THE HARDY PERENNIAL BORDER. 



0^/ 



Fig 



251 1. Hardy Flower Border in Gardkn 

 OF Mr. a .Alexander, Hamilton. 



upside down of the whole border to the depth 

 of about 18 inches and enriched with two 

 layers of manure, one near the bottom one 

 and one midway up. The reason of putting 

 the fresh and unrotted manlire in the bottom 

 and the other higher up is that the plants 

 when replanted will find out and get the 

 benefit of the higher layer of manure the first 

 year, and by the time the roots get down to 

 the lower it will be so decayed that they can 

 appropriate it to their strengthening and 

 beauty and can bid defiance to hot summers 

 and other adverse surroundings for they 

 are feeding on unseen supplies of food and 

 moisture. 



Planting is best done in the early spring. 

 It is better to have good clumps or masses 

 of the best of these perennials than to have 

 little bits of every thing you can lay hands 

 on if the ground is limited in extent. I would 

 recommend a very liberal planting of the 

 hardy bulbs, not lilies only, but the scillas 

 and chionodoxa, the snowdrop and crocus, 

 and the Narcissus family should be fully 

 represented. The scillas, and the Glory of the 

 Snow, are most satisfactory and never fail to 

 cheer the border, for they increase and im- 

 prove from year to year. 



I make a liberal use of many of our native 

 plants. What more satisfactory than the 



trilliums, the hepatica and the blood root to 

 brighten the border with their pure white 

 and azure blossoms, and the phlox divaricata 

 makes a fine mass of purple lasting for weeks, 

 and many others. Many species of ast6rs 

 are invaluable in the fall months. 



We sometimes hear the complaint that a 

 perennial border is an unkempt and unsightly 

 affair as compared with the trim beds filled 

 with greenhouse plants. It is, if not cared 

 for. Plants needing support should have it 

 early, and all flowers that are done blooming 

 should be removed and the soil between the 

 plants kept stirred from time to time. 



I hope to see some of the commercial hor- 

 ticulturists of Canada go into this business 

 and present us with a catalogue of these 

 hardy plants as extensive as those issued on 

 the other side of the line. And it would be 

 well if the commissioners of public parks 

 gave this matter some attention and planted 

 borders of these perennials all labelled so 

 that the public could see for themselves and 

 choose for their own gardens and be instruct- 

 ed as well as interested. Much more might 



Fig. 2512. Foxgloves. 



