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قراءة كتاب Gardening for Little Girls
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ILLUSTRATIONS
| Puzzle Picture,—Find the Little Girl, | Frontispiece |
| Facing Page |
|
| First Work in the Spring | 14 |
| Kim and Columbine | 40 |
| Taking Care of Table Ferns | 56 |
| Cleaning Up Around the Shrubs | 78 |
| All Ready to Hoe | 90 |
| An Outgrown Playhouse | 112 |
| Spring Beauties | 126 |
Line Drawings in Text |
|
| Page | |
| Plan for a Small Back Yard | 12 |
| An Artistic Arrangement of a Narrow City Lot | 14 |
| Flowers That Will Bloom From Early Summer Until Frost | 16 |
| Blossoms in Japanese Arrangement | 138 |
NOTE
As the desire is to give the widest possible range of information about the plants and flowers mentioned herein, and space forbids going into details in each case, the writer has endeavored to mention all the colors, extremes of height, and entire season of bloom of each kind. But the grower must find out the particular variety obtained, and NOT expect a shrubby clematis to climb, or a fall rose to blossom in the spring!
GARDENING FOR
LITTLE GIRLS
Rose plot,
Fringed pool,
Fern'd grot—
The veriest school
Of peace; and yet the fool
Contends that God is not—
Not God! in gardens! when the eve is cool?
Nay but I have a sign:
'Tis very sure God walks in mine.
—Thomas Edward Brown.
GARDENING FOR
LITTLE GIRLS
CHAPTER I
And because the breath of flowers is far sweeter in the air (where it comes and goes, like the warbling of music) than in the hand, therefore nothing is more fit for that delight than to know what be the flowers and plants that do best perfume the air.
If you want a flower garden, you can begin work as early as March. Does that sound strange,—with cold winds and occasional snow? Ah, but the plans should all be laid then, and many things started in the house.
Four steps must be taken before starting actual work:
First.—Find out what space you can have for your garden.
Second.—Consider the soil, situation, surroundings.
Third.—Make a list of seeds, bulbs, etc., desired.
Fourth.—Decide on planting with view to height and color.
As to the first step, find out positively where you can have your garden. It makes considerable difference whether you can have the whole back yard, a plot along the walk, a round bed in the center of the lawn (only worse than none at all!), or a window-box. You can not very well decide on a single plant until this is settled.
As to the second step, learn all you can about the soil, situation, surroundings. Is your ground rich or poor? If light and sandy, you can grow such flowers as nasturtiums and mignonette. By adding fertilizer you can have poppies, roses, and dahlias. If the ground is heavy and stiff with clay, you can still have your roses and dahlias if you will add both manure and sand. So find out what kind of earth you are going to work with. Quite poor soil will grow sweet alyssum, California poppies, coreopsis and geraniums, while rich soil is needed for asters, larkspur, zinnias and marigolds. And think about your location (a dry spot being necessary for portulaca, and a cool, moist place for lily-of-the-valley), as well as bear in mind whether your garden is sheltered and warm or exposed to the chilly winds.