THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



11 



Perennial Borders for Amateurs 



RodcricK Cameron, Niagara Falls SoutH 



HARDV perennials, when once plant- 

 ed, are constantly developing in 

 beauty and size. A variety does not 

 cost the purchaser any more than the 

 tender individual plant from the green- 

 house, that lasts but a season. With 

 the exception of keeping them clean 

 from weeds, they require but Httle care 

 or attention for several years after 

 planting, and then only to subdivide 

 into many plants for use elsewhere. 

 The varieties and color are legion. With 

 a judicious selection in the first in- 

 stance, a perennial bed or border may 

 be kept bright with bloom and foliage 

 from the time the frost leaves the 

 ground in the spring until hard frost 

 in the fall. 



There are many important points to 

 be considered in making a perennial 

 border. First, there must be a fami- 

 liar acquaintance with the characteris- 

 tics of each variety, its likes and dis- 

 likes as to soil, situation, shade, moist- 

 ure and Hght, and its period and length 

 of blooming. Every plant has a char- 

 acter and gracefulness peculiarly its 

 own, and when surrounded by a vari- 

 ety of similar plants, all equally grace- 

 ful and interesting, the beauty of a 

 well-arranged plot or border com- 

 mands admiration from even the least 

 observant passer-by. 



It is sometimes a good plan, when the 

 border is a large one, to intersperse 

 some of the finer varieties of shrubs. 

 In some cases vines may be employed 

 to advantage. 



The choice of the situation for the 

 border is a very important matter. On 

 small lots it should be made up against 

 the line fence. Cover the fence first 

 with chicken netting, then plant against 

 it vines in variety. They will cling to 

 the netting, thus saving tying. There 

 are many instances where this prac- 

 tice would be to advantage in our cities, 

 towns and villages. In front of this 

 netting may be made the perennial bor- 

 ier, preferably as irregular as possible 

 In form. It should be dug two feet 

 'deep. As much barn-yard manure 

 ought to be used as can be turned un- 

 ier. I believe in using a good coat of 

 pood ashes every fall, spread broad- 

 bast over the surface after the old tops 

 liave been cut and cleared away from 

 the border. It can be forked in in the 

 Spring with a potato fork. I also be- 

 lieve in making such a border in the 

 Jail, and planting it in the spring, as 

 [the young plants get established, and 

 ire better fitted to withstand the fol- 

 liowing winter. 



Taste and skill in the arrangement of 



the plants is very essential. Discard- 



ig any attempt at formality, freedom 



md grace are two important points to 



be considered. Ther.^ must, also, be 

 some order and harmony. The plants 

 ought to be graded from the back to 

 the front in an easy and graceful man- 

 ner, and if the whole border is seen at 

 a glance, the colors of the contiguous 

 plants should blend as nicely as pos- 

 sible. On the other hand, if the bor- 

 der is of a crooked form so that only 

 one part is seen atone time, then harmony 

 of color becomes a secondary matter. 



The planting of a crooked border 

 should always begin on the front row. 

 Use all the smallest dwarf plants in this 

 row, but a too strict line of uniformity 

 of height should be carefully avoided. 

 The plants for the first two rows should 

 be of a mixed character, so that they 

 will not all be in bloom at one time. 



An excellent method in planting 

 perennials is to use plants of about the 

 same constitution, irrespective of their 

 families, and preferably those that 

 bloom at different periods of the sum- 

 mer. Care should be taken to select 

 those that are not apt to rob, or clash 

 with each other, and to plant three to 

 six or more varieties in such a manner 

 that the blooming of each distinct 

 clump, or plot, will be prolonged as 

 long as possible. 



Most of the herbaceous plants can be 

 used in this way to advantage, but 

 there are some that are not suitable for 

 inter-clump planting, such as the Rud- 

 beckia golden glow, Helenium autum- 

 nale superbum, Pyrethrum uUginos- 

 sum, Pyrethrum maximum, and other 

 gross feeders and rampant growers. 

 These should have a place for them- 

 selves near the back of the border. 



