ON HARDY HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS. 261 



border, of which they may be said to form the backbone, for 

 at the present time, in gardens both large and small, are to be 

 found borders set apart chiefly for the cultivation of this class 

 of plants, supplemented by a free use of annuals and biennials. 

 Then again, the tall and vigorous-growing perennials are 

 extremely useful for the decoration of shrubberies, wild gardens, 

 &c, in which positions they prove quite attractive, and at the 

 same time do not require much attention. There is yet another 

 way in which these plants may be profitably utilised, and that is 

 in providing a supply of cut-flowers suitable for table decoration, 

 bouquets, &c, and at a time when there is a dearth of flowers 

 adapted for cutting under glass, viz., during the early autumn. 



Cultivation. — The majority of hardy herbaceous perennials 

 thrive well in any ordinary garden soil, though a rather heavy 

 loam, made moderately rich by the application of manure, is 

 best suited for their culture, especially for those of tall and 

 vigorous growth. 



If the situation is too wet, draining must be resorted to ; and 



if the soil is too tenacious and heavy, it must be either dug 



out and replaced by a more suitable compost, or made lighter 



in texture by adding a quantity of leaf-mould, ■ &c. If, on the 



other hand, it is naturally too light and sandy, it is advisable 



to apply a dressing of heavy loam, incorporating it well with 



the original soil. In preparing a new border for the reception 



of these plants, it is imperative that it should be trenched to 



a depth of 2ft. the autumn previous to planting, and at the 



same time manure, if required, should be added, so as to 



admit of its being thoroughly mixed with the soil. If these 



operations are carried out in the autumn, the border will be in 



fine condition for planting the following spring, as the soil will 



then have had time to consolidate. 



The operation of planting is one that requires an intimate 



: knowledge of the subjects being dealt with, especially with 



i regard to their height, colour, and flowering period, so as to find 



suitable positions for them, the object being to dispose of them 



; so that the whole border may be equally interesting at all 



seasons of the year. It would be a mistake to have all the 



j early-flowering subjects, at one end of the border, and all the 



■i late ones at the other ; or to have all the plants with red 



flowers at one end and all those with white ones at the other. 



. The spring-flowering subjects should occupy positions throughout 



the entire border, and so should the summer- and autumn- 



