Chapter XV.. If Space for Your Garden Is About 10 X 15 Ft. It Would

If space for your garden is about 10 x 15 ft. it would be delightful to plant it as shown by the picture-map drawn here.

GARDEN FOR LITTLE FOLKS—10X15 FEET

Plant Daffodils and Tulips between Hardy Perennials as indicated on plan with dots.

Now, for an—

EXPLANATION

THE LITTLE FOLKS FLOWER GARDEN

FOUR HARDY BULBS FOR LITTLE FOLKS GARDEN

These bulbs should be planted in late October or early November. They bloom in the early Spring and then die down, to come up the next Spring.

-----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- No. | | | | on | No. of Flowers | How Deep | | Average Map. | to Plant. | to Plant. | Color. | Price. -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- (.) | 6 Emperor Daffodils. | 4 inches. | Yellow. |25c for ½ doz. -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- (.) | 6 Cottage Garden | 4 inches. |All colors.|15c for ½ doz. | Tulips, called also | | | | May-flowering Tulips. | | | -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- (.) | 6 Darwin Tulips. | 4 inches. |All colors.|15c for ½ doz. | Bloom later than | | | | “Cottage Garden” | | | | Tulips; grow taller. | | | -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------- (2) | 6 German Iris roots, | 4 inches. |Blue, |50c for ½ doz. | called also | |purple, | | “Blue Flags.” | |and yellow.| -----+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+--------------

HARDY PERENNIALS

The plants whose roots live on from season to season, or “winter over,” and come up every Spring, are called Hardy Perennials.

The plants whose roots die in the Fall, and do not “winter over,” are called Annuals.

When a boy or a girl undertakes to start a flower garden, how much more desirable it seems to plant, for the most part, Hardy Perennials, which will “come up” the next Summer and the next, and so on for years; instead of Annuals, the seeds of which must be sowed every Spring.

Of course, the seeds of Hardy Perennials may be sowed in the Spring, but Hardy Perennial plants raised from seeds, seldom bloom until the next year after the seeds are planted.

If you wish to start seeds, however, see Chapter LI on “Perennials.”

Following is the list of—

TWELVE HARDY PERENNIALS FOR LITTLE FOLKS GARDEN

-----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ No. | | | on | Name and Number | Remarks. | Average Map. | of Plants. | | Price. -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (3) | 2 Bleeding Hearts. | Pink heart-shaped flowers on |15c a plant. | | graceful stems. | | | | | | Buy the plants in clumps in | | | the Fall. | -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (4) | Hardy Py-re-thrums.| Red, pink, white daisy-like |20c a plant. | | flowers. | 10c a | | | package. | | When ordering, use the name: | | | “Pyrethrum Hybridum.” | | | | | | It is best to plant seeds in | | | early Spring or August, to | | | get plants which will “winter| | | over” and bloom the next | | | Summer. | | | | | | Plants may be purchased if | | | you wish blooms the first | | | year. | -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (5) | Sweet-Williams | “Biennials,” which means the | 10c a | (London Tufts). | plants “come up” the second | package. | | year, but do not do well | | | after that. | | | | | | Plant every other year; | | | preferably in August. | | | | | | Order mixed seed. | | | | | | Sweet-Williams often sow | | | their own seed. | -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (6) | 3 Hardy Phlox. | 1 Salmon Pink: order |20c a plant. | | “Elizabeth Campbell,” or | | | “Rheinlander.” | | | | | | 1 White: order “Mrs. | | | Jenkins.” | | | | | | 1 Lavender: order “La Vague,”| | | or “La Mahdi.” | | | | | | Buy the plants of Hardy | | | Phlox. The seeds are not | | | generally satisfactory, | | | because they should be sowed | | | within a short time after | | | ripening. | -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (7) | Blue Thoroughwort | Order “Eupatorium Celestium.”|15c a plant. | (“Eu-pa-to-ri-um”).| | | | Blue misty flowers, sometimes| | | called “Blue Mist,” pretty in| | | mixed bouquet. Bloom late in | | | season. | | | | | | Buy the plant. | -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (8) | 1 Co-re-op-sis. | Order “Coreopsis Lanceolata |15c a plant. | | Grandiflora.” Yellow | | | daisy-like flowers. A large, | | | bushy plant. | | | | | | Keep the flowers well picked,| | | to get continuous bloom. | | | | | | Easily raised from seed if | | | planted early. | -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (9) |1 Blanket Flower | Large reddish-brown flowers | 10c a | (Hardy | with yellow edges, etc. | package. | “Gail-lard-i-a”). | | | | It loves to bloom. | | | | | | If sowed very early, it often| | | blooms the first season. | | | | | | Order mixed seed. | -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (10) |3 Chrys-an-the-mums.| Order “Hardy Pompon” |3 for 45 | | (1 yellow, 1 red, 1 bronze). | cts. | | | | | Bloom very late in the Fall. | | | | | | Buy the plants. | -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (11) | Roses (See Chapter | Dwarf “Baby Ramblers”: |50c a plant. | XXXV). | (a) 1 Fairy Rose--“Cecile | | | Brunner.”Little double | | | flowers of soft rosy pink on | | | a creamy white ground. | | | | | | (b) 1 Baby | | | Tausendschön—“Louise Walter.”| | | Larger flowers of a tender | | | shade of pink. | | | | | | CHINESE ROSE: “Hermosa”—pink.| -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (12) | 3 Hardy Asters | Lavender, pink, white and |15c a plant. | (“Mich-ael-mas | purple little daisy-like | | Dai-sies”). | flowers, growing in clusters | | | on large tall bushes. | | | | | | Buy the plants. | -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------ (13) | Iceland Poppies. | All colors. | 10c a | | | package. | | Sow mixed seed in August to | | | grow plants which will bloom | | | the next Summer. | | | | | | Cover with leaves in the | | | Fall. | | | | | | Order mixed seeds of “Papaver| | | Nudicaule.” | -----+--------------------+------------------------------+------------

