever- green in Central Texas. Blooms for several weeks in summer and fall. (Courtesy of Farm and Ranch.)

beautiful foliage, and fruit that is pleasing to look upon, if not to eat. In making your selections of shrubs and trees, choose a few that will attract the birds, and thus add further interest to your garden. Haws, mulberry and gum elastic are valuable for this purpose.

In planting the border, the general admonition can be given to put shrubs in front of trees and flowers in front of shrubs, to put the things of middle height in the middle of the border, tall ones close behind, and low growing ones in front, but this should not be followed so closely that the border shows three clearly marked levels of growth. The sky line of the trees and shrubs should be varied, and many of the flowers should come out from among the shrubbery rather than always directly in front of it. Use perennials for a large part of the flower edge, but do not deprive yourself entirely of the pleasure of trying different effects by the use of annuals. By varying these from year to year the border has a fresh interest each

16 Bulletin of the Unwersity of Texas

Figure 15: The flowers and foliage in this border have been com- bined with care and understanding. Note the effectiveness of the trees back of the shrubs, of the flowering shrubs, the tall spikes of foxglove, sometimes among the shrubbery and sometimes coming almost to the edge of the border, of the lower flowers and foliage along the edge. We may not be able to plant peonies, Canterbury bells and foxglove, but we can plant beard tongue (pentstemon), blue salvia, yarrow and cathedral bells (Eustoma). Grass walks are beautiful but not always practicable.

The Beautification of the Home Grounds LZ

season. The Shasta daisy is one of the most satisfactory perennials for edging the border. It is hardy, beautiful, and has a long blooming season. To give color and greater in- terest, clumps of Texas plume, larkspur, or blue sage may be planted among the daisies. Plumbago is another most satis-

Figure 16: Although this border is in general planted according to the right principle, that is, of putting low growing things in front of a taller background, yet here the effect is mechanical and un- interesting. The arbor vitae background is monotonous both as to sky line and foliage. The flowers next to the arbor vitae are all too nearly the same height, causing too marked a line between themselves and the background. Again, a more open and spread- ing shrub, such as pomegranate, sumac, or skunk bush, would make a more harmonious background for the cone flower than the arbor vitae. More appropriate associates for the cone flower than the tiny sweet alyssum and the dainty blue bell here used would be the wild white poppy, blue bonnets or Texas plume. The cone flower or black eyed Susan is one of our most beautiful flowers and should be more appreciated, but it should be given a harmo- nious environment, :

18 Bulletin of the Uniwersity of Texas

Figure 17: Ferns make a beautiful border for the north side of the house.

Figure 18: Here a beautiful effect is secured by the use of Shasta daisies alone as a border around the lawn. These bloom from spring to fall if watered. This is a new place, and doubtless some- thing that has winter beauty will be put with the daisies.

The Beautification of the Home Grounds 19

factory border plant. -It is soft and graceful, hardy and drought resistent, and has clusters of beautiful delicate blue flowers. Alone or in combination with white, pale yellow, or even pink flowers it makes a very attractive edging for a border, walk, or foundation.

Figure 19: Plumbago, a beautiful and valuable border plant. It has a long blooming season during the dry hot summer and early fall weeks.

The Plan of the Yard. Before beginning any planting, it will be found helpful to draw a plan of the lot as you think it should finally be. Draw the plan to scale, allowing a quarter inch or an eighth inch to the foot or the yard of ground. Lo- cate on the plan the house, the wood yard, if there is to be one, all outhouses, the vegetable garden, the walks, and then the plantings. Indicate first the position of the trees near the house, if there are to be any, then the other trees, allowing not less than thirty feet for a permanent tree. Then place the shrubbery and flowers near the house, and the border around the lawn. Decide as nearly as possible what trees,

Bulletin of the University of Texas

20

SSE

a aes °o

i( A ag a x ° a o z E to} (UT

VEGETABLE GARDEN

CH AWL eee

oy | Gy

Nd a OAT ok

GROUND: PLAN:

Fig. 20.

The Beautification of the Home Grounds 21

Figure 20: Yard Plan. This plan represents a lot 72 ft. x 130 ft. The house is set far enough from the street to give privacy. Only ten feet are left between the house and the fence line on the one side—enough space for a shrubbery border, a 23 ft. walk to the back, and a flower border next the house. A space 24ft. x 34 ft. is left for a utility yard, for wood, for washing and drying the clothes, etc.; and a plot 38 ft. x 72 ft. is reserved for fruit or vegetables. In this plot there may be a border of flowers that are desirable for cut flowers but that do not fit into the scheme of planting in the main ground. The divisions of the yard as here indicated leave a large part of the ground for the lawn, the out- door living room. There is a small lawn in front and to one side and a good sized lawn at the back, all bordered by appropriate plantings. The table and seats are placed under a shade tree directly opposite the steps leading from the porch. Instead of this tree, a pergola or summer house covered with vines may be preferred. In any case, there should be something of interest at this point. The border of trees, shrubs and flowers follows the lot line, but the outline is not kept perfectly straight on the inside, so that greater interest in the form of the border results. Shrubs and flowers are planted around the house, with emphasis given to corners and entrances by means of more shrubs or larger ones, or even a tree.

