October, 191 1 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



235 



Fall Preparation for the Perennial Border 



A. J. Elliott, 



rT will be generally conceded that the 

 perennial flower is fast coming into its 

 true position in the affections of flower 

 growers, and that never before was 

 there greater demand for it than at the 

 sresent. Everyone who has a flower 

 Igarden to-day must have a border of 

 iperennials, not single specimens dotted 

 there and there, but a whole border, to 

 I get the very best effects of these excel- 

 lent plants. This is only a matter of a 

 few dollars, the will to spend them and 

 enough land to make the affair a satis- 

 factory success. 



I 



Perennials in Mr. Elliott's Garden 



More than ever are experts writing 

 about the perennial or herbaceous plant 

 and more and more are their writings 

 read and copied and their instructions 

 filled. There is so much more pleasure 

 from very early spring to late tall 

 through all the phases of the peeping 

 appearance out of the ground in the 

 spring till the sere and yellow of autumn 

 that it pays far more than the gaudiest 

 bed of annuals in this short summer sea- 

 son. Foot for foot, I do not contend 

 that the border is grander than, say, 

 a bed of asters. But as a whole if 

 properly planted with a view to contin- 

 uity of bloom, the tout ensemble is far 

 lietter. 



It is claimed by some that the border 

 should be of uneven width to give what 

 is called an "undulating" appearance. 

 If for a border of shrubs, to a fine stretch 

 of lawn, all right, but if for a garden 

 with walks around, my plan is to make 

 the border geometrically straight. It is 

 always best to place it along a fence o^ 

 division line behind or at the side of 

 the house, and if two neighbors can 

 agree as to procedure and expense the 

 effect is delightful, no fence then being 

 needed. The tallest plants would be set 

 in the centre and each could do as he 

 liked on his own side. 



PREPABINO FOR THE BORDER 



Having decided, however, to have a 

 border, dig it four feet wide, good and 

 deep now. If it was well manured last 

 spring, you need not heavily manure it. 

 I do not like fresh manure around roots. 

 Then, after raking it down to a fine 



Aylmer, Ont. 



bed, set your line a foot from the fence 

 and plant in this, the back row, any of 

 the following. Hollyhocks, golden glow, 

 tiger lilies, tea larkspur, hibiscus, ram- 

 bler, thousand beauties or Dorothy 

 roses, planting nothing closer than 

 three feet. 



This done, come in with your line 

 eighteen inches, and set as before, but 

 do as a carpenter says in shingling a 

 roof "break joints"; that is, do not let 

 any two plants be directly opposite 

 across the bed. Also do not let the holly- 

 hocks and phloxes be any closer than 

 possible, because the former will rust 

 the latter. 



In the second row, plant perennial 

 phlox, paeonies, lilies, coreopsis, sweet 

 rocket, foxgloves, iris, chalcydonica, 

 yucia and poppies. Do not plant any- 

 thing closer than two feet in the row. 



Now come in with your line another 

 sixteen inches, and plant the final row of 

 columbine, galliardi. Sweet William, 

 platycodon, pinks, and so forth. 



MTJLOHING THE BED 



This having been done you will have 

 nothing more to do till frost comes. As 

 soon as the ground is frozen cover the 

 whole with four or five inches of rough 

 manure or leaves, and you can pat your- 

 self on the head with thoughts of the 

 flowers you will have next year. I have 

 given a list of desirable plants, but there 

 are many others, perhaps, that the 

 reader would prefer. All can be reason- 

 ably procured at our nurserymen. 



One thing I might add is tiiat 11 there 

 is no tulip or bulb bed near the border a 

 few dropped in here and there, but 

 enough to show well, might be done. 

 For my part, as my bulbs are only 

 across a path, 

 I do not put 

 any in the 

 border. 



When spring 

 at length ar- 

 rives, in the 

 latter part of 

 March, take 

 your rake 

 and pull off 

 the mulch, 

 and let the 

 border lie. 

 A red spjke 

 here and a 

 yellow one 

 there and 

 signs of life 

 everywhere 

 push up 

 through the 

 ground in 

 quirk succes- 

 sion. About Border of Shmbt and Ptrenniali 



the middle of April put on some good 

 rotted manure, and dig in, always re- 

 membering that one of these borders de- 

 vours a pile of food. This done, you will 

 find several spaces leftwhichlattershould 

 be filled, not crowded, with gladioli, 

 asters, zinnias, and plants. These in- 

 ,structions followed you will have a joy 

 garden all summer and will never regret 

 the pains and expense taken to secure 

 it. 



The Care of Dahlia Roots 



J. McP. Rots, Toronto, Oit. 



Saving the tubers of dahlias from frost 

 is not difficult. Any place where you can 

 keep potatoes will keep dahlias. After 

 the frost has cut the foliage down leave 

 the plants stay so for a week as it helps 

 to ripen the tubers. Then on a sunny 

 morning dig them up with the earth 

 sticking to them as much as it will. 



Cut the stalks back to six or eight 

 inches, and let them stay out in the sun 

 all day. If there is no danger from frost 

 leave them out two days. Be sure and 

 fasten the names by wire labels on the 

 stalks and then pile them in a heap in 

 some dry spot in the cellar out of the 

 draft. If the cellar is hot and dry it 

 will cause the tubers to shrivel ; a liberal 

 sprinkling of water will restore them. 

 Packing them in boxes with dry sand 

 over them is a good plan. Too much wet 

 causes them to rot. My usual practice 

 is to pile them in a corner on top of one 

 another, and then forget about them till 

 spring approaches when I overhaul them 

 and put them in shape. 



"The best is none too good." This 

 old saying applies most forcibly to the 

 selection of bulbs and flower seeds. — D. 

 W. Marden, Pilot Mound, Man. 



in the Garden of Sir H. M. Pellatt, Toronto, Ont. 



