128 ffloweiXJlSe&s ant) JBorfcers. 



bordered by some flowering plant such as lobelia or bed- 

 ding violets. 



In the arrangement of beds of these different kinds, a 

 charming effect may be produced by planting low or trail- 

 ing plants with dense, dark-colored foliage or flowers as an 

 undergrowth for taller light-colored plants ; as, for ex- 

 ample, the black-purple Perilla in a bed of blue gum ; blue 

 or violet verbenas in a bed of white geraniums ; Sanvit- 

 alia procumbens in a bed of Nicotiana affinis; Gnaphalium 

 lanatum, Centaurea maritima or Ageratum in a bed of Salvia 

 spleudeus, and so on. In all such beds the taller plants 

 must never be allowed to grow too closely together, but the 

 bottom growth should be visible all over the bed. Plants 

 suitable for summer bedding will be fully described in a 

 subsequent chapter. 



The border is a special place set apart for herbaceous 

 plants, annual and perennial, bulbs, etc., and is generally 

 located in an out-of-the-way place in the vegetable 

 garden, in the front of a shrubbery, or by the side of a 

 house. The border may be from three to four feet wide, 

 seldom more, and the plants are arranged according to their 

 size, the taller behind, the smaller in front, in a free and easy 

 manner, with sufficient space for the development of all. 

 A border, if the plants have been selected with care and in- 

 telligence, will produce a continual supply of cut flowers 

 from early in spring until frost sets in. They should if pos- 

 sible have a suitable background of dark-leaved trees or 

 shrubs, a hedge or wall, and this will also afford shelter and 

 protection. Every fall the soil should be mulched and spaded 

 carefully so as not to disturb bulbs or other plants. Bulbs 