This particular plan probably will not exactly fit the needs of any one. It is intended merely to be suggestive of how to go about making a consistent and workable plan for a home lot.

22 Bulletin of the Umversity of Texas

shrubs and flowers you will use, and locate them with refer- ence to each other, that is, so that one thing will enhance the beauty of another rather than detract from it. For instance, do not plan to have a mass of scarlet geraniums blooming near a mass of crimson cock’s comb. No matter how fine each may be, these will not look well together, because scarlet and erim- son are inharmonious. Likewise corn flowers will not look their best directly in front of cannas, because the cannas are tall and stiff and have big, broad, smooth leaves and brilliant- ly colored flowers, while the corn flowers are low and grace- ful, have small delicate leaves, and delicately colored flowers. Another thing to be careful of is the placing near together of plants and flowers that require much the same sort of cultiva- tion. Plants that require much clay and plants that require a great deal of sand, or plants that require dry soil and plants that require much water, are not practicable together.

Figure 21: The hard, uncompromising edge of the concrete walk is relieved by the border of daisies. The porch boxes would look much better if they had been made long enough to fit the spaces they occupy.

The Beautification of the Home Grounds 23

Give thought to the way in which the walks cut into the yard. If the distance from the street to the house is short, a straight walk with the edges softened by flowers is usually best. If a curved walk is used, it must not be too erratic. If the curves are too pronounced or too short or too pateutly useless, the effect is very bad. The laying of a proper curve . calls for more skill than the amateur usually possesses. Fur- thermore, a curved walk should have plantings so placed as to make the curves seem inevitable. Straight walks are nionoto- nous in themselves, but can be made interesting by the way the edges are planted. Leave a space for plants between the house and the walk that goes around it, and then plant some- thing on the other side of this walk, too.

Having made the plan, begin to carry it out by planting first the trees. If both border and foundation plantings are not to be made the first year, plant first the foundation shrubs and some flowers. A very good way is to put in part of the peramnent shrubs and some herbaceous annuals, so that the first year’s planting will show for more in the spring. You may not, and probably will not, carry out the plan in all its details, but making the plan will be helpful, nevertheless. It | enables one to get a comprehensive idea of the finished grounds, and to study the relation of one part to another. Even if, when it is being worked out on the ground, the plan is found to be wrong in some respects, the fact of having given the matter enough thought to have developed a plan will in all probability save the owner many mistakes that he might have made had he gone at the planting directly in the first place.

Temporary Plantings. While waiting for the permanent plantings to grow, it is usually desirable to plant herbaceous annuals and other rapidly growing plants to make a temporary garden. These temporary things should not be allowed to monopolize the food materials of the soil, however, and should be made use of primarily as makeshifts while the permanent shrubs and trees are growing. A good effet is quickly achieved by planting Georgia cane, castor bean, or cannas, Jack beans, moon vine, or morning glories. But these things die in winter and leave only unsightly refuse in their places. A shade is

24 Bulletin of the University of Texas

quickly realized from box elder, umbrella chinaberry, sycamore, hackberry or cottonwood, but the fast-growing trees are short lived and brittle, and thus easily broken by wind. A fast- growing tree may be planted near a slow-growing one and cut down when the permanent tree is large enough to make a good shade or to require all the food materials in the soil.

Directions for Planting—It is impossible to give detailed directions for planting in all sections, or to give specifie direec- tions of what to plant in all localities. The soils and climates of the State are so varied that each home-maker will have to find out what suits his or her own section best and use those things. Below are a few general directions for planting:

1. Transplant trees and shrubs in winter, between Decem- ber first and February first.

2. If possible, choose a calm, damp day, as the roots will dry out much less on such a day than when there is a sunshine or wind. A wise precaution is to wrap the roots in damp cloths. This is essential in the case of cedar.

3. Take up as much of the root system as possible.

4. Take up as much soil with the roots as possible.

5. Trim the top of the plant to correspond roughly in size to that of the root mass taken up. If transplanting evergreens, such as live oak or yupon, take all leaves off.

