242 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN 



a large clump or several pieces of roots together. The other 

 mistake is, with such an abundance of material on hand as 

 one will have in taking plants up from an old border, that 

 the plants will be reset too close. Give them plenty of room. 

 In most cases, the average height of the plant will not be too 

 great for the distance apart to set them. All tall growing 

 things such as Aquilegias, Delphiniums, Digitalis, and so 

 forth may be set closer in proportion to their height. In 

 taking plants up, the lawn edger, which should be well 

 sharpened, is very much better for cutting around the plants 

 than the spade; and also for cutting up things which make 

 dense clumps, and are not readily separated by hand, such 

 as phlox. Some of the other good perennials which may be 

 set now, include columbine (Aquilegias); Dictamnus (Gas 

 plant); Hardy Daisies; Hardy Pinks; Liatris; Lychnis; 

 Sweet William; Veronica. Some perennials especially good 

 for shady positions are Aconitum; Anemones; Anchusa 

 (Alkanet); Hepatica; Primroses; Polyanthus; Ranunculus; 

 Saxaf rages; Trillium; Vinca; hardy Violets. 



Selecting Phlox for a Long Season of Bloom 



The most important of all our American hardy perennials 

 and, in the opinion of many, the most indispensable of all 

 perennials for the hardy border, are the members of the 

 phlox family. By careful selection of the varieties from the 

 different species, they may be had in bloom continually from 

 quite early in the season until frost. There is a wide range 

 of colors, practical freedom from diseases or insect enemies, 

 and the flowers of many varieties are fragrant. The ear- 

 liest flowering varieties are of creeping habit. One of these 

 is phlox subulata, which is very hardy and good for a ground 

 cover, even under somewhat adverse conditions, provided 

 only the soil is not too dry. The foliage is evergreen and 

 somewhat resembles moss, giving it its common name of 

 Moss or Mountain Pink. While the old variety of this, 

 the one still most commonly seen, is of a jarring, purplish 

 rose color, it may also be had in pure white, light rose and 



