186 STUDIES IN GARDENING 



if we are to make a fetish of it, should be filled only 

 with herbaceous plants that is to say, with hardy 

 plants that die down in the winter. But this would 

 mean the exclusion of German Irises, Yuccas, all 

 shrubs, Pinks, and, indeed, all plants that give the 

 garden beauty and interest in the winter; and no one 

 would carry fanaticism so far as that. We will as- 

 sume, then, that our herbaceous border is not to be 

 all herbaceous; indeed, that it is to contain any plants 

 that we can grow and that will contribute to its beauty. 

 The essence of the herbaceous border, for those who 

 are not the slaves of a name, consists in its variety, 

 continuity, and permanence. The best herbaceous 

 borders are full of contrasts both of colour and form; 

 their beauty persists from spring to autumn, and 

 some of it remains even in the winter; while they 

 look as if they had been long established and long 

 cared for. 



This air of permanence is not easy to impart to a 

 border; indeed, it cannot be imparted by means of 

 herbaceous plants alone or without orderly and syste- 

 matic arrangement. It can only be attained by the 

 use of shrubs and other plants which keep their beauty, 

 or some part of it, throughout the year, or at least 

 through the spring, summer, and autumn. These 

 shrubs and plants should be regarded as the per- 

 manent part of the border design, as the framework 

 to be planned and determined first, after which the 

 more ephemeral details can be filled in. But if shrubs 

 are planted in a border they must be in character with 



