MARYLAND
Flower gardens adorn many of the places in Maryland, most of them of the
old-fashioned kind so characteristic of the Southern States, and others
of a more recent date. The latter, though less elaborate than those of
New England, are quite as attractive in the studied simplicity of their
design.
Conspicuous often are the Ivy-edged paths sometimes replacing the low
Box border, and the great growths of Box and rare shrubs, once imported
luxuries from old England, speak the prosperity of early days.
In the low country of the interior the midsummer climate is humid and
hot enough to discourage the flowers of this season, but when certain
annuals are kept sufficiently moist and mulched they may pass unscathed
through the trying season and join the few fall perennials for several
weeks of bloom.
Winter protection is not a matter of importance and Pansies need but an
ordinary covering of leaves. An extreme of cold, which is rare, might
bring disaster to the leaf-covered Canterbury Bell in the open, but this
is one of the gambles in garden life.
In Maryland, as generally elsewhere in this section, spring and June
gardens prevail. The Crocus season opens in early March; Daffodils
follow a little later; late Tulips and German Iris come near May 1;
Sweet William and Peonies about May 20; and soon after the Delphiniums
and Hollyhocks appear. Spring work begins three weeks earlier than in
the latitude of Long Island, and frost may finish the persistent
Marigold near November 1; but, as elsewhere, by that time green life has
had its day, vitality has been spent, and nothing satisfactory can be
expected of any but the hardy late Chrysanthemum.
There is another region of this State to be separately accounted for
that has been more or less overlooked, and where the climate is more
inviting to summer gardening. From near Snow Hill, on the narrow
peninsula south of Delaware, a resident writes in part: "As to this
eastern shore, its flowers, climate, etc., too much cannot be said in
its praise. The wonder is that this section has been overlooked by
wealthy people seeking homes. With proper planting one can have flowers
in the garden ten months of the year. During the winter Holly and other
choice evergreens give plenty of color for the lawns." The distance
across between the Chesapeake Bay and the sea is about thirty-five
miles. Near the shore the place has a climate of its own, and summer
gardens need not wilt as they do inland, providing they can at times be
moderately sprinkled. Usually the summer climate is pleasant with an
evening sea-breeze in hot weather; sometimes a prolonged dry spell
causes many things to suffer, but as a rule all sorts of flowering
plants succeed--Roses, China Asters, and bulbous plants especially grow
to perfection.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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