Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 274, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 November 1919 — BEAUTIFYING THAT BARE SPOT [ARTICLE]

BEAUTIFYING THAT BARE SPOT

Ferns Particularly Adapted for Growth in Garden Spaces That Seem There is perhaps no plant grown which appeals to the refined taste of the gardener and lover of plant life as the fern —with its wonderful grace of form and variety of color shading. Few people realize what charming effects can lie obtained at a very small cost with the aid of our native wood ferns. We admire them when they are seen in their native cool and shaded haunts, but we do not realize they can easily be transplanted and will quickly contribute to the beauty of our lawns and gardens; Ferns may be found in the woods of almost every state in the Union. Around every house, whether in city or village, there are shady spots where grass and flowers will not grow. We look at these bare and uninviting places and wish something could be done to make them attractive. Take a day off. go to the woods, and with a-trowel dig up some ferns, secure as many varieties as possible, plant them in the prepared bed, the larger varieties at the back, the more delicate in front. It does not require so many for a start, as they multiply rapidly. Keep them moist until thoroughly established. Late in the fall cover with leaves. In the spring do not remove these leaves from the bed, as they help to hold the' moisture. Enrich the soil and give the ferns more of their native conditions. Thus • the former unsightly spots will have become places of joy and beauty.—Thrift Magazine.