i88i.] BORDERS OF MIXED HARDY FLOWERS. 101 



THE FURNISHING OF BORDERS OF MIXED 

 HARDY FLOWERS. 



Though the 'Gardener' bas kept to the front in giving practical in- 

 formation on hardy flowers, and the different ways they may be em- 

 ployed with the best effect, yet there are always readers who desire 

 information just at one particular time, and to whom previous papers 

 on this subject have been of no use from their having no interest in 

 them at the time they appeared. Therefore I find my apology for 

 the following remarks in the fact, that those who are commencing the 

 culture of these want information just at present above all other 

 times. You will doubtless have heard the threadbare tale, how that 

 borders of mixed hardy flowers are always interesting ; how, day by 

 day, from the time the Christmas Roses and Snowdrops brave the 

 horrors of snow and hail and rain, with much darkness and little sun- 

 shine, till the Michaelmas Daisies close the floral year amid as much 

 darkness and less sunshine, there are floral treasures unfolding their 

 beauties without intermission. Before you plant a Daisy, do not be- 

 lieve in it. Your master and your mistress and yourself may be a 

 little inclined to be sentimental until the novelty has worn off, and 

 you may all have a slight return of the feeling every spring; but do not 

 trust in it to last, and above all, do not trust it so much as to allow 

 the flush of summer flowers to pass without having a reserve to come 

 on throughout the autumn. If you do, instead of the " Oh, how 

 sweet!" "Oh, charming!" "What a pretty dear!" of the spring- 

 time, — you may expect, " Don't you think, Macbriar, that it would be 

 worth while to stick something in these bare places 1 " and, " Mightn't 

 we have a few flowers to brighten the borders up a bit ? " If you 

 commenced with sentiment, you have at that particular day and hour 

 come down to fact, and have to acknowledge the requirements pointed 

 out. But, alas for the means of filling the "bare places," and the 

 power to brighten up ! And you may be infected with that unfortu- 

 nate feeling which unconsciously draws a line between "border" flowers 

 and flowers which have been utilised as "bedders." Do not let that 

 feeling cause you to exclude flowers which would be of the greatest 

 service in making your borders effective. Because you have " bedded 

 out" Salvias, and Gladioli, and Sedum spectabile, do not let that be 

 a reason for excluding them from a place in the mixed borders. What 

 we want in these is as big a display of flowers as can be had, and for 

 as long a period as possible : how foolish it would therefore be to 

 discard some of the best for our purpose, for no better reason than the 

 above! Utilitarianism has got fast grip of gardeners. Weeding out 

 of fruits which do not pay, and growing only a limited number of 

 stove and greenhouse plants which yield the best and surest returns, is 

 now the order of the day, and the principle must be recognised in the 

 planting of these borders. I would therefore advise that such beauti- 



