Townhouse or City
Small Backyard Garden

There are many types of small gardens or small backyard gardens. The townhouse small garden or city backyard garden is by no means the hopeless, dreary horticultural desert that one is led to believe. Whatever hopelessness enshrouds the small backyard garden, it is usually evolved from the attitude of mind of the owner or occupant of the particular backyard under consideration. If one takes the stand that the position is untenable and that nothing can be done, the probability is that nothing will be done; but if on the contrary there is a determined effort to ''start something," then something is going to happen, and that something will doubtless bear results.

City Gardens

The Preliminary Steps

The first thing to undertake will be a thorough cleaning up of the ground, removing everything that is not actually necessary and making the ground as smooth and presentable as possible. The next thing in order will be hiding the division fences and any outbuildings that exist with vines or tall growing annuals. Narrow beds dug along the fences on either side may be planted with vines of quick growth, and such summer bedding plants and tall annuals as cannas, ricinus, and the like may be used to mask the rear fence. These are all plants which may be started in the house from roots and seeds and planted out when the weather is suitable.

Usually it is preferable to leave the center of the lot open, seeding down the ground to grass for a bit of lawn; but this is hardly practicable in the rental home. As a bare expanse of earth is anything but attractive, it will be better to put this part of the lot into flower beds, using low growing annuals or bedding plants and leaving broad walks around this miniature garden. This with the border beneath the fences will cover the lot so that only the paths remain, and if these can be covered with sand or gravel the result will be entirely satisfactory.

An even better arrangement than the vines growing up the fences would be the creation of boxes on top of the fences filled with trailing vines, such as nasturtiums or other bright flowering vines. The boxes may contain upright plants as well — just the sort of planting that one makes in porch or window boxes, only on a somewhat larger scale. The expense for this sort of work need not be great, as plain inexpensive boxes will answer quite as well as more costly ones. They need only filling with good soil to be ready for the reception of such plants as one may elect to use. If the fence has a flat board on top, the boxes may be set directly on it, but if no top rail is present the boxes are easily adjusted by means of brackets attached to the fence posts.

Where the boxes are adopted instead of planting vines at the foot of the fence, then scarlet salvia, white feverfew, geraniums, nicotiana, asters, and the like may lift their bright heads from the ground to meet the down trailing vines. Petunias, verbenas, sweet alyssum and ageratum may be used as an edging, and the whole will furnish a wealth of bloom from early summer to frost.

The permanent backyard, however, should have as its chief charm a stretch of velvety green sod, well trimmed, and the flowers should be merely the framework and adornment of its beauty. A broad cement or graveled path, or one with stepping stones down its center, broadening midway of its length into a circle enclosing an artificial pool for lilies and goldfish and with garden seats at each side, may be the chief feature of this part of the yard.

Mass planting of tall growing perennials and shrubs may serve as a screen for an enclosing fence or undesirable view. Taller shrubs and ornamental trees may close the vista in the rear, and a little tea house or pergola makes a shady retreat at the end of the path. Stepping stones give a quaint and old-time flavor to a garden, but they must be set low enough to allow the lawn mower to pass freely over them; otherwise they will prove a troublesome arrangement indeed. Walks of red brick, especially where the enclosing walls are of brick, are charming. Seats of red cement may be used with these, or wooden seats painted green will be in harmony with the garden. There are many charming garden seats of wood that are far more comfortable than stone or concrete benches.

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Two plans for a small city or urban garden show a broad expanse of turf, broken in the center by a miniature cement lily pool. Stepping stones lead from the house to the pool, circle it and extend to the little arbor in the rear. Stepping stones detract less from the apparent size of the lawn than walks and are picturesque.

Urban Garden Plans