202 THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, ° w 
BORDERS, FLOWER. Small beds, or a continuous | Borecole—continued. ; 
bed, of greater length than width, skirting a wall or 
shrubbery, and containing plants of a heterogeneous 
character. They should be slightly raised above the sur- 
rounding level, and thoroughly drained. In the first pre- 
paration of the Border, it is most essential to deeply dig 
or trench the ground, thoroughly incorporating a large 
amount of well-bodied manure; and if the soil is very stiff, 
wood ashes or coarse sand should be well worked in with 
the manure. The best time to plant such Borders is in 
early autumn or in March. 
Where, as is frequently the case, the Borders are only 
2ft. or 3ft. wide, not more than two rows of plants, either 
in groups or singly, will be allowable. The tall plants or 
shrubs should constitute the background, with dwarfer sub- 
- jects in front; but formal arrangements must be avoided. 
The object should be to secure a continuous succession of 
flowers. This would entail some little trouble at first, 
which, however, would be amply repaid by results. 
No hard-and-fast rules can be laid down as to the arrange- 
- ment of the plants, which depends on individual taste and 
means; but the best results are obtained when the border 
is mainly made up of hardy herbaceous perennials, as per- 
manent occupants, assisted by liberal quantities of summer 
bedding plants, such as Dahlias, Fuchsias, Geraniums, 
' Heliotrope, Tropzolums, &c., as well as many hardy annuals 
and biennials. By this means, a very varied and beautiful 
display may be maintained, especially if bulbs are used for 
early spring effect, such as Narcissi, Scillas, Snowdrops, 
Tulips, &c. Of course, the herbaceous perennials should 
be selected with much care, all weedy subjects being 
avoided, and variety in colour and time of flowering secured. 
Anything like a full list of these would oceupy too much 
_ space for repetition here, but the following will be found 
very showy and useful: Achilleas, Aconitums, Anemones, 
Aquilegias, Armerias, Asters, Campanulas, Carnations and 
Picotees, Delphiniums, Dodecatheons, Doronicums, Fritil- 
larias, Funkias, Gaillardias, Geraniums, Geums, Holly- 
hocks, Iberises, Irises, Liliums, Ponies, Papavers, Pyre- 
thrums, double and single, Ranunculus, Trolliuses, &c. 
BORDERS, FRUIT. These should be well drained, 
and if not naturally so, the soil should be excavated from 
3ft. to 5ft. deep, in order to form a bottom of stones, pieces 
of brick, clinkers, &c. Where it is convenient, draining 
pipes should be added, if an outfall in the vicinity can 
be secured, The base of the Border should be sloped to 
the front, where the pipes should be laid, and the bottom 
covered with draining material, thereby effectually pre- 
venting the fruit trees rooting deep, which is detrimental 
to healthy growth. Gross-feeding vegetables or flowers 
should not be grown on the surface, but shallow-rooting 
_ crops will generally do no harm. Many advocate the 
_ surface being kept free from crops of any sort, simply 
_ letting it be freely exposed; whilst others equally as 
_ Strenuously condemn this ‘plan. Where necessary, chalk 
œ some other mineral constituent of good soil which is 
a absent, may be added; but much animal manure 
he depth and width of Border may 
trees, but efficient drainage is in 
© BORECOLE (Brassic fimbriata), An im- 
portant division of the Brassics e, often cultivated in 
gardens under the name of Kale. It comes in very useful 
when hard weather has rendered cabbages, &e., unfit for 
use, as it endures cold better than most other green 
vegetables. Some are also grown as ornamental foliaged 
plants. Like alk other plants of a similar description, they 
require rich soil, and they should be put out in June or 
early in July, as it is almost useless to plant this kind of 
vegetable after the middle of the latter month. To 
_ obtain the best results, the ground should be deeply dug 
and well manured; but it must not be full of crude 
| manure at planting time, or it will make the plants too 
_ tender and succulent in wet seasons, with the result 
that the first sharp frost would cause them to rot. 
Good hard-stemmed plants are the kinds most needed, 
especially for crops required in spring, when green vege- 
tables are scarce. Cultivation: Early in April, and again 
a month later for succession, the seeds should be sown 
thinly in nursery beds, not covering them too deeply. The 
soil should be in a-friable condition, and it is an advantage 
if the first beds be made under a south wall. As soon as 
the seedlings appear, if they are too thick, they should be 
thinned, as those which are drawn up weak and spindly 
are useless. When large enough, they should be carefully 
planted out, choosing showery weather, if possible, for the 
operation. If it is necessary to plant them in dry weather, 
they must be well watered-in. The rows should be from 
2ftvto 3ft. apart, according to the variety, and the plants 
2ft. apart in the rows; or, if potatoes are planted wide 
apart, the Borecole may be arranged between them. Dead 
leaves must be cleared away from time to time, but no 
green ones should be broken off. "When the tops are cut 
for use, the stems should not be denuded of foliage, as 
they will soon break again and form successional crops. 
The plants must be kept free from weeds. After April, 
the Kales are of little use; the stems may therefore be 
pulled up, and the ground planted with some other crop.” 
They all require the same treatment, and at their various 
seasons come in equally useful. 
Sorts. The distinct forms are somewhat limited, but 
being largely cultivated on the Continent as well as all parts 
of Britain on account of its hardy nature, the varieties of 
Borecole receive a large number of names that are either 
synonymous with, or indistinct from, a few well-known 
types. Dwarf Green Curled or Scotch is probably the best 
and most grown; other good hardy sorts are Asparagus 
Kale (this name is applied to several different kinds, the 
best one being in use very late in spring), Buda, Cottagers’, 
Dwarf Purple, Imperial Hearting, Ragged Jack, and Tall 
Green Curled. Melville’s Variegated and Variegated Bore- 
cole, amongst others, have fine ornamental foliage. 
BORONIA (named after Francis Boroni, an Italian 
servant of Dr. Sibthorp, who perished from an accident 
at Athens; he collected specimens of many of those plants 
which are figured in the “Flora Græca”). ORD. Rutacew. 
Very elegant and useful shrubs, requiring similar treatment 
to ordinary greenhouse hard-wooded subjects, and much ~ 
aided with a little extra heat in spring, when breaking into 
growth. Flowers pretty, pink-purplish, or white; peduncles 
terminal, but usually axillary on the extreme branches, 
one to many-flowered; pedicels furnished at the base and 
middie with two opposite, short bracts, jointed, commonly 
dilated under the calyx. Leaves opposite, simple, or 1m- 
pari-pinnate, entire, or a little serrulated, full of pellucid 
dots. They should be placed out of doors from July to 
the middle of September; the most convenient place for 
them is in pits, as there are then greater facilities i 
tecting them from heavy rains and thunderstorms. When 
first put out, Boronias should not be fully expos but in 
the course of a week they may remaim open to the full 
influence of both sun and air. Potting should be per- 
formed once æ year, as soon as the top growth ceases, as 
the roots then extend themselves in preparation for their 
next year’s functions. The best compost for them is one 
of peat and maiden loam in equal parts, and about one- 
sixth sharp silver sand. Many cultivators, however, prefer 
a compost consisting of good fibry peat and silver sand, 
together with some pieces of charcoal, smaller or larger, 
according to the size of the pots used. The soil should 
be rammed firmly in the pots, which must be well drained. 
The leading shoots should be pinched, to ensure good 
bushy specimens. Propagation may be effected by young 
cuttings, or those made from the half-ripened wood; these 
should be put into a thoroughly drained pot of sandy soil, — 
with lin. of sand on the surface, and covered with a bell- 
glass, which must be frequently taken off and wiped dry. 
for pro- s 
EA 
