July : Second Week 



STARTING PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS FROM 

 SEED FOR NEXT YEAR'S GARDENS 



A garden without hardy perennials is not complete. 

 When once established these plants require a minimum of 

 attention in proportion to the results they give. They are 

 reUable, being for the most part free from disease, and they 

 bloom year after year, meeting almost everything required 

 in the way of color, height, and so forth. 



Two things that have operated against greater use of 

 perennials in American gardens are cost and lack of famil- 

 iarity. Individual plants need not be very expensive. 

 Many good varieties may be had for a quarter apiece, but 

 when one comes to get the several dozen required for a good 

 hardy border, or even for occasional use about the place, the 

 cost is considerable. 



No gardener, however, need be deterred from the gen- 

 erous use of hardy perennials because of this fact. He can 

 grow his own. No matter how small his garden, he can pro- 

 duce dozens of good plants of some of the best types which, 

 if bought from the nursery, would cost from fifty to fifteen 

 cents each. And his only cash outlay will be a fraction of a 

 cent apiece for his plants. Five or ten cents buys enough 

 seed of most things to raise several dozen plants. Some new 

 varieties may cost twenty-five cents a packet, but plants 

 of these sorts cost fifty cents to two dollars each. 



To be in prime condition to go through the winter and to 

 produce the best results for next simimer's garden plants 

 should be started now. Among the best are hardy aster, 

 bellis, campanula, Canterbury bells, hardy dianthus, del- 

 phinium, digitalis, hollyhock, peony, hardy phlox, hardy 

 poppy, sweet William, tritoma, hardy alyssum, anchusa, 



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