JANUARY 



IRISH GARDENING. 



The Making of a Herbaceous 

 Border-II. 



By C F. Ball. Roxal Botanic Ciardens. Glasnevin. 



FEW persons express the same opinion 

 as io the arrangfement of colour in a 

 border, which is a rather difficult 

 matter. Some prefer to keep all the diflferent 

 kinds of plants of one colom- tog-ether, 

 so that one colour leads to another in 

 harmonious prog-ression. In this way all 

 clashing- of colours is a\oided, but it does not 

 work out in practice as well as it appears on 

 paper, for at 

 certain times 

 of the season 

 one group of 

 colour may be 

 ablaze and 

 another part 

 practically a 

 blank. 



The best plan 

 is the mixed 

 arrang-ement, 

 trying- to 

 avoid g^arish 

 effects as far 

 as possible ; 

 when they do 

 occur, make a 

 note at the 

 time of llower- 

 i n g-, a n d 



remedy the matter in autumn. \\ nite, creani 

 and lemon are exceedingly useful for soften- 

 ing- violent contrasts, foliag^e plants are also 

 of use for this purpose. Colours which clash 

 or g-reatly detract one from another when 

 placed together are the main thing- to a\oid. 

 Royal blue, like that o\' the conillower ov del- 

 phiniuni, should not be killed b\- the proximity 

 o[' lavender or violet. Lavender and red are 

 antagonistic, so must be separated. The various 

 shades of red require careful placing-, but scarlet 

 is one of the most valuable of colours, and its 

 effect may be intensified by surrounding with 

 white. Pale blue or pale yellow also go well 

 with scarlet, and lemon yellow will be pleasing- 

 with purple. Purple flowers also show up well 

 with a groundwork of greyish-leaved plants, 

 as Cerastium tomentosum, or purple crocuses 



over Antennaria tonientosum. Pink and mau\ e 

 is a delightfully soft combination. Repetition 

 of the same kind of plant should be avoided on a 

 short border, but is sometimes necessary on a long 

 one, so as to have blossom all the way down. 

 The time of flowering- of each subject must be 

 studied so as to be able to arrange the colours 

 and also to distribute fairly equal the spring, 

 summer, and autumn flowers. 



Single plants are effective for bold subjects, 

 but the general planting should be in groups ; 

 the larger plants may be put out in threes, the 

 medium ones in fives, and the smaller plants in 

 good batches. Among tall plants for the back 



of the border 



iponicu, uoronicLuns, jioppies, 

 campanulas, iris, phlox. X:c 



When a border has froni necessity to be 

 niade in a partly-shaded place, then some of the 

 more gaudy-coloured flowers should be omitted, 

 for a very pleasant and restful border can be 

 made in such a place by choosing plants of the 

 softer colours, the aim being to get a quiet 

 harmony rather than a gorgeous eflect. Plants 

 which will be useful are larkspurs, monkshoods, 

 spiriuas and astilbes, columbines, Siberian iris, 

 the primrose family, anemones, as A. japonica, 

 blanda, sylvestris, and Nemorosa robinsoniana. 

 The softer-toned lilies, trilliums, cyclamen, 

 C"\ j-iripedium spectabile, Solomon's Seal. Lily of 

 the \'alley, Christmas and Lenten roses, and 

 such bulbs as daffodils, snowdrops, snowflakes, 

 squills, and g-lory of the snow, &c. 



