96 THE COMPLETE GARDEN 



The one most important duty in the successful growing of annual 

 flowering plants, in order to continue their period of bloom, is to keep all 

 portions of the plant from developing seed pods. Those branches 

 which have produced flowers should be removed as soon as the bloom 

 has ceased. Most of the annuals like the calendulas and marigolds 

 are encouraged to produce more bloom through this process of keeping 

 seed pods removed and the branches severely cut back. Other 

 annuals like the annual larkspur, the matricaria, the annual baby's- 

 breath, and the bachelor button will not develop a secondary growth, 

 and must therefore be planted in successive sowings to secure a con- 

 tinuous supply of flowers. 



Refined Formal Garden. The refined formal garden is developed 

 through the use of various types of perennials and annuals. The same 

 rules apply to the general maintenance of a garden of this kind that 

 apply to the general maintenance of perennials and annuals. This 

 type of garden however, unlike the other types of gardens, rock 

 garden, wild garden, informal garden, etc., should, if developed, be 

 perfectly maintained. A formal flower garden for its real success 

 depends upon well-defined masses and definite major and minor axis 

 lines. Extreme care should be devoted to the clipping of all hedges 

 and the maintenance of the outlines of the definite masses of plants. 

 All turf borders and walks should be neatly trimmed and carefully 

 edged and little if any of the informal loose eff'ect, so common to the 

 informal garden and to the wild garden, should be permitted. The 

 author attempts to discuss this question together with the question of 

 maintenance pertaining to the other types of gardens in order to make 

 clear that in the selection of the plants in landscape work the item of 

 subsequent maintenance is one of the important factors in the success- 

 ful development of the formal flower garden to an even greater extent 

 than in other types of gardens. 



Informal Flower Garden. The informal flower garden requires 

 less maintenance care than the formal flower garden. It is not so 

 essential that the masses of plants and the outline of walks should be as 

 carefully defined. There is no garden, not even the wild garden, 

 that does not require constant attention for the best results. The same 

 questions of maintenance apply to the informal garden in the same 

 way that they do to the maintenance of perennials and annuals. The 



