168 YARD AND GAEDEN 



the surface soil must be kept open and loose. 

 For this latter purpose, as well as for weeding, 

 no tool is better than a digging fork with prongs 

 three inches long and an inch apart. In pulver- 

 izing the surface soil with this, be careful not 

 to injure surface roots and avoid working the 

 ground when it is wet. Watering, also, must be 

 looked after wherever water for such purposes 

 is available — few city yards are without such 

 supply — and the moisture should be applied 

 liberally. Soak the ground thoroughly, not 

 merely sprinkling the surface and the foliage 

 of the plants, and make sure that the supply 

 reaches the roots. 



It can be readily understood that no arrange- 

 ment of perennials in beds or borders that does 

 not take into consideration the heights, colors 

 and blooming periods of the plants can prove 

 satisfactory. It is necessary to know the 

 heights of the various species employed in 

 order to avoid jilanting the taller-growing va- 

 rieties in front of the dwarf sorts ; it is neces- 

 sary to know the colors of the bloom in order 

 to avoid a clash of tints and shades which, if 

 grown in juxtaposition, would prove anything 

 but harmonious ; and it is necessary to know 

 the blooming seasons of the plants in order to 



