October 14, 1916 



HORTICULTURE 



505 



OCTOBER GLORIES IN THE HARDY GARDEN 



Abstract of Address Before the Florists' Club of Pholadelphia by William Saville. 



Before discussing the question of 

 October glories in the hardy garden, I 

 should like to claim a kind ot' "poet- 

 ical license" as regards the ex'act time 

 these plants are expected to be in 

 bloom. Quite a number o"f subjects 

 that one would expect to be still with 

 us have — owing to the dry season — not 

 had such a prolonged flowering period 

 as usual; and, on the other hand, 

 other subjects are not so far advanced 

 as might be expected. I take it that 

 when Mr. Watson assigned to me this 

 subject he was thinking of the autumn 

 flowering herbaceous plants — and 

 hardy perennials are the plants in 

 which I am chiefly interested. 



To obtain a grand effect with her- 

 baceous plants, there is no better way 

 of planting — to show their best form 

 of growth and color — than the long 

 double border with, if possible, a grass 

 path between; and it is this grass path 

 that gives a greater additional charm, 

 as not only does it make a splendid 

 ground work for the plants, but it is 

 always restful to the eyes, and comes 

 as a relief, on a hot summer day, from 

 hard, sun-baked gravel. 



To have small beds of herbaceous 

 plants is, as a rule, unsatisfattory; it 

 is difficult to cover up plants that are 

 past their best. To have the same bor- 

 der always bright — as well as a blaze 

 of color — from April to October is im- 

 possible. The only way to have con- 

 tinued bloom in the garden is to pro- 

 vide separate borders for different sea- 

 sons; and I think it much better not 

 to destroy the beauty of the main bor- 

 der by trying to get it in partial bloom 

 spring, summer and autumn. 



When being shown around a friend's 

 garden, one is so often told "you 

 should have been here two weeks 

 ago!" or in a month's time. It is a 

 curious fact — never mind what time 

 of year one is in that garden — there 

 is always some excuse. "The reason is, 

 too much has been attempted. The 

 border may look fairly well in May 

 and June; it has a hard struggle in 

 July; and in August it throws up the 

 sponge and decides not to try any 

 more. 



To obtain success in the border, one 

 must take particular care to have the 

 ground well-prepared. If this is done 

 properly at first the border will last 

 for several years; though it will, of 

 course, require a top dressing every 

 year, and the dividing and replanting 

 of some of the stronger perennials. It 

 is extraordinary how plants that have 

 been split up each year will withstand 

 a drought; whereas those that have 

 been left in position several years and 

 have grown into hard clumps show 

 very early in any drought that they 

 are in trouble. 



The planting is one of those things 



that cannot be done in hap-hazard 

 style, and before this is begun it is 

 far better to work out a proper plan 

 than simply to put the plants in, re- 

 gardless of time of flowering and color; 

 and, what is still more important, to 

 choose those plants that will hide 

 others whose period of bloom is over. 



Allow some of the tall plants to 

 come boldly to the front, bearing also 

 in mind that it is more effective to 

 plant in long, irregular chimps than 

 in the round clumps generally seen. 

 The constant repetition of the same 

 kind of plant should be avoided as 

 much as possible. One generally has 

 a particular favorite and likes more 

 than one clump of it; but, as a general 

 rule, plant a generous patch and be 

 done with it. Plant thickly — no 

 ground should be visible when the 

 border season is on. In a thickly- 

 planted border weeds have a poor 

 chance. 



It should be the aim in starting (as 

 you enter the border from either end) 

 to have flowers of light coloring and 

 foliage plants of grey-glaucus or bluish 

 leaf. As one passes to the centre the 

 color is allowed to oecome stronger and 

 stronger, until, in the centre position 

 we have one strong color vieing with 

 another. There is a craze — which I 

 have not seen successfully carried out 

 — to have borders all blue: or gradu- 

 ated from white to pink; to golden; to 

 bronze and up to crimson; but. in my 

 opinion, a mixed border is preferable. 



September and October are suitable 

 months for planting if the soil is light 

 and friable; but. in heavier land, it is 

 safer to prepare the ground now and 

 plant in spring, as winter mellows the 

 surface and enables the soil to be 

 more closely and firmly pressed 

 around the roots and collars of the 

 plants. 



