Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 107, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1915 — IMPROVING THE BACK YARD [ARTICLE]

IMPROVING THE BACK YARD

Women's Municipal League of New York Is Making Elaborate Plana For the Season. Wasted back yards are to be Improved by members of the Women’s Municipal league of New York. Several of the members have taken courses In landscape gardening to prepare themselves for the work of planning other people’s back yards. Even the tiniest space of earth may be cultivated in some way, and where soil is lacking, flowers and shrubs In pots can be used with good effect. A specimen garden is described by Mrs. Robertson Jones, chairman of the gardening committee of the league. First of all, the back fence Is to be painted green, and a garden seat of lighter green put at the center. Trellises for honeysuckle are at either side. Stone jars containing small box trees will mount guard over each side of the path, with rows of barberry bushes leading up to them. This is an all-year garden, for the honeysuckle leaves stay on until December, box is an evergreen and the barberry bushes have leaves in summer and red berries in winter. The cost of this garden complete is about |4O, including labor, plants, painting, bench and jars. Members of the league are trying to induce the owners of whole groups of houses to install these miniature gardens, so that each family may have its own sipall rest-spot and play-space for the children.