102 Hardy Plants for Cottage Gardens 
growth such as asters, cosmos, Gaura, Tridax, Phlox Drum- 
mondii, mallows and the annual larkspurs I allow but four or 
five inches between the plants. Ifa plant is bushy as Ca- 
lendula, Lavatera, Shirley poppy, cornflower, saponaria, mar- 
tynia, allowance must be made for a reasonable spread of 
foliage, and from six to eight inches will be ample. Where 
plants are close, they shade their own roots, their leaves pre- 
vent evaporation of moisture, and the sun does not dry out the 
ground. I like to see bountiful beds full of vigorous growth 
with no earth showing between. 
The same treatment applies to perennials. Those of slen- 
der erect habit require but a few inches of space if the ground 
be rich; and even those of coarse spreading foliage like the 
Incarvillea, larkspurs, garden heliotrope, hollyhock, Helian- 
thus and foxglove can be grown close to each other if the 
lower leaves are removed to make room for each other. If 
the overlapping foliage covers the ground too much, it pre- 
vents the rain from reaching the roots. A little experience 
will show how far a stripping of foliage may be carried. 
Another value of close planting is that in beds where a 
succession of bloom is desired, the early plants are in full 
bloom while the later ones are still very small. By continu- 
ally trimming out and cutting down plants after flowering, 
others coming later have a chance to spread their upper 
branches freely over the same area; and by preventing the 
seed-vessels from forming, the vitality goes into root growth. 
Once in a while stripping off the lower foliage is disastrous. 
For example, I once wanted more room in a pink bed, 
and cut off a number of lower leaves of the Ulmaria rubra 
venuista. To my dismay I saw later what destruction I had 
wrought; for out of these first leaves spring the tall stem that 
bears the beautiful peach-colored head of bloom, and unwit- 
tingly I had destroyed the blossoms for that year, save on a sin- 