ANNUALS

Sow the seeds of Annuals early in the Spring. The roots of Annuals do not live over Winter, and seeds must be sowed every Spring.

ANNUALS FOR LITTLE FOLKS GARDEN

-----+----------------------+-------------------------------+--------- No. | | | on | Name and Number | Remarks. | Average Map. | of Plants. | | Price. -----+----------------------+-------------------------------+--------- (14) | Cos´-mos. | Easily grown in poor soil. |10c a | | Grow over 4 feet tall. | package. | | Flowers: pink,white, garnet, | | | with yellow centers. | | | | | | Buy mixed seed, “Summer or | | | Early Flowering” Cosmos which | | | will bloom early and continue | | | until frost. | -----+----------------------+-------------------------------+--------- (15) | Sweet A-lys´-sum. | A charming edging plant. |5c a | | Order “Little Gem,” which | package. | | grows 4 inches tall, and | | | blooms like a snow carpet. | -----+----------------------+-------------------------------+---------

VEGETABLES FOR LITTLE FOLKS GARDEN

---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- | | Average | | Price Name. | Remarks. | per | | Package | | Seed. ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- Nasturtiums. | In the early Spring, sow seeds of | 5c. | dwarf nasturtiums for narrow | Buy “Tom Thumb” or | border along the walk of the | Dwarf. | vegetable garden. | ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- Lettuce. | Plant a small quantity of Early | 5c. | Lettuce seeds in the early Spring; | Buy “Early | when plants are two inches high, | All-heart;” Early | plant more seeds; thin plants out, | Cos; Late Lettuce. | that the ones left standing may grow | | large. Plant a few seeds every week | | until weather grows very warm. | | | | Lettuce does not grow well in very | | warm weather. | | | | Plant late variety in early Fall. | | | | Cos or Romaine lettuce is easily | | grown, and stands the heat better | | than the other varieties. It has a | | very crisp fleshy rib in the leaf, | | but the leaf part is not so delicate | | as of the other varieties. | | | | All lettuce needs very rich soil. | ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- Parsley. | Plant in early Spring. | 5c. | | Buy “Dwarf Curly.” | Soak seed overnight in warm water, | | mix sand in the water, and fling | | sand and seed over the prepared | | ground. Sometimes it takes six weeks | | for parsley seed to “come up.” | | Except far north, it lives over | | winter if well covered with leaves. | | | | Plant some parsley every year, as | | what has “wintered over” goes to | | seed very easily. | ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- Onions. | “Onion sets” are tiny little onions | 10c a | which are set out in early Spring, | pint. Buy yellow “Onion | about 2 inches apart in rows. | sets.” | Usually when they are partially | | grown, they are pulled, and green | | tops and bulbs are used for salads | | and in soup. | ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- Thyme. | A very pretty low-growing herb, used | 5c. | to flavor soup, and “stuffing” for | | meat. Grows easily from seed if | | sowed early. Lives over winter | | --except far north--if covered with | | leaves. Is, therefore, a | | “perennial.” | | | | Plant in the Spring in the northern | | states. | | | | Plant in the Fall in the southern | | states. | ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- Radishes. | Sow a few radish seeds every week | 5c. | for four weeks, to have new young | Buy Little Red | tender radishes ready for pulling | Globe-shaped. | each week. | | | | Radishes do not do well in very hot | | weather. | | | | The late or “winter” radish is | | planted in the early Fall. | ---------------------+--------------------------------------+--------- Tomatoes. | Tomato seeds may be sowed in a |2 for 5c. | box placed in a sunny window or | Buy 2 plants of | under glass in the hot bed in very | early and 2 of | early Spring, but unless a large | late varieties. | number of plants is needed, it is | | better to buy the young plants. | | | | A very interesting variety is | | “cherry tomatoes,” which grow in | | little clusters of red fruit | | resembling cherries in appearance. | | Buy 1 plant. | ---------------------+--------------------------------------+---------

The approximate cost of this garden for little folks is three dollars.

Seeds of all these vegetables may be started in the house. See Chapter XIV, page 81, “To Plant Seeds in Boxes.” The young plants may be put out in the garden when they are of some size, about which you will read later.

FOOTNOTES:

See Chapter LI on Perennials.

See Chapter XI on Annuals.