Hardy Flowers All the Year— By Robert Cameron, 



Harvard 

 Botanic Gardens 



[Editor's Note. — /;; The Garden Magazine for October, 1909, Mr. Cameron told how to plant and what to use in a hardy border that would be full 

 of flowers all the year. We now present a series of photographs of a border planted as suggested, and taken from almost the same position about the 20th 

 day of each month from April to October.] 



PHESE seven photographs speak for 

 ■*■ themselves, telling their own story of 

 the constant succession of bloom that may- 

 be had in a border of hardy herbaceous 

 plants, relying upon the bulbs for the very 

 earliest effects, and replacing these in a few 

 instances for the flowers that bloom in Sep- 

 tember. Apart from this the whole border 

 is a permanent one, and the names of the 

 various plants are given herewith. The 

 reader may make a selection and plant 



now, if he so chooses, but there is no time 

 to be lost. 



The principal plants in the April border 

 are: Rock cress (Arabis albida); spring 

 adonis (Adonis vernalis); glory of the snow 

 (Chionodoxa Lucillice); crocuses in variety; 

 winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) ; dog- 

 tooth violets (Erythronium spp.) ; Crown 

 imperial (Fritillaria imperialis) ; checkered 

 lily (Fritillaria Meleagris) ; snowdrop (Gal- 

 anthus nivalis and Elwesii); snowflake 



April — Early tulips and other bulbs give the character now, with rock cress in the foreground 



May — Late cottage and Darwin tulips with many alpine flowers and rock plants are dominant 



232 



(Leucojum vernum); grape hyacinth (Mus- 

 cari botryoides) ; early tulips in many varieties ; 

 and daffodils in larger number. Iris pumila 

 is also in bloom. 



In May we have a wealth of hardy plants 

 in bloom: Golden tuft (Alyssum saxatile); 

 columbine (Aquilegia carulea, chrysantha 

 and their hybrids) ; astilbe (Astilbe Chinensis 

 and Japonica) ; purple rock cress (Aubretia 

 deltoidea); thrift (Armeria maritima); ever- 

 green candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) ; lily- 

 of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis); maiden 

 pink (Dianthus deltoides); dwarf crested 

 iris (Iris cristata) ; Chinese peony (Paonia 

 albiflora); bleeding heart (Dicentra specta- 

 bilis); moss pink (Phlox subulata and 

 procumbens); rock speedwell (Veronica ru- 

 pestris); Greek valerian (Polemonium 

 reptans) ; forget-me-not (Myosolis sylvatica) ; 

 daisy (Bellis perennis) ; aster (Aster alpinus) ; 

 orris root (Iris Florentina) ; spring bitter 

 veitch (Oroous vermis) ; poppy (Papaver 

 alpinum and nudicaule) ; horned violet 

 (Viola cornuta); Japanese globe flowers; 

 late Cottage tulips and Darwin tulips. 



In June we have the double sneeze wort 

 (Achillea P tar mica, var. The Pearl); bell- 

 flowers in variety (Campanula Carpatica, var. 

 alba, persicifolia, var. alba, persicifolia, var. 

 Moerheimi, rotundifolia); mountain knap- 

 weed (Centaur ea montana) ; herbaceous Vir- 

 gin's bower (Clematis recta); Madonna lily 

 (Lilium candidum); foxglove (Digitalis 

 purpurea) ; lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) ; 

 mullen pink (Lychnis coronaria); Oriental 

 poppy (Papaver orientale); beard fringe 

 (Pentstemon lavigatus, var. Digitalis, pu- 

 bescens, spectabilis, diffusus) ; Jacob's ladder 

 (Polemonium caruleum) ; Caucasian scab- 

 ious (Scabiosa Caucasica); goat's beard 

 (Spiraa Ar uncus); large-flowered tickseed 

 (Coreopsis grandiflora) ; sneeze weed (Helen- 

 ium Hoopsii); lemon lily (Hemerocallis 

 flava); common garden pink (Dianthus 

 plumarius) ; larkspur (Delphinium formo- 

 sum); sweet William (Dianthus barbatus); 

 great-flowered gaillardia (Gaillardia grandi- 

 flora); alum root (Heuchera sanguinea); 

 Queen of the Prairie (Spircea palmata); 

 German iris in many varieties (Iris German- 

 ica); Siberian iris (Iris Sibirica). 



The flowers which make the borders 

 in July bright and gay are hollyhocks, 

 phloxes and monkshood; large whiteweed 

 (Chrysanthemum maximum); baby's breath 

 (Gypsophila paniculata); sweet rocket, 

 (Hesperis matronalis) ; Maltese cross 

 (Lychnis Chalcedonicum) ; Japanese iris (Iris 

 laevigata) ; lance-leaved tickseed (Coreopsis 

 lanceolata); hairy sunflower (Helianthus 

 mollis); Thunberg's yellow day lily (Hem- 

 erocallis Thunbergii); showy lily (Lilium 

 elegans); tiger lily (Lilium tigrinum); even- 

 ing primrose ( CEnothera fruticosa) ; showy 

 corn-flower (Rudbeckia speciosa); Carolina 

 thermopsis (Thermopsis Caroliniana) ; pur- 



