3 8 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



fullest development, a result that is not to be anticipated 

 where they are planted in borders not richly stored with 

 food. During the winter a mulch or covering of some light 

 material that is not liable to become sodden or " 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 provide them with nourishment 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 hurriedly pushed into 

 holes in the ground with their roots in a tangled ball, this 

 naturally retarding the start into growth in the spring, and 

 giving the thoughtfully 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 fre- 

 quently suffer from subsequent 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 posi- 

 tion 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 spec- 

 tabihs), 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 Colour and Choice of Plants. It is not 



