THE PRACTICAL FLOWER GARDEN 



the borders, to be sure that plants are not 

 allowed to go to seed; for the best of gar- 

 deners often fail to realize that all flowers 

 will bloom much longer if seed-pods are kept 

 from forming. One of the men does every 

 morning what I call " giving a fatherly 

 touch to the garden." He begins at one end 

 of the place when he first comes on duty, and 

 with shears and basket goes through the 

 entire garden, taking off every withered 

 flower or leaf, thus preserving not only the 

 neatness of the place but the perfection of 

 the plants. This, being done regularly, is 

 done easily, and takes hardly an hour a day. 



The white border is my greatest delight; 

 the flowers grown in it are exquisite at night 

 as well as in the daytime. 



At the back of the border are Bocconia 

 cordata, the spireas, Aruncus and Gigantea, 

 and white hollyhocks. These tall plants are 

 followed in September by the mammoth cos- 

 mos, which is started under glass to insure 



16 



