April : Second Week 



MAKING NEW PERENNIAL GARDENS AND BOR- 

 DERS; NEW STRAWBERRY AND ASPARAGUS 

 BEDS 



One of the important early spring tasks — a good job for 

 one of those raw days when it is too bright and sunny to 

 stay in the house but too windy and cold to be comfortable 

 doing ordinary jobs outside — is the making of any new 

 gardens or beds that may be desired. The regular garden 

 for vegetables or flowers has to be prepared every spring; 

 beds for perennial plants have to be made only once in 

 many years, so their preparation must be particularly 

 thorough. By the same token one can afford to take the 

 time and trouble to make a thorough job of it. A well- 

 made asparagus bed will last ten to twenty years. A thor- 

 oughly prepared hardy border, if it is given reasonable care 

 every year, will last indefinitely. 



The most favored position for a hardy border is along a 

 walk or drive, separated from the edge of the drive by a 

 narrow strip of sod. Other good locations are in front of 

 a shrubbery border, or along a wall or other undesirable 

 boundary line, where, properly planted, the plants may 

 be made to serve the double purpose of a screen and of 

 adding to the apparent size of the place. Small beds and 

 single clumps, which may be used very effectively, deserve 

 just as much care and preparation, but be careful in plan- 

 ning them to avoid getting a hole-in- the-lawn effect that 

 will spoil the appearance of any place. 



The border may be made either in full sun or in partial 

 shade, if the plants to go in are selected with care. But at 

 least part of it, to grow bright-colored flowers for cutting, 

 should be well in the sun. 



