AMATEUR
GARDENCRAFT
A BOOK FOR THE HOME-MAKER
AND GARDEN LOVER
BY
EBEN E. REXFORD
WITH 34 ILLUSTRATIONS
PHILADELPHIA & LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
1912
COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY, 1912
PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA, U.S.A.
FOREWORD
The home that affords the most pleasure to its owner is the one which islargely the result of personal effort in the development of itspossibilities. The "ready-made home," if I may be allowed theexpression, may be equally as comfortable, from the standpoint ofconvenience,—and possibly a great deal more so,—but it invariablylacks the charm which invests the place that has developed under our ownmanagement, by slow and easy stages, until it seems to have become partof ourselves.
Home-making is a process of evolution. We take up the work wheneverything connected with it is in a more or less chaotic condition,probably without any definite plan in mind. The initial act in thedirection of development, whatever it may be, suggests almostimmediately something else that can be done to advantage, and in thisway we go on doing little things from day to day, until the time comeswhen we sud[Pg 6]denly discover what wonderful things have been accomplishedby our patient and persistent efforts, and we are surprised anddelighted at the result. Were we to plan it all out before beginning it,very likely the undertaking would seem so formidable that it woulddiscourage us. But the evolutionary process takes place so gradually, aswe work hand in hand with that most delightful of all companions,Nature, that work becomes play, and we get more enjoyment out of it, asit goes along, than it is possible to secure in any other way if we arelovers of the beauty that belongs about the ideal home. The man or womanwho sees little or nothing to admire in tree, or shrub, or flower, canhave no conception of the pleasure that grows out of planting theseabout the home—our home—and watching them develop from tiny plant,or seed to the fruition of full maturity. The place casts off thebareness which characterizes the beginning of most homes, by almostimperceptible degrees, until it becomes a thing of beauty that seems tohave been almost a creation of our own, because every nook and corner ofit is vital with the essence of ourselves. Whatever of labor isconnected with the undertaking is that of love which carries with it amost delightful gratifi[Pg 7]cation as it progresses. In proportion as weinfuse into it a desire to make the most of any and everything that willattract, and please, and beautify, we reap the reward of our efforts.Happy is the man who can point his friends to a lovely home and say—"Ihave done what I could to make it what it is. I have done it—not theprofessional who goes about the country making what he calls homes atso much a day, or by the job.