In planting it is important that the 

 roots should be put down to full 

 length and not be curled to fit the hole 

 prepared for them, as it is upon these 

 main roots that the plants rely to 

 stand the summer drou.ght. 



We will now presume that the bor- 

 der has been planted. Weak growths 

 have been thinned out; the depreda- 

 tions of slugs and cut-worms have 

 been forgotten; and the plants have 

 been properly staked at the right 

 time. What have we to show for all 

 this work? 



The large faniilv of Phlox decussata 

 one might describe as opening the 

 season of fall fiowering plants; and 

 there is no other family that gives 

 such tone to the border. A few of the 

 best varieties are: Europa. W. C. 

 Egan. Elizabeth Campbell. Gefion. 

 Rynstrom, Rhinelander. Tragedie. 

 Wanandis, Baron von Dedem. Fran 

 Anton Buehner. and Rosamund!, and 

 these would make a good dozen. The 

 dahlias and Iiardy chrysanthemums 

 have had a wide popularity. I will 

 speak of these later. 



In yellow-flowering plants we have 

 •Anthemis Kelwayi. with Helenium 



pumilum magnificum. cupreum. River- 

 ton Gem and Riverton Beauty; and 

 the large family of Helianthus, taking 

 Multiflorus fl. pi., Wooley Doll and 

 the stately Orgyalis with its medium- 

 sized golden yellow flowers as ex- 

 amples. 



The red cardinal flower and tritoma.s; 

 tho deep blue of Echinops Ritro; the 

 li.ght blue of Salvia azurea; the graceful 

 white flowers of Anemone japonica 

 and the various-colored Giant marsh 

 mallows (showing wonderful improve- 

 ment in the size of the flowers and 

 intensified coloring over the native 

 rose mallow) all help to give the bor- 

 der that charming effect we desire. 



The best results are obtained with 

 the deep blue Plumbago Larpentae 

 by planting it in poor soil; in a posi- 

 tion facing south, and it is, perhaps, 

 curious that this is not more often 

 grown. The blooming period of the 

 border is carried on with the help of 

 such plants as Sedum spectabilo, 

 spec. Brilliant and atropurpureum. 

 Penstemon Sensation, a beautiful 

 plant bearing spikes of large gloxinia- 

 like flowers in a great variety of 

 bright colors, including rose, cherry, 

 crimson, purple, lilac, etc.. until 

 frost, but the plant must be given 

 protection in winter; also Penstemon 

 barbatus Torreyi. The newer varie- 

 ties of Anemones, such as Alice, Geant 

 des Blanches, Whirlwind, Rosea Su- 

 perba and Loreley (a neat semi-double 

 flower, .3 inches in dia: of a bright 

 silvery pink) should not be forgotten. 



The plants best suited for the front 

 row are many of the silvery Arte- 

 mesias; the silvery foliage of Santo- 

 llna incana; the grey foliage of 

 Stachys lanata: the .glaucus leaves of 

 Elymus glaucus (blye Lyme grass). 



The most precious, perhaps, of the 

 hardy autumn flowers are the Asters 

 of our American woods, and the im- 

 proved European varieties. The best 

 of these give a delightful mass of 

 bloom, impressive in Senteuiber and 

 October. Include the light and deep 

 purple and pink of the aniellus varie- 

 ties; the white, lilac and lavender of 

 the graceful, feathery-flowered cordi- 

 folins family: the small many-colored 

 flowers of the heath-like ericoides 

 section; the tall varieties of Aster 

 Nova" Anglise; the numerous varie- 

 ties of Novs Belgii (included in 

 which are the semi-donble Reautv of 

 Tolwall. the perfect form of Feltham 

 Blue and the soft pink of St. Egwin). 

 If the border be properly planted and 

 staked, a sea of bloom is visible when 

 viewed from either end: enabling us. 

 in the dull winter months to come to 

 look back with satisfaction on the 

 closine scene of autumn flowers. 



To those of you who crow and re- 

 tail yo'ir own plants and flowers and 

 have little ground around your houses 

 to spare. I would suggest that you will 

 find it profitable to pav more attention 

 to perennial plants. Fritz Bahr. in his 

 notes on the week's work, in the Flor- 

 ists' Exchange, has been advising you 



