June, 19 10 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



303 







color in the border which is very interesting 

 to watch. 



On the edge as a fringe are groups of 

 various bulbs, daffodils, tulips, etc., then 

 Phlox subulata and divaricata, Viola cornuta 

 and Arabis albida. The violas bloom all 

 summer so the edge of the border always 

 shows some bloom, and a veritable mass in 

 April, May and June. Immediately in 

 front of the house is a grass walk leading to 

 the road, the four-foot wide borders on each 

 side being devoted to lilies which furnish 

 fragrant blooms all through the summer. 

 I grow all the most popular hardy species. 

 For earliest color here I have daffodils, 

 which are followed by iris and Viola 

 cornuta. 



Quite near the house elevation is given by 

 a hardy orange tree and clumps of peony. 

 One of the most beautiful light-blue flowers 

 that bloom all summer is Delphinium bella- 

 donna, and it harmonizes well with the 

 lilies. So as to be sure of bloom in Septem- 

 ber and October, chrysanthemums are set 

 in here every three feet. In another border 

 to the south I have a hedge of hardy chry- 

 santhemums and in back of them a row of 

 Lilium Canadense. In another border a 

 hedge of iris, all yellow or yellow and brown, 

 and on each side of them the light blue 

 delphinium. In all the borders a few annual 

 flowers are sown each spring, or narrow 

 borders of sweet alyssum, Tom Thumb, or 

 of some low-growing flower, such as nastur- 

 tiums or Lobelia heterophylla, var. major. 



Roses are at the back of the house — I like 

 to mass the families — and the roses are 

 trained to the posts of a pergola extending 

 over another grass walk. The posts are 

 connected by galvanized chains over which 

 clamber the roses already named and the 

 white-flowered Wichuraiana. In June of 

 last year, just one year from the time of 

 planting, the chains were garlands of 

 bloom. 



The oft-lamented bareness of the June 

 flowering rose bed, when the roses are not 

 in flower, has led me to experiment on a 

 suitable ground cover and companion crop. 

 Again my favorite horned violet comes to 

 the rescue, and with it and various sedums 

 the ground is almost hidden. They make 

 a thick, green carpet and some are always 

 in flower. They also form a compact mass 

 over the ground in winter, and protect the 

 roots of the roses from the cold, so that. I do 

 not need to mulch with manure as a winter 

 protection. In a bed of hardy ever-blooming 

 hybrid teas, I have planted the viola and 

 snapdragons in an effort to keep the weeds 

 down. 



Roses need helping out with preceding 

 or succeeding crops; in the beds on each side 

 of the front door where the Gardenia rose 

 is planted, I have bright yellow crocus which 

 comes up the very first of spring flowers, 

 making a mass of yellow, and is followed by 

 the globe flower (Trollius), which looks 

 like an enormous double buttercup, blooms 

 in June and then dies down. For late effect 

 I then plant begonias or an annual plant 

 that has small roots, so as not to injure the 

 crocus bulbs or the trollius roots. 



The climbing roses and hollyhocks were all planted here early in the same year 



My personal preference inclines to effects 

 in pink, and in one corner of the garden I 

 have indulged myself in planting only those 

 flowers I love best: Lilium candidum, Lilium 

 speciosum, var. roseum, Japanese iris in 

 white and purple, white and pink phlox. 

 Among these are large-flowering chrysan- 

 themums, light pink and white, and as a 

 border the low-growing evergreen pink gar- 

 land flower (Daphne Cneorum), blooming 



at intervals through the summer. The 

 flowers smell so sweet that a small bunch will 

 scent the whole room where it is placed. 



On a lot just back of my house is my 

 "nursery," and when a plant dies down in 

 any of the borders, or if the colors clash, I 

 can always find substitutes. The only way 

 to keep a hardy border in good order is to 

 tend it constantly, not of necessity labor- 

 iously, and prevent overcrowding. 



Trailing vines contribute much to the "furnished" effect 