It is advisable, when planting on the 

 plot system, to arrange the plants in 

 rows, parallel with the outline of the 

 border. This faciHtates the keeping of 

 the border clean, makes it more easy to 

 get at the plants for cutting and tying 

 up, and simpHfies the labelling of the 

 varieties for the information of the pub- 

 lic, which is a very important matter. 



i BULB DEPARTMENT % 



'j Qviesliona Ans'wired by 'J 



^ Mr. Herman Simmers ^ 



Storing Gladioli 



I grew some gladioli last summer and stored 

 the bulbs in an ordinary furnace-heated cellar 

 in the fall. They seem to be drying out too 

 much. What should I do with them?— (A.L.C., 

 Owen Sound.) 



The way you are keeping your Gladio- 

 lus bulbs will not do. They should be 

 kept in an atmosphere containing more 

 moisture. If you have a room in the 

 cellar that does not freeze, or if you 

 could keep them in the same place that 



you keep such vegetables as carrots, 

 beets and parsnips, they will come out 

 in the spring much better. If you can 

 secure a moist atmosphere where there 

 is no frost you should have no trouble if 

 the bulbs have been properly harvested. 



Bulbs in 'Water 



What bulbs can be grown in -stones and 

 water? What is the best time to start them, 

 and under what conditions would I get best re- 

 sults? — (J. S. McP., Orange ville.) 



Chinese Sacred Lilies are usually 

 grown in this manner, and within the 

 last few years the greater portion of the 

 Polyanthus Narcissus have also been 

 grown with success, notably so the 

 Paper White Narcissus (totus albus) ; 

 also Grand Primo and Grand Monarque 

 Polyanthus Narcissus. 



They can be started any time during 

 September, October or November. The 

 conditions as to results depends as much 

 as anything upon the strength of the 

 bulb. If a good strong bulb is selected, 

 success is almost certain. It is advis- 

 able to add some ammonia to the water 

 a few weeks before the plants come 

 into bloom. 



Flo-wer Lovers — We Need 

 "Yovir Help 



We hope our readers who grow fruit 

 and flowers in an amateur way will be 

 pleased with this issue of "The Canadian 

 Horticulturist." A special attempt has 

 been made to publish articles that will be 

 helpful and interesting to them. We in- 

 tend to make this department one of the 

 strongest in the paper. Everything of a 

 professional floral nature is to be elimin- 

 ated, and special attention will be devoted 

 to the needs and desires of the amateur. 



Starting with this issue several new de- 

 partments have been added to the floral 

 section of "The Horticulturist." Mr. W. 

 T. Macoun, horticulturist at the Central 

 Experimental Farm, Ottawa, has kindly 

 consented to contribute a series of illus- 

 trated articles on shrubs. Mr. Herman 

 Simmers, of Toronto, the well-known 

 seedsman, will write on bulbs; Mr. Rod- 

 erick Cameron, of Niagara Falls South, 

 will treat on perennials, and Mr. A. H. 

 Ewing, of Woodstock, on lawns. Each 

 of these gentlemen will be pleased to an- 

 swer any questions on these subjects that 

 may be asked by our readers. 



The interesting article in this issue by 

 Mr. A. Alexander, of Hamilton, is only 

 the first of a series by him that will be 

 published during the spring and summer. 

 These articles will be illustrated as is the 

 one in this issue. Several other promi- 

 nent amateur florists, including such well- 

 known writers as Mr. J. 0. McCulloch, of 

 Hamilton; Mr. A. K. Goodman, of Cay- 

 uga; Mr. Edwin Utley, of Toronto; and 

 Mayor H. J. Snelgrove, of Cobourg, have 

 been kind enough to promise to contribute 

 articles on selected subjects during the 

 coming year. 



All these gentlemen, although busy men, 

 have consented, through love of their 

 subjects, to contribute these articles free 

 of cost. We feel there are many others 

 among our several thousand readers who 

 have devoted special attention to some 

 one or two branches of flower-growing, 

 who could aid greatly in strengthening 

 this department by forwarding an occa- 

 sional article with illustrations. 



