346 
beds and borders such thorough pre- 
paration one must still be sure that the 
soil in which the plants are set is not 
poor or sour and fertilizer should be 
worked in where needed, although it 
must be remembered that the soil 
should not be over rich. 
Seedlings grown from July sowing 
should be set out without delay in 
order that they may become estab- 
lished in their new environment be- 
fore the setting in of Winter. In this 
connection let the home _ garden- 
maker, remember that although Fall 
planting is now. generally recom- 
mended, it is wiser in those localities 
where the Winters are long and se- 
vere, to defer planting until Spring- 
time as it often happens that the sea- 
son of snow and ice sets in too early 
in such places for the newly-planted 
Perennials to get their start ahead of 
the severity of the climate. ‘There is 
an advantage in Fall planting that should always be taken 
into account. October does not find one as rushed as does 
the month of May for in the Spring the home garden- 
maker (who usually has only a limited amount of time to 
devote to planting and garden cultivation) finds the plan- 
ning of the seeded beds quite enough to take up all of his 
leisure moments. 
When working in an established hardy garden, for the 
purpose of removing and dividing the roots of old plants, 
one must take care not to damage any clumps of Bulbs 
which might remain hidden in the soil. As one garden lover 
put it: ‘Roots are to be fished out, not to be speared!”” In 
digging up a clump of herbaceous roots, for resetting or 
Perennial Phlox 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
Centaurea 
October, 1912 
for division, all dead shoots clinging 
thereto should be cut away. It 
is needless to say that all roots 
should be handled tenderly. The 
garden beginner will come to learn 
that there is no general rule that can 
be taught him for properly separating 
old root clump into numerous parts, 
which, when set out, themselves multi- 
ply in rootlets and themselves become 
sturdy clumps in the course of a few 
seasons again to be divided and reset. 
The garden-maker must use his judg- 
ment and learn by experience and the 
intuition that will probably come to his 
aid just how he may cut or break up 
an established clump of roots into a 
number of settings for fresh culture. 
This process of root division refreshes 
the stock of any hardy garden. If 
the old plants were not lifted season 
after season, they would eventually 
form root-masses that would over- 
crowd the beds and borders. Moreover such plants 
as the Iris would form a hard root-mass_ which 
would give out a circle of leaves and _ flower-stems 
leaving the center bare, thus forming unsightly patches of 
bare earth in the gardens. 
Fortunately for the garden-maker, Perennials present 
species adapted both for very sunny, half-sunny and shaded 
locations, thus offering a wide range of planting material 
both in low-growing Perennials and in those of taller 
growth. Again there are Perennials that thrive in rich soil, 
those that are best adapted to clayey soil and still others 
that do very well in sandy soil. 
Among the hardy Perennials that require less sunlight 
