JOY OF A GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21159, 16 April 1932, Page 4 (Supplement)

JOY OF A GARDEN.

By BOYD HEMPHILL, Te Puke

What happiness lies in a garden for a gardener! He is not a, lover of flowers who buys a dozen seedlings and plants them among weeds and rubbish and expects them to grow. To-be a successful gardener you must treat plants as being human, keeping them weeded and watered, and see that pests do not eat them. are not many seedlings that will survive slugs and snails. Also the wind will spoil many a handsome plant if not staked and tied.

I think a garden looks at its best in tho spring time. The very atmosphere seems to suit the look of the new leaves nrid flowers. Who does not love to roam through an old garden at that period? And yet some people, will find no joy in such a place artd it leaves no impression on them. Such humans 1 cannot understand. (iod gave us flowers to brighten the world, and what would it bo like without them ? Not worth living in, don't you think ?

Next door to me is a beautiful garden belonging to a lover of flowers. It is about half an acre in extent, and contains wonderful trees of all kinds. I will try and describe a bit of it, though it is very bard. The whole place is laid out on a gentle slope, facing the east. At the top end is a lily pond. In it are goldfish and frogs by the dozen, and on the surface are water lilies. Around the edge are primroses and violets, and at the back a small rockery. Then toward the house a lawn slopes, fringed with heds of pansies and Iceland poppies, which make a pretty sight. In the middle of the lawn is a sundial surrounded by flowers.

Tho house is very old-fashioned, wUh high gables and no ceilings inside. One porch is covered with wisteria. The vest of the garden is laid out with winding paths covered here and there by archways of roses and other creepers. The front lawn is very large and takes some cutting and trimming. The bottom of the garden consists of different shaped beds of bulbs and flowers. Carnations, hollyhocks, lavender (as a border), daffodils, csclischoltzias, delphiniums and Canterbury bell catch the eve when in bloom. Truly a garden that would bring delight and satisfaction to anyone who is interested in this hobby. Cabbage and laurel trees are outstanding here, and form a natural arch over soma of the paths. At present shining cuckoos are paying a visit to this garden and they seem to enjoy it as much as we humans do. Here is a line I saw in a book: " The garden makes the home and brings joy that never was felt before."