6. Trim off all bruised roots and trim smooth broken or cut ends of roots.

7. The ground where planting is to be done should be plowed and if possible cross plowed. Holes should be dug for trees and shrubs a little deeper than the depth of the root mass. Where the soil is hard or rocky, it should be broken deeply with dynamite. Ifthe hole is then filled with good soil, the plant has a much better chance. If manure is used, it should be old and well rotted, and should be put in deep enough or enough to one side not to come in direct contact with the roots. When the hole is ready, the roots should be laid out in it carefully and fine soil packed around them. If the soil is left loose the plant will be unstable and the roots

The Beautification of the Home Grounds 25

will not be quickly and easily nourished. Then a generous watering should follow. When the water is all soaked into the soil, a layer of dry soil should be spread over the wet area to prevent evaporation.

If plants are to thrive, they should be watered once a week for at ieast a year. To water, remove a little of the top soil, pour on a generous supply of water, let this soak in completely, then spread back the dry soil over the damp place. By follow- ing this method the moisture remains in the ground for the use of\the trees, whereas, if no loose dirt of other mulch is used, the larger part of the water comes back up the capillary pores in the soil and is evaporated. No greater mistake can be made than to sprinkle a little water on the surface. It actually does more harm than good by encouraging the roots to come to the surface. After plants have begun to grow, a little coarse manure may be thrown around them. This pre- vents evaporation, adds food materials, and makes the food material already in the soil more easily available for the plant.

LIST OF TREES, SHRUBS, AND FLOWERS

The following trees, shrubs, and flowers are suitable for Central Texas. Some of the plants listed as annual here are perennial in Southern Texas, as the Jack bean, and some put down as perennial are no doubt annual in colder sections. It is hoped that ih time these lists can be extended to include the majority of the plants that thrive in each section of the State. Following the lists are some suggested combinations of some of the plants included in the lists.

Trees. Fast Growing: box elder, catalpa, chinaberry, cotton- wood, Japanese varnish tree, Japanese privet (ligus- trum), silver maple, sycamore, willow (in damp loca- tion).

Moderately Fast Growing: Buckthorn (Indian cherry), elm, hackberry, honey locust.

Slow Growing: Black walnut, bois d’are (Osage orange), gum elastic, hickory, live oak, magnolia, pecan, post- oak, Spanish oak, water oak.

Small Trees: Huisache, lavender, mesquite, parkinsonia, prickly ash.

26 Bulletin of the University of Texas

Shrubs. Deciduous: acacia, althea, bridal wreath (spirea Reevesii), buckeye, crepe myrtle, coral berry, deutzia crenata, devil’s elbow (Forestiera), dogwood, elder- berry, eupatorium, flowering willow, haw, lantana, mountain laurel (pink), plumbago, pomegranate, red bud (sometimes white), skunk bush (a sumac, red ber- ries in spring), standing honeysuckle, sumac, syringa (mock orange), yupon (ilex decidua).

Evergreen or practically so: algerita (agarita), Amoor River privet, cedar (native), Chinese arbor vitae, dusty miller, euonymous Japonica, ligustrum (Jananese privet), mountain laurel (purple), salt cedar (tama- risk), sumac, wild peach, yucca (bear grass and Span- ish dagger, also the so-called ‘‘red yucea,’’ has coral flowers).

Herbaceous Perennials. Cannas, coral tree, malvaviscus.

Herbaceous Annuals and Biennials. Castor beans, hollyhocks (dwarf), sunflowers.

Grasses, Reeds and Canes. Cattails (in damp places), Georgia cane (annual), Pampas grass (perennial), umbrella plant (in damp places, perennial).

Vines. Deciduous: Boston ivy, clematis (white), clematis (wild red and blue), grape vines, queen’s wreath (co- rona vine), rose vines (Dorothy Perkins, pink, and Lady Banksia, white and yellow), sarsaparilla vine, trumpet flowers, Virginia creeper, wistaria.

Evergreen or practically so: Confederate jassamine, coral honeysuckle, English ivy, Hall’s. honeysuckle, Me- Cartney rose.

Annual: Alamo vine, balsam, cypress vine, gourd, jack bean, Madeira vine, morning glory.

The Beautification of the Home Grounds 27

Plants for Shady Places: Trailing vinca (periwinkle, ever- -green), sword fern, violets.

Blooming Season of Flowering Shrubs and Large Herbaceous Plants.

Early spring: bridal wreath, buckeye, dogwood, flowering quince (burning bush), mountain iene redbud, stand- ing honeysuckle, syringa, wild plum.

Late spring: acacia, four-o’clock, hollyhock, huisache, Parkinsonia, pomegranate, yucca.

