HARDY BORDERS J> 37 



She has a SeptemBeFlx>rder that is mainly for perennial asters. 

 And her main flower border, which is 14 x 200 feet, is designed to 

 be at its best only from the end-of July to the end of September 

 a little more than two months. The pitch of perfection which 

 Miss Jekyll demands (as shown by her pictures) cannot possibly 

 be maintained in any one part of the grounds for more than three 

 months, and even then only by using potted plants as "fillers." 

 Two months is about the longest period that is practicable. 

 What a different idea this is from Miles's dictum that "a yard of 

 ground should have bloom on it at least eight months in the year!" 

 Is such a high standard worth while? Yes. I saw a bor- 

 der at Knole which, from end to end, was almost a continuous sheet 

 of bloom. Countless thousands of flowers, in two unbroken 

 bands lured the eye on and on until the straight lines seemed to 

 converge in the mellow distance. The brilliancy and gayety of such 

 a spectacle are beyond the powers of pen or camera to convey. 

 And at Knole this magnificent display was maintained by a simple 



and relatively economical plan. A great many perennial plants, 



are grown from seed every year in coldframes. Most of these 

 are white flowers because white is the great peace-maker. This is 

 the only colour that can be put in anywhere by cheap labour with- 

 out making serious discords. I saw a young woman putting in these 

 fillers wherever there was a bare spot of ground and doing the work 

 well for thirty-six cents a day! This simple plan makes white the 

 dominant colour in the border, and gives it an indescribably cool 

 and airy effect which is most appropriate in hot weather. As I 

 strolled along the borders, I was not conscious of there being too 

 much white. It was only when one came to the end of the border 

 and looked back over the whole extent that the white seemed dom- 

 inant. I asked the gardener whether there was any other colour 



