Along a walk to an old outhouse they planted asters on one side and four
o'clocks on the other. Asters, as all boys and girls know, are better if
started inside early. Then they may be transplanted to the outside. In
his way one gets a bit ahead of the season.

But Philip was obliged to plant seed for both. So he planted it in a
drill as one plants lettuce. Later the little seedlings were thinned out
to stand six inches apart. This thinning was done when the plants were
four inches high. Four o'clocks need lots of room as they grow bushy.

Plants in narrow strips are quite likely to drop over their limits. To
keep these in bounds Philip later built a fence. For this he used stakes
driven into the ground at intervals of every four feet. To these he
nailed strips of railing. Sometimes cords are used instead of railings.

An old fence was all about the yard and an old unused outbuilding in the
rear. These were both unsightly in appearance, so they had to be hidden.
Vines were used for this purpose.

About six inches from the fence a furrow was made four inches deep.
Climbing nasturtium seeds were dropped into this furrow at distances of
every four inches. The seeds had been soaked over night. This was
because the ground was very dry and the weather was now quite settled
and warm. If the ground is wet and the weather cold, never soak seed. It
just adds to the general soggy condition to do this.

[Illustration: Photograph by Mary H. Northend.

Philip's Backyard Made Beautiful by Annuals and Quick-growing Vines.]