﻿April, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  i53 
  

  

  The 
  Border 
  of 
  Hardy 
  Plants 
  

  

  By 
  Eben 
  E. 
  Rexford 
  

  

  HE 
  most 
  satisfactory 
  garden 
  of 
  flowering 
  

   plants 
  for 
  small 
  places 
  is 
  one 
  composed 
  of 
  

   herbaceous 
  perennials 
  and 
  biennials. 
  This 
  

   for 
  several 
  very 
  good 
  reasons 
  : 
  First, 
  once 
  

   thoroughly 
  established 
  they 
  are 
  good 
  for 
  

   an 
  indefinite 
  term; 
  second, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  "make 
  garden" 
  annually 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  

   used; 
  third, 
  they 
  require 
  less 
  care 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  class 
  of 
  

   plants; 
  fourth, 
  requiring 
  less 
  care 
  than 
  other 
  plants, 
  they 
  are 
  

   admirably 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  women 
  who 
  can 
  devote 
  

   only 
  a 
  limited 
  amount 
  of 
  time 
  to 
  gardening; 
  fifth, 
  they 
  in- 
  

   clude 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  beautiful 
  plants 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  grow. 
  

   I 
  have 
  no 
  disposition 
  to 
  say 
  disparaging 
  things 
  about 
  the 
  

   garden 
  of 
  annuals. 
  Annuals 
  are, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  at 
  least, 
  

   very 
  desirable. 
  But 
  they 
  call 
  for 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  labor. 
  It 
  is 
  

   hard 
  work 
  to 
  spade 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  make 
  the 
  beds, 
  and 
  sow 
  

   the 
  seed, 
  and 
  keep 
  the 
  weeds 
  down. 
  This 
  work 
  must 
  be 
  done 
  

   year 
  after 
  year. 
  But 
  with 
  hardy 
  plants 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case. 
  

   Considerable 
  labor 
  will 
  be 
  called 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  in 
  prepar- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  setting 
  out 
  the 
  plants, 
  but 
  after 
  that 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  work 
  among 
  

   them 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  

   with 
  the 
  hoe, 
  and 
  it 
  

   will 
  take 
  so 
  little 
  

   time 
  to 
  do 
  it 
  that 
  

   you 
  will 
  wonder 
  

   how 
  you 
  ever 
  came 
  

   to 
  think 
  annuals 
  the 
  

   proper 
  thing 
  for 
  the 
  

   flower 
  garden 
  of 
  

   busy 
  people. 
  

  

  In 
  preparing 
  the 
  

   ground 
  for 
  the 
  re- 
  

   ception 
  of 
  these 
  

   plants, 
  spade 
  it 
  up 
  to 
  

   the 
  depth 
  of 
  a 
  foot 
  

   and 
  a 
  half, 
  and 
  work 
  

   into 
  it 
  a 
  liberal 
  

   amount 
  of 
  good 
  ma- 
  

   nure. 
  Most 
  per- 
  

   ennials 
  will 
  do 
  fairly 
  

   well 
  in 
  a 
  soil 
  of 
  only 
  

   moderate 
  richness, 
  

   but 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  do 
  

   themselves 
  justice 
  in 
  

   it. 
  To 
  secure 
  the 
  

   best 
  results 
  from 
  

   them, 
  you 
  must 
  feed 
  

   them 
  well 
  from 
  the 
  

   start. 
  Give 
  them 
  a 
  

   good 
  send-off, 
  and 
  

   keep 
  them 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  

   high 
  standard 
  of 
  vi- 
  

   tality, 
  and 
  they 
  will 
  

   surprise 
  you 
  with 
  

   the 
  profusion 
  and 
  

   the 
  beauty 
  of 
  their 
  

   bloom. 
  

  

  Perennials, 
  as 
  a 
  

   rule, 
  will 
  not 
  bloom 
  

   until 
  the 
  second 
  

   year 
  from 
  seed. 
  

