HARDY FLOWERING PERENNIALS FOR BEDS, BORDERS, &c. 



such as the rose mallow so effective in town gardens, and the annual chrysanthemums 

 and larkspurs, might without hesitation be found places in every herbaceous border. 



The border which is gay in April or May with daffodils, tulips, polyanthus, and 

 Brompton stocks, iberis and aubretias, may be brightly hued again in July and early 

 August with phlox, hollyhocks, speedwells, delphiniums, and the hosts of other plants 

 in flower at this season ; whilst the gardener who looked ahead would also ensure fine 

 colour effects in October and November from chrysanthemums, Michaelmas daisies and 

 pyrethrums, provided always that the borders are ample and spacious. 



All the perennials enumerated might be planted at any time from March to Septem- 

 ber, provided they are obtained from the nurseries in pots ; or they may be planted 

 direct from the open ground from March to the middle of May, and at any time during 

 September. 



No list of hardy perennials would be complete without a selection from the large 

 families of bulbous plants which make gay our gardens in Spring and early Summer. 

 I have therefore enumerated the most effective daffodils, wood hyacinths, and anemones. 

 Hardy ACANTHUS MOLLIS. A plant with fine, much serrated foliage, and flower spikes which 



Perennials. often attain a height of 3 to 4 feet. An excellent plant for the wild garden. 



ACHILLEA, Snowball. A fine border plant, bearing numerous heads of pure white flowers, 

 useful for cutting ; height 2 feet. A. Clavennse and A. tomentosa are dwarf vari- 

 eties useful for walls or the rock garden. 



ACONITUM, or Monks Hood. An old-fashioned, strong-growing perennial. The finest are 

 A. napellus ; A. album ; A. versicolor, blue and white ; and A. autumnale, a 

 fine purple, flowers late into September ; it grows 3 to 4 feet high. 

 ADONIS VERNALIS. This variety bears large bright yellow buttercup-like flowers early in 



Spring ; it has finely cut leaves, height i foot. 



ALPINE PHLOX. A beautiful class of dwarf easily grown plants, suitable for growing 

 over rocks. To ensure success, plant in a good open soil. Amongst the best are P. 

 Vivid, fine bright pink ; P. Nelsoni, good clear white ; P. atropurpurea, a rich 

 crimson, flowering in the early Spring ; P. The Bride, white, and P. G. F. Wilson, 

 a pretty lilac. 



ALSTROMERIA. A splendid class of plants for border decoration. A. revoluta is a good 

 orange colour, and A. aurea, pale yellow ; both are very useful for cutting and make 

 a fine show for bed or border. 



ALYSSUM. The most useful for rockwork are A. alpestre, A. montanum, A. saxatile com- 

 pactum, A. saxatile plenum, a double variety, and A. citrinum ; they are all dwarf- 

 growing varieties with bright yellow-coloured flowers, and all do well on walls or in 

 a dry sunny position. 



ANEMONE, the wind flower, provides a large and charming class of plants of easy 

 culture. The following should have a place in the garden : Anemone apennina, 

 deep blue, and of dwarf and very free habit ; A. blanda, a fine deep blue ; A. 

 nemorosa Robinsoniana, a pretty pale blue ; A. ranunculoides, a bright yellow, 

 makes a fine contrast when seen growing amongst the blues, and has finely-cut 

 foliage ; A. nemorosa alba plena, the double white wood Anemone, one of the 

 finest and a free bloomer ; A. fulgens, the scarlet wind flower, bears pretty scarlet 

 flowers about an inch and a half across, it is of easy growth and most effective, 

 and grows about fifteen inches high ; A. japonica alba, a well known border 

 plant, growing 3 feet high, with numerous fine white flowers, it should be in every 

 garden ; A. japonica, has growth and habit similar to the above, but with rose-coloured 

 flowers. 



ANTHEMIS BIEBERSTEINI, a very useful plant for walls, being a strong grower, and forming- 

 good tufts of silvery foliage. 



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