THE MIXED BORDER 27 



" cake," will help to keep the warmth in the soil about the 

 roots, while a mulch of light manure in the spring, when the 

 root-fibres are stirring, will both provide them with nourish- 

 ment when the manurial agents are washed into the ground 

 by heavy rains and tend to keep them cool, and the ground 

 from cracking during the summer heat. A slight sprinkling 

 of earth over the mulch prevents it from being unsightly. 



Planting the Border. Care should be taken that the roots 

 are well spread out and covered with fine soil. This is too 

 often neglected and the plants hurriedlypushed into holes in the 

 ground with their roots in a tangled ball, this naturally retard- 

 ing the start into growth in the spring, and giving the thought- 

 fully planted example an advantage which it generally retains 

 during the whole of the first season. After planting, the soil 

 should be made firm round the roots, and during the first 

 winter should hard frosts occur, as these often loosen the soil. 

 If this is overlooked the roots frequently suffer from subse- 

 quent severe weather. Mixed borders should not be planted in 

 lines and patterns, but the plants arranged in informal groups 

 varying in size and shape. When treated in this manner the 

 breadths of colour give the border the natural effect that 

 should be aimed at. Tall subjects should as a rule be placed 

 at the back, and those of lowliest growth in the front, but it is 

 well, here and there, to allow a group of taller plants to 

 occupy a forward position among their dwarfer companions 

 since this adds to the charm and informality of the border. 

 Single plants should never be dotted about promiscuously, as 

 is too often the case, as this results in a spotty medley of hues. 

 The question of colour is one that should be considered at 

 planting-time, care being taken to associate only such plants 

 as are harmonious in their tints. Scarlet should be kept 

 away from rose-purple, but scarlet and crimson blend well 

 with orange and yellow, while purple and blue merge into 

 pale lavender and white. Plants that flower early in the 

 summer, such as the Oriental Poppy and the Lyre Flower 

 (Dielytra spectabilis), and afterwards become unsightly, should 

 be planted behind later-growing subjects, such as Michaelmas 

 Daisies, Galegas, &c. ; which soon hide the fading leaves with 

 their vigorous shoots. 



Arrangement of Co/our and Choice of Plants. It is not an 

 easy matter to keep a mixed border well furnished through- 

 out the flowery months of the year, and to avoid un- 

 sightly gaps, but there are always ways of doing it, and 

 even beginners should not be afraid of facing this fact, and of 

 thinking out ways or contriving methods so as to have as few 

 empty places as may be. There are some common-sense 



