THE HERBACEOUS BORDER 185 



a reaction against excessive artifice; and, like all 

 artificial things, we may be sure it will not last. The 

 desire for neatness will revive again; indeed, it has 

 never died in those who care for the art as well as the 

 craft of gardening; and they should make it their 

 business to solve the problem of the herbaceous bor- 

 der, to combine its variety and profusion with neat- 

 ness and order. Only if they do this will they secure 

 it against a reaction which will lead to the old excesses, 

 to the foolish neatness of carpet bedding, the dull 

 monotony of ribbon borders. 



There are some gardeners with large gardens who 

 keep different borders for different times of year; and 

 this is an excellent plan if the garden is large enough 

 to make it possible. Indeed, it is the only method 

 that will bring the full glory of every season into the 

 garden. But it is not a method for every one; and 

 most people, even if their gardens are large, have 

 borders near the house which they wish to be beauti- 

 ful during all the months in which the garden can be 

 enjoyed at all. Such borders should be planned sys- 

 tematically and with foresight, and, above all, with 

 a clear understanding that they cannot be all full of 

 flowers from April to October. It is the desire for 

 too many flowers that has produced the worst abuses 

 of bedding out; and only those who have rid them- 

 selves of this desire can solve the problem of the her- 

 baceous border. They must also rid themselves of 

 pedantic prejudices against all plants that are not 

 hardy perennials. No doubt the herbaceous border. 



