28 A PLEA FOR HARDY PLANTS 



about seven feet, is taken up, except a narrow border of grass between 

 the shrubs and the walk. This space is planted with fifty hardy roses, 

 mostly hybrid perpetuals, in thirty of the best varieties. In front of 

 these roses is planted a narrow border, about ten inches wide, of various 

 narcissi; among the roses gladioli are planted every spring. The 

 .xemainder of the border is planted with herbaceous plants in groups, with 

 a selection that secures a succession of bloom. This selection includes 

 columbines, Japanese anemones, irises, lilies, peonies, German irises, 

 Helianthus latiflorus, Coreopsis lanceolala, gaillardias, Rudbeckia hirta, hardy 

 asters, campanulas, phloxes, delphiniums, and Heuchera sanguinea. In 

 front of these is a narrow border of tulips, narcissi, millas, etc., 

 which is carpeted with Phlox subulata. ' Room is also found for some sweet 

 peas. Phlox Drummondii, and nasturtiums. 



(Placing a border of hardy plants in front of a hedge is one of the 

 most effective arrangements that can be made, but for cultural results 

 about the worst, as the roots of the hedge rob the plants of needed suste- 

 nance. This difficulty is easily overcome, however, by placing a sunk par- 

 tition, say two feet deep, of two-inch oak planks between the hedge and 

 the border.) 



The kitchen porch of this house is covered with honeysuckles and 

 clematis and the brick walls with Ampelopsis Feitchi. At one corner of 

 the house is planted a Chinese wistaria, which is trained upon a single 

 wire to the top of the house and then along the eaves. The neces- 

 sary, but usually unsightly, posts for the clothes-line are converted into 

 a charming feature of the garden in this way: For the posts, locust 

 saplings about eight inches in diameter, with the branches shortened back 

 to five or six feet, have been used; these are covered with Japanese 

 honeysuckle, trumpet creeper, and Clematis paniculata, one over each of 

 three posts ; and golden honeysuckle and Clematis Jackmani together 

 on the other. As the space for flowering shrubs is extremely limited, 

 only the choicest are used — a Magnolia stellata and a red-leaved Jap- 

 anese maple in the front garden, and a Magnolia Soulangeana, a Mag- 

 nolia conspiaia, and a Japanese snowball in the back garden. The 

 magnolias will in time become too large for the garden, but it will not 

 be for many years, and the owner is content, for the sake of their great 

 beauty, to cut them out and replace them with smaller ones when he must. 

 In addition to all this planting, the lawn is filled with crocuses, 

 scillas, and snowdrops, — a very pleasing way of using them. 



