Herbaceous Borders 



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Herbaceous Plants 



Other Species : 



giganteum (,-rr villosum). Pauarrs. 



guiiiinit'erum. persieum, 12', bien., wh. 



lanatum, I' toS', per., wh. pubescens, 12', bien. , wh. 



(//. barhatum). sprengeliaiium. 



nepalense. Wallirliii. 



HERBACEOUS BORDERS. 



Well managed and properly cultivated herbaceous 

 borders are among the most attractive features of 

 a garden, as they can be made to supply an almost 

 regular succession of flowers during the respective 

 sea.-ons of spring, summer, and autumn, and, in a 

 lr-MT degree, in winter as well. The name " herb- 

 aceous border,'' which properly signifies one devoted 

 entirely to plants of herbaceous habit, is, however, 

 Inappropriate to the finest borders of the present 

 day. as in these are cultivated not only perennial 

 herbaceous plants and Inilbs (also herbaceous) 

 but in addition annuals and shrubs. A good border 

 is incomplete and unsatisfying unless it contains a 

 fair number of these subjects, which help to furnish 

 it at a dull season with greenery, or, as in the case 

 of the annuals, are most valuable when early bulbs 

 and plants have passed out of bloom. A herb- 

 aceous border requires careful study if it is to be 

 of ; j successful kind, and not only are proper prepara- 

 tion and planting required at first, but continual 

 attention so as to maintain its freshness and 

 brightness. 



Preparation. To be thoroughly effective, a herb- 

 aceous bonier ought to be of considerable length 

 and breadth. This cannot always be secured, but 

 in large gardens one of 12' wide is not too much if 

 it can be made of proportionate length. A good 

 loam is the best for a mixed border, but with due 

 manuring and care herbaceous plants may be 

 grown in any soil. The position should not be too 

 shaded, and it ought to be free from the drip of 

 trees. If long cultivated, and the subsoil has been 

 properly prepared, the border may be deeply 

 trenched. If unsuitable for this, it is better only 

 to bastard trench the border, and a description of 

 this process will be found under the proper head- 

 ing. The manure applied must be well decayed. 

 For general purposes farmyard manure is the best, 

 but artificials may be used in the proportions 

 recommended under ARTIFICIAL MANURES, ac- 

 cording to the nature of the soil. 



Time of Planting. If the ground is vacant, which 

 is >eldom the case, planting might begin in August, 

 which is the best reason for many things, such as 

 the Flag Irises. This would allow the plants to 

 become established before winter sets in. Failing 

 this time the flowers may l>e put in from September 

 to November, according to the nature of the season 

 and the climate. In cold, wet districts, spring is a 

 better time for planting than late autumn, hut in 

 localities where (Irving winds prevail at the former 

 period, and where the soil is light, autumn is the 

 best season. 



Arrangement. It is impossible to treat of the 

 arrangement of a herbaceous border in detail, and 

 it must be left mainly to individual taste and 

 experience to deal with it, and to correct any 

 errors in planting which are certain to arise, even 

 with experienced planters of such flowers. A a 

 main principle, however, it may be said that an 

 absolutely uniform method of planting with all 

 the taller (lowers at the back, and the others 

 arranged according to their heights until the 

 dwarfest occupy the front of the border, is too stiff 

 for such plants, and it is desirable to depart to 



some extent from this plan by having taller flowers, 

 here and there near the foreground. Care must 

 also be taken that the time of 'flowering is studied, 

 so that there is not only a due balance of bloom 

 all over the border at each season, but that the 

 colours of the flowers in each part will harmonise 

 and not jar upon the eyes with crude and unpleas- 

 ing effects. This matter of colour arrangement is. 

 exceedingly important, and it is almost an axiom 

 that it is better to have quiet harmonies of different 

 shades of the same colour than glaring contrasts. 

 A desirable thing to observe in planting early- 

 spring flowers, which are generally very dwarf, is 

 to see that they are not all at the front of the 

 border. 



After Management. If kept well manured and- 

 fertile by top dressings of farmyard or artificial 

 manures, a border will last a long time without 

 replanting. When this is necessary, plants which, 

 have grown too large may be reduced and replanted, 

 care being taken to use some of the fresh growths 

 at the outside of the old stool instead of the worn- 

 out centres. Watering ought to be well attended 

 to. The beauty of the border will be longer main- 

 tained if the old flowers are picked off, and such 

 plants as will give a second bloom if cut down im 

 good time, attended to in this respect. Staking 

 and tying must also be done early, and the stakes 

 ought to be as unobtrusive as po.-sible. It cannot 

 be too strongly put that the gratification given by 

 a herbaceous border depends upon the amount of 

 care bestowed upon it. Easy as are the greater 

 number of the plants to grow, few will repay better 

 any attention which may be given them. 



HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 



The question of what constitutes a herbaceous- 

 plant often gives trouble to exhibitors and judges. 

 Popularly speaking, herbaceous plants only com- 

 prise those which have stems that die down yearly, 

 but have perennial rootstocks which retain life- 

 during the " resting period." As the " Rules for 

 Judging" of the Royal Horticultural Society well 

 point out, a class for " Hardy Herbaceous " would 

 exclude annuals, biennials, and plants of more or 

 less shrubby growth, and tufted evergreens whose 

 stems do not die down in winter. It has been 

 suggested, and the suggestion is being largely 

 followed, that such a class should be simply for 

 ' Hardy Border Flowers," with the addition of 

 words excluding such things as annuals, biennials, 

 or shrubs, as maybe required. " Hardy Flowers " 

 is the term proposed by the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, with the addition of such qualifying 

 words as may be desired to meet the views of 

 the f'ramers of the schedules. 



In ordinary gardening practice the term " herb- 

 aceous flowers" is exceedingly indefinite in its 

 application, and nothing is commoner than to 

 hear all hardy plants of perennial character which 

 are not truly shrubby, called herbaceous plants. 

 Sub-shrubs are frequently included, and,' in many 

 instances, plants of biennial duration are ranked 

 with true herbaceous plants. This broader view is 

 the more useful for the garden, although if a strictly 

 botanical view of the im-auing of the term ''herb- 

 aceous" were adopted annuals, as well as biennials 

 and perennials, would have to be included. Wit bout 

 attempting to minimise the beauty and useful- 

 ness of tlii' many other lovely things of different 

 habit among the annuals and true shrubs, it 

 cannot be denied that tin- herbaceous plants 

 of perennial growth possess many ad\ai:tages. 



