The Garden Magazine 

 March, 1919 



Herbaceous Perennials and How to Plant Them 



Use Perennials Because: 



t 



— (i) when once planted they are good for several 

 years of constantly increasing effectiveness. 



— (2) when established, they are ready to grow with 

 the first mild days of spring and remain until the real 

 coming of winter, thus preventing unsightly bare 

 ground at both ends of the season. 



— (3) they obviate the necessity of dressing and fit- 

 ting the ground oftener than once every three to six 

 years. or more. 



— (4) unlike shrubs, they do not increase in stature, 

 but can be counted on to give the same effect season 

 after season. 



— (5) if well chosen they are hardy and appropriate 

 to the locality. 



— (6) for those who have means but limited time and 

 gardening skill, they will give immediate results if 

 purchased and set out as grown plants; whereas, those 

 who must economize or who desire the satisfaction of 

 doing the work themselves, can obtain the same effects 

 in a year or two by raising the same plants from seed. 



— (7) they offer a wealth and great variety of sizes, 

 forms, colors, and types of foliage, and provide suitable 

 material for all sorts of localities, soils, climates and 

 conditions. 



Because they combine intrinsic merit as individuals 

 with special usefulness as material for mass or combin- 

 ation planting. 



The Twelve Most Popular Hardy Herbaceous 

 Perennials 



(Compiled from information supplied by leading nurserymen) 



Anemone Iris Rudbeckia Chrysanthemum 



Hollyhock Peony Columbine Sunflower 



Larkspur Phlox Poppy Snapdragon 



What Are Herbaceous Perennials? 



An herb is a plant which dies to the ground 

 each year. The garden materials known as herbaceous 

 perennials are, therefore, those herbs of which 

 the root parts live for a number of years. This 

 is necessarily a somewhat elastic definition, since an herb 

 may be hardy as to its roots in one place, but tender in 

 another. The Dahlia and Canna, for instance are listed 

 as perennials for Georgia gardens, but are treated as 

 annuals in the North. Similarly the potato and the 

 tomato are perennials in South America, although 

 grown only as annual herbs in the United States. 

 Herbaceous -perennials may be divided into groups as 



follows: 



1. True hardy herbs, including those listed above, 

 Goldenrod, Sweet William, and many others. 



2. Bulbs which may be left in the ground over 

 winter, as Daffodils, Crocus, Snowdrop, Tulip, Narcissus, 

 Day-lily, Trillium, etc. 



3. Ferns (often considered wholly apart because 

 they are not flowering plants). 



4. Vines, such as the Perennial Pea, the 

 Madeira-vine, Hops, and the Cinnamon-vine; a few 

 really evergreen forms, such as Periwinkle (Vinca) 

 are sometimes included here. 



Where and How to Use Perennials 



Any herbaceous perennial like a shrub or tree may 

 be used as an individual because of its beauty, useful- 

 ness or effectiveness, or as one of many units in a garden 

 composition. 



It may also be used for the saketf its beauty as it 

 grows, or as a source of cut flowers — just as annuals 

 are handled from these two points of view. 



The two elements or phases of gardening for which 

 perennials are most valued are (a) the wild 

 or natural garden, and (b) the border. In either case, 

 grouped at the foot of or in front of larger growing 

 forms, or as a background for smaller species and types, 

 perennials are in their element, providing a maximum 

 of effect with a minimum of attention once they are 

 established. 



In formal gardens the free growth and vigorous in- 

 dependence of herbaceous perennials place them some- 

 what at a disadvantage, but occasionally a definite 

 rype such as Yucca filamentosa (Spanish Bayonet) 







€ 'l have been looking over my social register, de- 

 ciding whom I shall invite to my garden party next 

 year. . . . Of course I shall keep the perennials: 

 one always keeps them, unless they commit some un- 

 pardonable sin." — A^nes Edwards. 



with its erect spike of bell shaped blooms and its stiff, 

 uninviting leaves, or a smooth rounded mass of solid 

 white or pink Phlbx will add just the needed emphasis 

 to bring out the uniformity and balance of the rest of 

 the planting. 



Both alpine and rock gardens are the natural homes 

 for perennials, especially the low-growing, hardy, 

 drought resisting sorts. As these types of garden re- 

 ceive more attention in this country they should stim- 

 ulate a new interest in the lesser known perennials. 



Water and bog gardens are also dependent largely 

 upon their expressions of undisturbed permanence for 

 their best effects, and no class of plants is better able 

 to create this impression than perennials. 



Japanese gardens and other purely exotic types are 

 simply unique combinations of those already men- 

 tioned, and similarly combine the opportunities for 

 using perennials. 



Perennials That Bloom the First Year From Seed 



Sow under glass in March, in rows about 4 inches 

 apart, and cover lightly. Keep seed-bed shaded until 

 first leaves show above ground. When large enough 

 to handle transplant seedlings about two inches apart 

 each way. Harden off plants before planting in open. 



HEIGHT IN 







TIME OF 





FEET 





FLOWERING 





1-3 - 





July-August 



Blue-flowered Cupid's-dart 2-3 







June— August 



Mouse-eared Chickweed 



X 







All summer 



Perennial Coreopsis 



1-2 







August— frost 



Larkspur .... 



. 4-6 . 







April — September 



Sweet William . 



f-i £ . 







June— July 



Scotch Pink 



1 . 







May-June 



Moldavian Balm . 



2 . 







August-September 



Blanket-flower . 



2 . 







June— September 

 July-September 



Horned Poppy . 



1 



2 ■ 







French Honeysuckle . 



■ 2-4 . 







