THE DAWN OF SPRING 



blooming herbaceous plants. When I say "sow," I March 

 might perhaps say " sow or transplant from seed-boxes," ^"^5 

 because the broader expression includes the setting out 

 of such things as Asters, Stocks, Verbenas, Phloxes, 

 Petunias, Snapdragons and Indian Pinks, which are 

 sown under glass in January, February or March, and 

 transplanted to the borders in April, May or June. It is 

 useful to have a "reserve plot" somewhere in the garden 

 — a kind of " stores department " — of such seedhng 

 plants. Raised under glass, they can be put out a few 

 inches apart in the reserve garden in late spring, hoed 

 to keep them growing and to suppress weeds, and drawn 

 upon when any part of the border wants reinforcing, 

 either owing to an unexpected failure, or owing to the 

 fading of an early plant. 



Some Selected Perennials. — From the plants already 

 named, the amateur could build up a very attractive 

 border; but if he prefers the mixed system, he may be 

 glad to have the names of a few good hardy herba- 

 ceous plants, with a guide to their height and colour. All 

 may be bought and planted in March or April. The 

 lists, with notes to follow, provide the guide to the 

 hardy plant catalogues which I promised in an earlier 

 chapter. 



Very Low Growers 



Ajuga Reptans, blue Hepaticas, blue, white, and pink 



Anemone Apennina, blue Linaria Alpina, violet 



Arabis, white Myosotis (Forget-me-not), blue 

 Aubrietia, rose, lavender, mauve, Omphalodes Verna, blue 



and purple Phlox Reptans, violet 



Campanula Pulla, blue Primroses and Polyanthuses 



Cyclamen Coum, rose Sanguinaria Canadensis, red 



Dianthus Alpinus, pink Silene Alpestris, white 



Draba Aizoides, yellow 



117 



