PERENNIALS 95 
drying masses—because partly to hide the ugly 
is one of the special errands on which nature sends 
the five-foot climber. 
By autumn another thing is noticed; the poppy 
has begun to make a considerable second growth 
of foliage and, lest this be too shaded, there is 
need of cutting away some of the branches of 
“baby’s breath’—or else diverting them to one 
side. Obviously, the oriental poppy and “baby’s 
breath” are one of those dovetailing perennial 
combinations to know which is among the secrets 
of successful hardy gardens and borders. 
Here then is a whole lot, and not all at that, 
learned by the exercise of a litle patience in the 
study of plant character before attempting to bend 
that character to one’s own use. And the observa- 
tion of the plants was the easier because of their 
being in a row. 
The only safe general rule for the planting of 
perennials is to allow a space of ground six inches 
square for each plant known to be of dwarf or 
fairly low habit and a space a foot square for the 
taller ones. This is a good rule. Unless the 
plants are seedlings or small cuttings—sometimes 
then—the ground will be nearly or quite concealed 
when the first summer is well along on its course. 
And there will be ample room for two, three or 
more season’s growth—according to the plant’s nor- 
mal rate of increase and the way that this is helped 
or hindered by weather conditions. 
Whether the plants are set out in rows or a 
