BORDER 



BORONIA 



525 



changes. The great charm of this form of gardening is, 

 after all, the necessity of change from year to year. It 

 must not in any sense be considered changeless. Some 

 plants will outgrow their allotted space and must be 

 restricted, biennials will die out and need replanting, 

 some color scheme may be WTong and need alteration, 

 other really good things will need to be divided and 

 replanted, and in this way the interest is kept up by 

 the taking of notes through the season for reference at 



I^U; 





598. The single specimen set against a border planting. 



the planting-time; and this is best done after the fall 

 rains in September and early October before the soil 

 loses its warmth, root-action being rapid then, and the 

 roots soon become established before winter. There is 

 always enough to do in spring, and changes in the 

 borders left for that time are often made at the sacri- 

 fice of the display due in summer-time. Much miscon- 

 ception was the result of the term "perennial border." 

 The plants were not all permanent, and the display was 

 not continuous. Out of it has been evolved a much 

 more satisfactory thing in that it calls for endless study, 

 a greater variety containing all the good things, and the 

 possibility of change each season as fancy dictates. 



In wide borders especially, it adds greatly to the 

 effect to plant some dwarf-growing shrubs near the 

 path, such as Lemoine's deutzia and philadelphus, 

 some specimens of the new choice lilacs (double and 

 single). Daphne Cneorum, the dwarf flowering crabs 

 like Mnliia Toringo and M. Ringo. These are all very 

 beautiful and stand close inspection. The shrubs may 

 be so arranged as to form bays for groups of plants, 

 either for certain seasons or color effects, and if there is 

 a tendency to outgrow the situation, pruning judi- 

 ciously will help if done directly after the flowering 

 season is i)ast, with no sacrifice of bloom, alwaj-s taking 

 care to keep the individual shape of each shrub. 

 Shears must never be used on shrubs, but shorten-in 

 the longer shoots with a knife. 



The Japanese iris, if used in the border, must be 

 planted near water so they can be frequently irrigated 

 in dry times or failure is sure to ensue. They are semi- 

 aquatic and will take much nourishment also. The 

 German kinds require a warm sandy soil, and a dry 

 time in late summer suits them well. They are also 

 best transplanted in September before the heavy rains, 

 as root-action begins at this time and they become 

 reestablished before the winter sets in. 



Borders need constant care in summer to keep them 

 trim and clean. .Ml seed-stems and dead flowers should 

 be removed, tall-growing plants staked up with neat 

 stakes, and, above all, plants grown in reserve to take 

 the place of such as are dying out after blooming. There 



is no more interesting phase of gardening than this, 

 because it calls for care and study all the time, year by 

 year, and our failures of this season are with us to 

 profit by during the next. e. O. Oepet. 



BORECOLE: Kale. 



BORETTA: Dabacia. 



BORONIA (after Francis Borone, an Italian who 

 lost his life at Athens in the service of Dr. Sibthorp). 

 Rutdcex. Greenhouse shrubs, interesting, and very 

 fragrant. 



Boronia is a genus of .Australian shrubs with numer- 

 ous fls., having a rue-like fragrance: Ivs. opposite, odd- 

 pinnate, or simple: fls. axillary and terminal, red, rarely 

 white or purplish, on the pian of 4, bearing a thick 

 entire disk: fr. 2-4 carpels, each 1- or 2-seeded. B. 

 megastigma and its allies, B. elalior and B. heterophylla, 

 are remarkable for their very large stigma (which is 

 4-lobed at the base), and their curious stamens, 4 of 

 which are small, yellow, pollen-bearing, and hidden 

 under the stigma, while the 4 large, conspicuous ones 

 are dark purple or black, and bear no pollen. — About 

 00 species, in Australia. 



The chief value of boronias is their delicioud fragrance. 

 A small specimen will perfume a whole house for two 

 or three weeks. Boronias are cultivated like Cape heaths 

 in a cool greenhouse. After flowering they should be 

 cut back, in order to make compact, bushy specimens. 

 The leading shoots may be frequently pinched, to pre- 

 vent a straggling growth. As most of them are native 

 of barren sandy places, not bogs, good drainage is 

 necessary. "Sour" soil is very disastrous to them. The 

 English florists set their young plants in the open ground 

 during summer, being careful to shade them with lath 

 frames. Plants that have flowered two seasons are 

 thrown away and replaced by younger specimens. 

 They are propagated by cuttings from half-ripened 

 wood inserted in 4-inch pots, which are filled to within 

 an inch of the top with a compost of finely sifted loam, 

 peat and sand, over which is spread a layer of sharp 

 sand. After a thorough watering, they may be placed 

 under a bell-glass in a greenhouse in which the tem- 

 perature ranges from 45° to 50° F., and shaded from 

 bright sunshine. Seeds germinate readily in the same 

 temperature, and make good flowering plants in one 

 season. Seeds can be obtained from German or Austra- 

 lian dealers, large quantities being collected in the wild. 

 Boronias belong to a large class of hard-wooded Aus- 

 tralian plants that were popular along with the Cape 

 heaths in the early 

 part of the nineteenth 

 century. These were 

 largely replaced by 

 quicker-growing, 

 soft -wooded plants. 

 The renewed interest 

 in boronias is largely 

 due to the more re- 

 cently introduced 

 species, of which the 

 first three described 

 below are the best. 

 American florists 

 have lately grown 

 them somewhat for 

 Easter, especially B. 

 heterophylla. Many 

 species are likely to 

 be introduced, as 

 these shrubs are very 

 brilliant in Australia, 

 blooming when very 

 young, and remain- 

 ing attractive for two 

 or three months. 599. Boronia megastigma 



