i88i.] BORDERS OF MIXED HARDY FLOWERS. 103 



Phloxes, tall Campanulas, Salvias, and other perennials, about 2^ to 3| 

 feet in height; Gladioli will come immediately in front of these. 

 Then a row of Roses will divide the back section from the front, 

 which will have nothing taller than Pyrethrums, Antirrhinums, Sweet- 

 Williams, down to the dwarfest plants at front. Then, as a spring 

 display is of importance, many dwarf spring-flowering subjects will 

 be mixed with the taller plants well back in the border. Before 

 commencing to plant, a catalogue should be consulted, and the 

 heights of the several plants carefully noted. The necessity for 

 this is apparent, if we take the Campanulas, which contain species 

 from 4 inches to as many feet in height. If the border has been well 

 prepared, the plants make great progress the first year ; but some of 

 them — as, for instance. Pinks and Carnations, and bulbous plants — 

 should be planted not singly, but in clumps. 



I commenced by saying that the ' Gardener ' took a foremost place 

 in pushing the claims of hardy flowers. I have now to state that 

 these claims have always been honestly put before its readers. When 

 it has been said, " Do away with some of your ' bedding,' " you have 

 at the same time been cautioned that to keep these borders in toler- 

 able order you would not save in labour. Hardy flowers have been 

 recommended on their own intrinsic merits without running down 

 others, or holding out the hope that if "bedding" be curtailed, and 

 hardy flowers put in their places, then so much labour would be 

 available for other departments. It is only on the understanding 

 that such a border as I have just given hints towards furnishing is 

 recommended because it is a feature of great beauty and interest and 

 use when well managed, though at the same time calling for a great 

 amount of labour, without which its interest will sink very low indeed. 

 Well, then, you may make up your mind for a certain amount of trans- 

 planting every year ; a certain amount of preparation of the ground 

 for such plants as Dahlias and Gladioli ; a certain amount of propaga- 

 tion every season — such flowers as Pentstemons, Pinks, Carnations, 

 and some others, requiring to be propagated often. Then you will find 

 the necessity of periodically lifting the whole of the plants, dunging 

 and trenching the borders, and subsequent rearranging of the plants. 

 Then you have the ordinary routine work always on hand — hoeing, 

 clearing off decayed flower-stems, staking and tying the plants to the 

 stakes : this alone is no light matter. You will understand that if we 

 plant 200 or 300 Dahlias, 300 Gladioli, 500. Carnations and Picotees, 

 besides a Phlox every third yard, Pyrethrums the same distance, and 

 other tall fellows about 4 to 6 yards apart, the staking alone means 

 something. Of course, some readers may be in a locality where the 

 wind does not disport itself unseemly, — where zephyr alone ever 

 breathes on the flowers. If so, just excuse these remarks, for the 

 wind occasionally behaves very rudely here. But there are two ways 

 of staking a plant. If you have a Gladiolus, for instance, which 



