164 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



April, 190! 



enough to make the group conspicuous 

 during its flowering season. 



The flowering season of each variety must 

 be taken into consideration, the object being 

 to have the groups so arranged that the plant- 

 ing, as a whole will be effective all through 

 the season. 



The colors should be carefully blended 

 throughout the border to avoid jarring 

 contrasts, and prevent a preponderance 

 of color in any particular section at any 

 one time. 



Among all our choice perennials, probably 

 none lend themselves to this method of 



grouping better than the Chinese larkspur 

 (Delphinium grandiflorum). The flowers of 

 this gem are produced in spikes about three 

 feet in height, and in a profusion that is 

 truly marvelous. A group of these will be a 

 veritable mass of bloom from July until 

 October; and this, coupled with its graceful, 

 fern-like foliage, makes it indispensable for 

 the hardy border. There is also a dwarfer 

 double form that is almost equally desirable, 

 and as either of these can be grown from seed 

 sown outside — which, if sown early enough, 

 will flower the first season — there is no 

 reason why they should not be seen in every 



garden. If it is desired, a pleasing formal 

 effect can be had by edging the planting with 

 the hardy candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) ; 

 the variety Snowflake being very well adapted 

 for the purpose. 



Any spaces that might occur in the border, 

 when the early-flowering varieties are past, 

 can be filled in nicely with annuals, such as 

 petunia, balsam, salvia, phlox, gladiolus, 

 tuberose, montbretia. In fact the addition 

 of annuals is really necessary to keep up 

 a display of flowers during the hot summer 

 months until the late-blooming section 

 of the perennials commences. 



Planting a Real Old-Fashioned Garden— By H. s. Adams, 



HOW TO BE TRUE TO BOTH THE LETTER AND SPIRIT OF "GRANDMOTHER'S 

 GARDEN" AND HAVE FLOWERS CONTINUOUSLY FROM APRIL TILL NOVEMBER 



Connec- 

 ticut 



AS TO the best old-fashioned flowers, 

 the most desirable are naturally those 

 that will in the aggregate furnish bloom for 

 approximately six months. The trick in 

 making a selection is, therefore, to paraphrase 

 a certain familiar saying of Abraham Lincoln, 

 and remember that, although you can make 

 all flowers bloom some of the time, and some 

 flowers all of the time, you cannot make all 

 flowers bloom all of the time. Nor should 

 the fact that old-fashioned flowers range in 

 height from six inches to as many feet be 

 overlooked. Height, as well as color, figures 

 prominently in the matter of general effect. 



First get your garden. That you must do 

 in April, and the nearer you go to all Fools' 

 Day the wiser you will be. As the initial 

 move, decide at once, after taking a walk 

 around the place, whether you will adopt 

 borders or a set, geometrical design, and, in 

 this, preference should yield without hesitancy 

 to the lay of the land, as it were. If the place 

 is small, borders are the only solution of the 

 problem, beds in the lawn being doubly 

 abhorrent in the case of this particular form 

 of flower-gardening. If, on the other hand, 

 there is plenty of room, a formal plan of plant- 

 ing may be followed wherever such a garden 

 best fits in, but preferably in the rear or at 

 the side of the house. For a starter, however, 

 the border is usually advisable. It permits 

 a small beginning, with the opportunity to 



On small areas informal border planting is the only- 

 solution. Keep the lawn open 



enlarge as the season progresses; it provides 

 the necessary experience for working out a 

 more comprehensive plan and, furthermore, 

 this is a good way to accumulate stock for a 

 leisurely thought-out garden. 



Having decided what you had better do, 

 lay out your garden on paper. This much 

 accomplished, go over the flower catalogues, 

 which are issued afresh each January, and 

 make out the list of the plants and seeds that 

 you must order. Meanwhile it is just as well 

 to let any friends who have hardy gardens 

 know what you are up to, as the chances are 

 that they will gladly give you of their sur- 

 plus. This will not only save you money but 

 will let friendship through your garden gate. 



The ground should, of course, be prepared 

 as early as it can be worked well. It should 

 be spaded to at least the depth of a foot, and 

 if the soil is very poor the loosened part should 

 be removed bodily and a better grade sub- 

 stituted. With the working in of some well- 

 rotted manure, and the necessary raking, the 

 ground is then ready for the plants. A 

 common mistake with borders is to make 

 them too narrow. If next to the house or 

 shrubbery they should not be less than 

 four feet wide, and where approach from both 

 sides is possible six feet is better yet. 



Barring bulbs, which cannot enter into 

 spring planting, the best flowers to start the 

 season with are the sweet keys and polyan- 

 thus that were so treasured by our grand- 

 mothers. Both bloom in late April and early 

 May. They are of low growth; as is also 

 that indispensable for May, blue-eyed Susan 

 (Polemonium reptans). The best fairly tall 

 flower of early May is bleeding heart, and for 

 later in the month widow's tears, flower-de- 

 luce, and columbine are needed. For late 

 May also there are the low-growing hardy 

 forget-me-not, which will bloom the remain- 

 der of the season, and the sweet William, 

 which is a foot high and is good for a solid 

 month of color, and, for a touch of yellow, 

 cither the tall bachelor's buttons or the 

 creeping kind. 



June's finest tall plants are the foxglove, 

 trooper's feather, and Oriental larkspur; 

 those of medium height, custard lily, Canter- 



bury bell, peach bell, double "featherfew" 

 London pride, fraxinella, tickseed, rock 

 chamomile, sweet rocket, and blanket flower ; 

 and those of low growth, aside from sweet 

 William, the grass pink and the "California 

 primrose." 



For July's tallest effect the hollyhock, 

 which is hkely to begin flowering late in 

 June, is unsurpassed. Grading down in 

 height are the hardy phlox, Japanese bell- 

 flower, Oswego tea, and bluebell. Even if it 

 can be only trained to a stake, the everlasting 

 pea, which will bloom from midsummer on, 

 should also have a place in the old-fashioned 

 garden. Another desirable July flower is 

 the tiger lily, the bulbs of / which may be 

 purchased in the spring. 



All the plants thus far mentioned are iron- 

 clad perennials and biennials, the latter 

 being self-perpetuating by self-sowing with 

 the sole exception of the Canterbury bell; 

 but in August the annuals must be counted 

 upon to augment the color of such hardy 

 holdovers as phlox and gaillardia. Nothing 

 is better than the African marigold at this 

 time of year. At least half a dozen other old- 

 fashioned annuals should, however, be 

 planted in the spring, in a seed bed, and 

 transplanted to fill gaps here, there, and 



With plenty of room a lormal or geometrical design 

 near the house can be very effective 