Early summer: canna, crepe myrtle, elderberry, flowering willow, four-o-clock, hollyhock, lantana, pomegranate, skunk bush (berries).

Mid or late summer, and early fall: althea (single white), coral berry (berries), hesperaloe (‘‘red eek lan- tana, lavender, malvaviscus.

Blooming Season of Flowers.

From spring to fall: perennial: crinum, hemerocallis (yel- low day lily), blue salvia, shasta daisy, wild verbena, Annual: petunia, salvia splendens, verbenas, vinea rosium, zinnia.

Spring or early summer, or both: perennial: amaryllis, carnation pinks (not the hot house carnation), com- mon pinks, flags (for two or three weeks only), habran- thus (small red lily), yellow primrose, Salvia Greggil. Annual and biennial: ageratum, beard tongue, blue bon- net, calendula, candy tuft, cathedral bell, cone flower, coreopsis, corn flower, fire wheel (gaillardia), holly- hock, wild (wine cup), horsemint, Indian paint brush, larkspur, marigolds, mignonette, nasturtium, phlox, poppy (Shirley and wild white), primrose, rose moss (portulaca), spider wort, standing cypress (Texas plume), stocks, sweet alyssum, yarrow (milfoil).

Late summer and fall: perennial: asters, fire on the moun- tain, golden rod, hibiscus Manihot, plumbago. <An- nual: bachelor button (immortelle), cock’s comb, cos- mos, peppers (fruit), ruellia, snow-on-the-mountain, sunflowers (Maximillian), verbesina Virginica.

28 Bulletin of the University of Texas

Suggestions for Combinations of Shrubs and Flowers.

Blue and white flowers: (1) skunk bush (background), shasta daisies, plumbago; (2) Hall’s honeysuckle on fence, forestiera, yarrow, blue salvia.

White, pink, and blue flowers: tamarisk, dusty miller, lark- spur, corn flowers.

White and red flowers: (1) Syringa, Texas plume, daisies; (2) pomegranate, and bridal wreath.

White, pink and red: Amoor privet, hollyhocks. (The pinks and reds that occur in hollyhocks are harmo- nious, but those that come in cannas usually are not.)

Pink, white, and lavender: Forestiera, red yucca (really coral pink), beard tongue (very pale lavender).

Yellow and white: Algerita, yucca (bear grass), coreopsis or cone flower.

Blue, white and yellow flowers: skunk bush, golden rod, snow-on-the-mountain, plumbago.

Figure 22: A back entrance. These flowers are on the outside of the fence. Think how much more sanitary, how much more beautiful your town would be if everybody’s hack gate looked like this.

The Beautification of the Home Grounds 29

QUESTIONS ON THE BEAUTIFICATION OF THE HOME GROUNDS

1. Give at least four good reasons for making the home grounds beautiful.

2. In what places should trees, shrubs, and flowers be planted for the best effect?

3. What is the relation of the house to the yard?

4. What are the objections to planting trees and shrubs in straight rows or to scattering them over the lawn?

5. Why is it better to plant the edges of a walk than not to do so?

6. How should the walks be laid?

7. Give reasons for planting native things.

8. What is the best use to make of herbaceous annuals?

9. When planting shrubs and flowers of varied heights, kinds, of foliage, and colors in a group, what is, in general, the correct method of arrangement ?

10. Give directions for transplanting trees and shrubs.

11. Make a list of local trees, shrubs and flowers that are suitable for use in yards.

12. Draw a plan of your yard and see wherein you can im- prove it.

13. What methods have been successfully used in certain towns and cities to induce every one to beautify streets and yards.

14. What plan is it practicable for you to earry out in your community ?

REFERENCES:

United States Department of Agriculture, Farmers’ Bulle- tins Nos. 181, 185, 195, 494, free.

University of Texas Bulletin No. 22, April 15, 1915, ‘‘The Trees of Texas,’’ by Dr. I. M. Lewis, free.

University of Illinois Extension Department Bulletin, ‘‘The Illinois Way of Beautifying the Farm,’’ 50 cents.

‘‘How to Plan the Home Grounds,’’ by Samuel Parsons, Jr., published by Doubleday, Page & Co., New York City, $1.00.

A a oat Pee ike Ga? . ti acne

% é " Wy a , ’ + . in? . F , i ‘ 4 ? . . ‘ “ . 44 1 7 - ¥ , : is i 4 is i. a A i . 47) ‘ i ‘ if a fee 'y , roi vf ' ‘ i - } A Yi Wi , ‘ ] ‘ f hus 1 * + as mer, 5 aa a . - ‘4

rte wi “2! ,

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

@ 000

nM