i8 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



November, 



The Mixed Flower Border. 



As this is a goiid season for planiiing^and 

 starting the work of nialvinsr a mixed flower 

 border, illustrations for arranging the prin- 

 ciple plants of one, are herewith given. This 

 one is designed to be largely composed of 

 hardy plants. The kinds of these to choose, 

 and the manner of placing for having the 

 same border showing hard_v flowers at the 

 different seasons, is the object in showing 



entire bed. Such persons must continue to 

 look to the free-flowering tender bedders 

 chiefly, which while constantly very attrac- 

 tive in hot weather, call for an expenditure 

 for new stock each sjiring, the old perishing 

 with the fall frosts. 



But the true lover of nature sees beauty 

 in plants when they are out of bloom, as 

 well as when in bloom. For most of .such, 

 the large variety of sorts, and the succession 



^ Anemones. J^"^/-* I'aiuii-s \( 



Locatioq of Spriqg Flowers, 



Fig 2. Locatioq of Sumnier Flowers. 



THE MIXED FLOWER BORDER, 



The three figures .showiiiK liimls of hardy Huwers in liloom at difTerent seasons, and location of groups in the same 

 border. The hultis and tender plant.s to occup.y intervening places, are not named. Scale about 10 feet to the inch. See 

 page 17 for Fig. 3. 



three engravings of the same lied. In 

 the original bed which furnished the idea 

 of these figures, many tender plants and 

 Itulbs were planted between the groups each 

 spring, but lack of space forljids naming 

 such in the diagrams. Aside from print- 

 ing these plans, which were carefully en- 

 graved expressly for Popular G.\RDENrN(i, 

 little if anything is left to be said, concern- 

 ing arrangement. It may be remarked how- 

 ever, that in general the lower or front part 

 of the bed is devoted to low growing 

 kinds of |ilants with taller ones, graded as 

 to height, further back, the highest of course 

 in the rear. In introducing the tender flow- 

 (Ts and bulbs into the border in the spring, 

 re,gard is had to the same principle. 



A liorder of this kind has the merit of 

 ;ifTording perhajis the greatest degree of in- 

 terest and attractiveness, for the least outla}' 

 of money, of any style of adornment in this 

 line that can be employed. With due atten- 

 tion to planting some good tender stock each 

 spring, between the permanent hardy flowers, 

 not only will there be a display of bloom 

 from early spring until late fall, but every 

 week will see a pleasing variation in the ap- 

 pearance of the bed, from that of the W(>eks 

 that have gone before. 



To be sure along with using hardy 

 flowers largely, that have but one time of 

 bloom in each season, there will also neces- 

 sarily be seen, many blank spaces between 

 the resiJective clumps of flowers throughout 

 the season. This is the chief obJecfi<iu 

 raised to this style of bediling, by those who 

 can be satisfied with nothing short of a bril- 

 liant and constant sheet of bhuini over tlie 



of flowers if somewhat broken in places, of 

 the mixed border, afford satisfaction as no 

 formal bed of a few sorts of summer liloomers 

 could possibly do. The botanist would also 

 quickly decide in favor of the mixed border 

 for main display, over any other style of 

 flower bed. 



In thus calling attention 1o the mixed bor- 

 der, we would not desire to make less of 

 summer bedding, but_ more of this style of 

 planting. Both have their place in the 

 adornment of our grounds. Before the time 

 of planting out next spring, arrives, numer- 

 ous beautiful designs for summer flower 

 beds will be given in these i)ages, so that all 

 styles may be fairly rejiresented. Of one 

 thim; we are sure, that the more general the 

 intelligence, concerning all modes and uses 

 of employing decorative plants, the better 

 will the true interests of both growers and 

 planters of flowers, be promoted. 



So far as actual work on starting a mixed 

 border goes, it is important that the ground 

 be thoroughly put in order this fall, by 

 trenching. This operation is described on 

 another page, under "Work of the Sea.son." 

 Then soine time before the planting season, 

 in the spring, the plants and seeds for stock- 

 ing up the beds .should be ordered, so that 

 setting them out may then take place at the 

 first suitable time for getting to work on the 

 ground in the early .spring months. 



Starvation for Trees, 



Does any reader (if Popfi„\R G.\ni)ENiNO 

 thiidv that a street, shade or fruit tree, becau.se 

 it is a tree, has less need of good soil than a 

 hill of corn or a sipiasli vine hasV If so let 



the notion be dropped. There may be varia- 

 tions in the degree of richness needed but all 

 plant life requires fertility of soil for thrift. 



It is true and a pity, that thousands of 

 persons set trees into any kind of poor, un- 

 fertilized earth, some even into sand or 

 gravel banks and call this tree planting. 

 Then they wonder why trees don't grow fas- 

 ter. We do not want one of our readers to 

 be clas.scd among such planters. 



Let it be understood that 



, ^ a tree can no more grow 



.^. ^ without suitable food, than 



a pig or an ox can. What 

 would be thought of a 

 farmer who would keep 

 his animals at the starving 

 point, with protruding ribs 

 and hipbones, year in and 

 year out, and call this 

 stock raising. Many who 

 set trees act no wi.scr. 



If the soil is poor where 

 trees are to go, enrich it 

 with fine old manure, or 

 with loam, if very poor 

 scrape out a pot-hqle to 

 make several cart loads, 

 and replace with soil from 

 a cidtivated garden or 

 other rich spot, and in this 

 Jilant the trees. 



If trees that were .set 

 some years ago, are in a 

 starving, stand-still condi- 

 tion — and this nine times 

 in ten is what ails them 

 when they don't gro\\- well 

 — treat to overcome the 

 trouble. In most cases let 

 them be taken up, the soil 

 ])roperly fitted, replanting 

 again. If tf)o large to take up, fertility may be 

 supplied in good measure by toivdressing the 

 surface over the roots with good stable 

 manure. Now is the best season for doing 

 this. Let the coat be two or three inches 

 thick, the rain and frost will then r<'duce the 

 manure and wash its substance into the 

 soil. By next season the roots will get the 

 benefit, andlhrougli the roots the tree aliove. 



C tuberoaa i 



Shakespeare and Strawberries. 



Students of Shakespeare have noticed the 

 following passage in Richard III, Acts 3, 

 Scene 4. 



My Lord of Ely, when I was last at Holborn I saw 

 good strawberries in .your garden there, I do beseech 

 you send for some of them. 



This quotation is interesting, first as show- 

 ing that the great dramatist missed nothin,g, 

 and second, that in his remote time, horti- 

 culturally speaking, strawberries passed for 

 good fruit. 



In those daj's the delicious berry we are 

 now accustomed to, was wholly unknown. 

 The kind cultivated at Holborn most likely 

 was the Alpine, now commonly met b}- 

 travelers in Switzerland. But with the rapid 

 advance made in gardening since Shakes- 

 peare's day, the Strawberry has received due 

 attention at the imjirovcrs' hands, A\ith very 

 remarkable results. 



It may be of interest to stale, that not un- 

 til the beginning of the present century, did 

 the Strawberry begin to assume the import- 

 ant position it now holds. In 1824. by order 

 of the Botanical Society of London, Mr. 

 James Barnett, of Cheswick, drew up a re- 

 port of the kinds tlien under cullivation. 