August-September 





- 2-3 • 







June— August 



Sunset Hibiscus 



• 3-9 • 







July-August 



Man-of-the-earth . 



2-12 . 







May-September 



Column flower . 



1-3 - 







June— September 



Flax, 



1-2 







July— August 



Honesty 



I 2-2*. 







May— June 



Musk mallow . 



1-2 







July-September 



Red monkey-flower 



1-2 







All summer 



Monkey-flower . 



i-3 - 







All summer 





1 







May-June 



Iceland Poppy 



i-i\ . 







May-October 





X 







April 













1-6 . 







August-September 





1-3 • 







August-September 



Perennial Herbs — Fragr 

 and 



ant — Attractive — 

 for Edging Paths 



Useful for Flavoring 



Balm of Gilead 



Lemon 



thyme 



Sage 



Lavender 



Lavage 





Spearmint 



Lavender cotton 



Mother 



of thyrm 



Thyme 



Lemon balm 



Rosem; 



T 





Woodruff 



As the young seedlings develop transplant to give them 

 room. Strong growth in youth means vigor in maturity 



Perennials With Fragrant Flowers — Season of Bloom 



Set out plants now. But if you want any kind in 

 quantity sow a liberal second lot in summer, as soon as 

 ripe seed can be had for very early bloom next year, 

 except those marked *. Though Peonies are prefer- 

 ably set out in September still like the others they may 

 be handled clear through spring. 



Winter Heliotrope December-February 



California and Russian Violets .... March 



White Rock-cress April 



Woodruff May 



Lily-of-the-valley* May 



Peonies* June 



Fraxinella* June 



Cat's Valerian June 



Lemon Lily* June 



Dwarf orange Day-lily* June 



Garden Pinks June 



Fringed Pinks July 



Sweet Rocket July 



Bee Balm* July-August 



Entire-leaved bush Clematis* July 



August Lemon Lily* August 



White Day-lily* August-September 



A Succession of Perennials for All-Summer Color 



Daffodils (yellow). German Iris (purple). Peonies 

 (rose and white). Oriental Poppies (scarlet). Jap- 

 anese Iris (white, pencilled with color). Day-lilies 

 (yellow). Monarda (r§d). Phlox (white). ^ Rud- 

 beckia (yellow). New England Aster (purple).* Hardy 

 Chrysanthemum (various). 



Perennials Essential to the Hardy Border 



Foxglove, Peach-bell or Platycodon, Columbine, 

 Larkspur, Oriental Poppy, Grass Pink, Sweet William, 

 Peony, German Iris, Shasta Daisy, Phlox, hardy Chry- 

 santhemum, Hollyhock, Coreopsis, Gaillardia. 



73 



Planting Requirements for Perennials 



The Soil 



This must be rich and deep. Since different specie 

 of perennials have different preferences, it may vary in 

 type, degree of dryness, etc., to some extent. 



Its preparation should include tile drainage at a depth' 

 of at least two and a half feet, unless the natural condi- 

 tions make standing water at or near the surface im- 

 possible. 



It should be dug and enriched to a depth of at least 

 18 inches and two feet is far better. The best method 

 is to remove the first foot of soil, spade up the second 

 foot, adding well rotted cow manure, bone meal and 

 wood ashes (separately not mixed) and replace the top 

 soil adding to this also manure and fertilizer. Of 

 course the requirements of the plants to be used must 

 be taken into account; in preparing for ferns, hedges, 

 and any of a number of acid-tolerant plants, any form 

 of lime or a lime carrying material such as bone meal 

 or wood ashes would be omitted, and the supply of 

 humus increased. 



The surface soil should be so enriched with humus 

 as to prevent its subsequent baking. The average 

 planting of perennials cannot receive the frequent cul- 

 tivation given a vegetable garden, or even a rose bed, 



This will give some suggestions for the mass effects to be 

 had by herbaceous plants in front of shrubbery 



and precautions should therefore be taken to prevent 

 excessive evaporation and the choking of young plants. 



The Planting 



Buy, collect, or choose from your seedlings only the 

 healthiest, strongest plants. Plants that have been 

 checked by cold or severe drought, or that have recov- 

 ered from an attack of disease or an infestation of in- 

 sects, never produce maximum results; it is poor econ- 

 omy, even downright wastefulness, to use them. 



Handle the plants carefully, being sure that their 

 roots do not dry out. Undoubtedly a plant will endure 

 a lot at the hands of one of those geniuses who "have a 

 wonderful way with flowers"; but doubtless, too, the 

 less they have to endure, the more they can put into 

 vigorous growth and prolificacy. 



In the case of seed sowing, plant as soon as the seed 

 is ripe, outdoors; and about eight weeks before the 

 plants can be set in the ground, under glass. Trans- 

 plant seedlings at least twice, the first time as soon 

 as they can be handled, the second time, when they 

 are about five inches high. 



In setting out grown pla/its, whether bought from a 

 nurseryman or collected in the neighborhood, the best 

 time is while they are dormant and just before they start 

 into growth. As a general rule; transplant in late sum- 

 mer or early fall any plant that blooms before July; 

 transplant in spring any plant that blooms in or after 



But, with proper care, plenty of water available, 

 and proper attention thereafter, practically anything 

 can be moved at any time. 



Plant thickly enough so that the foliage of the plants 

 when fully out will completely hide the ground. This 

 will eventually lesd to crowding which must then be 

 corrected by lifting, dividing, and resetting the plants. 



Arrange the planting, whether bed, border or back- 

 ground with a definite plan in mind, grouping certain 

 materials according to their form, foliage, color of 

 flower and season of blooming so as to give unity with- 

 out monotony, variety without chaos and lack of 

 cohesion. 



