CHAPTER VIII 

 Beautiful Borders and How to Plant Them 



THE straight-edged border is far too prominent in gardens ; it would 

 quickly disappear if gardeners realised the charm of borders with 

 shaped edges. Not only do such borders look far prettier them- 

 selves, but they show off flowers much better and tend to prevent 

 that overcrowded appearance that is often seen in autumn. Scallops 

 filled with dwarf plants give a light effect to a background of massed 

 taller subjects, for instance. Longer waves produce a somewhat simi- 

 lar result, while more elaborately cut out borders give the gardener 

 as it were a succession of small beds in which special varieties 

 of low-growing plants may be shown to advantage, colours kept dis- 

 tinct and the encroachment of stronger growths be prevented. Beau- 

 tiful colour harmonies can be more easily arranged also. Fig. 1 

 shows one kind of scalloped border : of course scallops can be as 

 large or small, as shallow or deeply cut, as seem advisable. Some- 

 [times one may see beautiful borders in which the scallops are so far 

 Icut back as almost to touch the fence or wall ; others may have a 

 |\vide stretch of border behind the scalloped edge. In planting the 

 iborder shown in Fig. 1 different effects may readily be obtained : 

 some might have a group of tall plants at each point A, and dwarf 

 plants of similar shade in the scallop B. Suitable plants to combine 

 are white Foxgloves and white Violas, orange Day Lilies and Calen- 

 dulas, golden Sunflower and Violas. Other borders could show tall 

 scarlet flowers with white scallops, or blue and yellow, violet and 

 pale rose, etc. A third border might consist of Liliums of differ- 

 ent sorts with various Violas ; a fourth might be large enough to 

 accommodate a standard Rose at each point A, with a foreground of 

 tarnations and Viola edging ; a fifth could be carried out altogether 

 in bedding plants, with tall foliage specimens at A. 



A waved border as shown by Fig. 2 is suitable for a wide her- 

 baceous or shrubbery border eJged by a strip of turf. If desired, it 

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