THE FLOWER GARDEN 157 



leave out doubtful shades that are likely to clash 



magentas, reddish-purples,, bluish-reds, etc. ; have 



only pure reds, pinks, blues and white; put yellows 



away somewhere by themselves and you can not 



help but have harmony in the border. Keep out 



weeds, keep the soil loose and mellow. Late each 



fall apply a mulch of 



strawy manure ; remove 



the coarser parts of the 



mulch in the early 



spring, carefully loosen 



up the surface soil with 



a hoe and a narrow 



eight-tooth rake, and 



apply a sprinkle of 



hnnp mpn1 REMOVE THE MULCH IN EARLY SPRING 



AND CAREFULLY LOOSEN UP 



Prepare the border THE TOP SOIL 



for planting by spading 



it deeply (a foot at least) and working in a quantity 

 of well-rotted manure and some bone meal. 



In regard to setting out plants, J. T. Lovett 

 says : "Some persons prefer autumn planting and 

 others claim spring to be the better season. As a 

 matter of fact, neither spring nor fall is to be pre- 

 ferred for the entire list of varieties. Beyond ques- 

 tion preony, phlox, dicentra, day lily, etc., make the 

 best growth when planted in autumn ; while Japanese 

 anemone, foxglove, Canterbury bells, hollyhock, 

 sweet-william and some others frequently perish the 

 first winter if planted in the fall." 



FLOWERING SHRUBS. Somewhere in the garden 

 there should be at least a few of the hardy shrubs 

 to supplement the perennial plants already mentioned. 

 They may be set along the back line of the flower 

 border ; or may be set in a border or bed by them- 



