xxxviii INTRODUCTION. 



without being taken advantage of, except the changes 

 contemplated affect any of the classes exempted from 

 operations of the kind, before spring with a little growth 

 and warmth sets in. 



It is a very common thing to leave a herbaceous bor- 

 der to itself — that is, undisturbed — for many years after 

 it is planted. That is not cultivation, but letting well 

 alone till it is no longer well. It is not a desirable thing 

 to have to overhaul a collection of miscellaneous plants 

 out of doors, with all its attendant discomforts at an 

 inclement season ; and it is equally undesirable to anti- 

 cipate and bear the vexation consequent on the losses 

 that often inevitably follow such a step. But it must be 

 done occasionally, fortunately not very often in a lifetime 

 if the soil is naturally good and the annual culture liberal 

 The necessity for renewing a border occupied by mixed 

 herbaceous plants must be judged of by the circum- 

 stances of the case. It is impossible to set down any 

 rule for such a matter ; but when the usual unmistakable 

 signs of debility — a falling off in luxuriance, and general 

 effectiveness both in the profusion and duration of the 

 flowers, with an apparently unaccountable death of one 

 or more favourites — it is time to set about renewing the 

 border. The necessity should be foreseen sufficiently 

 long to be prepared for, by securing all diminutive and 

 delicate subjects before winter sets in, either in pots in a 

 cold frame, or merely laid into it in a little soil, where 

 they will be safe for the winter. When the operation is 

 begun, the stock left in the border should be lifted, and 

 laid carefully in in some spot convenient to the border, 

 taking care of the labels, if the collection is an extensive 

 one ; for the memory will fail one occasionally, and is 