   Therefore 
  if 
  you 
  

  

  want 
  flowers 
  the 
  first 
  season, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  purchase 
  

   last 
  year's 
  seedlings 
  from 
  the 
  florist. 
  

  

  In 
  most 
  neighborhoods 
  one 
  can 
  secure 
  material 
  enough 
  to 
  

   stock 
  the 
  border 
  from 
  one's 
  friends. 
  But 
  if 
  you 
  want 
  plants 
  

   of 
  any 
  particular 
  color, 
  or 
  a 
  certain 
  variety, 
  you 
  will 
  do 
  well 
  

   to 
  give 
  a 
  dealer 
  your 
  order. 
  In 
  most 
  gardens 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  

   years 
  old 
  the 
  original 
  varieties 
  will 
  have 
  died 
  out, 
  or 
  so 
  

   deteriorated 
  that 
  the 
  stock 
  you 
  obtain 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  inferior 
  

   in 
  most 
  respects, 
  therefore 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  satisfactory 
  to 
  one 
  who 
  

   wants 
  "the 
  best." 
  That 
  is 
  what 
  the 
  florist 
  will 
  send 
  you, 
  if 
  

   you 
  patronize 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  established 
  a 
  reputation 
  for 
  

   honesty. 
  

  

  The 
  impression 
  prevails, 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent, 
  that 
  perennials 
  

   bloom 
  only 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  

   This 
  is 
  all 
  a 
  mistake; 
  you 
  can 
  have 
  flowers 
  all 
  through 
  the 
  

   season 
  from 
  this 
  class 
  of 
  plants, 
  if 
  you 
  select 
  your 
  stock 
  with 
  

   a 
  view 
  to 
  the 
  prlongation 
  of 
  the 
  flowering 
  period. 
  Many 
  

   kinds 
  bloom 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  earliest 
  annuals 
  are 
  ready 
  to 
  

   begin 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  Others 
  are 
  in 
  their 
  prime 
  

   in 
  mid-summer, 
  and 
  the 
  later 
  ones 
  will 
  give 
  flowers 
  until 
  frost 
  

  

  comes. 
  The 
  fact 
  is, 
  

   perennials 
  will 
  keep 
  

   the 
  garden 
  gay 
  with 
  

   bloom 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  entire 
  season, 
  if 
  

   you 
  understand 
  

   their 
  habits 
  and 
  

   make 
  a 
  wise 
  selec- 
  

   tion. 
  If 
  you 
  want 
  

   to 
  know 
  all 
  about 
  

   their 
  time 
  of 
  flower- 
  

   ing, 
  read 
  the 
  cata- 
  

   logues 
  of 
  the 
  dealers 
  

   carefully. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   home-lot 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  

   much 
  choice 
  allowed 
  

   as 
  to 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  

   the 
  border. 
  It 
  must 
  

   go 
  to 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  

   the 
  lot, 
  if 
  it 
  starts 
  in 
  

   front 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  

   or 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  placed 
  

   at 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  

   dwelling. 
  On 
  most 
  

   grounds 
  it 
  will, 
  

   after 
  a 
  little, 
  occupy 
  

   both 
  of 
  these 
  posi- 
  

   tions, 
  for 
  it 
  will 
  out- 
  

   grow 
  its 
  early 
  limi- 
  

   tations 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   years. 
  You 
  will 
  be 
  

   constantly 
  adding 
  to 
  

   it, 
  and 
  the 
  border 
  

   that 
  begins 
  on 
  each 
  

   side 
  will 
  speedily 
  

   overflow 
  to 
  the 
  rear. 
  

   Do 
  not 
  put 
  it 
  im- 
  

   mediately 
  in 
  front 
  

   of 
  the 
  dwelling. 
  

   Leave 
  the 
  lawn 
  un- 
  

   broken 
  there. 
  While 
  

   Edge 
  of 
  Lawn 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  much 
  

  

  