40 MY GARDEN 



plants are best divided in September, but summer and 

 fall flowering plants may be done at either season. 

 Division is necessary to many kinds of hardy perennials, 

 for if allowed to grow into large clumps, they seem to 

 lose vitality, bloom in an inferior manner, and frequently 

 winter kill. Most plants are benefited by division every 

 year after they are three years old. This is particularly 

 true of such lusty growers as Boltonias, Phlox, Helen- 

 iums, Helianthus, Pyrethrums, Monarda, Nepeta Mus- 

 sini, Doronicums, Rudbeckias, Perennial Asters, Chrys- 

 anthemums, Moonpenny Daisies, Achilleas, Primroses, 

 Anthemis, Aconites, and Valeriana. 



Oriental Poppies, Baptisias, Gypsophila paniculata 

 and Anemone Japonica, do not require such frequent 

 division, while Pseonies, Fraxinella, and Statice latifolia 

 are best left untouched year after year to grow in 

 grace and beauty. ; Small tufted plants, with bunches of 

 fibrous roots, are easily pulled apart with the fingers, 

 while such thick-rooted subjects as Flag Irises are 

 managed with a sharp knife or hatchet. Plants having 

 roots like the Phlox and Heleniums may be simply cut 

 up with a spade. Old clumps may be cut up into many 

 promising plants that will far outshine the old ones in 

 perfection of bloom. 



CUTTINGS 



Propagating plants by means of cuttings is not so 

 much practised by the amateur, as the two other 



