Clarence Fowler, Landscape Architect 



GARDEN OF MRS. FREDERICK A. SNOW AT SOUTHAMPTON, L 



From May to November there is constant bloom in this delightful border. A foundation plant- 

 ing of perennials, supplemented with bulbs and annuals all contribute to the happy result 



MAKING THE MOST OF THE HERBACEOUS BORDER 



ITS DESIGN AND CARE 

 CLARENCE FOWLER, A. S. L. A. 



SVEN to the most experienced grower a garden is always 

 both a joy and adisappointment, but the lure of achieve- 

 ment leads on, and on, for every season brings new 

 pleasures as well as new troubles. The owner of one 

 of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen once remarked 

 to me that every garden has its "critical moment." This is 

 quite true, especially of the herbaceous border, unless it has been 

 most carefully planned and given the most intelligent care from 

 the time it is planted until the beds are covered for the winter. 



For the best growth of the plants themselves the ideal arrange- 

 ment is to plan a border with a section for each season, where 

 the plants may have plenty of room to develop and come to 

 maturity. But of course this is really a cutting garden, and 

 should be placed in an inconspicuous position on the grounds 

 and treated (like the vegetable garden) as a utilitarian part of 

 the estate although at some seasons it may be extremely at- 

 tractive — it may even be arranged for color harmony. Such a 

 planting is also an excellent place for trying out new varieties, 

 always a fascinating pastime for the person who really loves 



plants and wishes to make a collection of varieties of some 

 favorite species. 



THE ornamental border, with a riot of color from the first 

 flowers of May to the frost of October, is a very different 

 thing from the cutting border, and can be a thing of beauty or an 

 unsightly mess, depending on the care and skill of the person who 

 plans and superintends it. I have yet to meet a gardener who 

 can care for a border of this sort without supervision; its ar- 

 rangement is contrary to all the laws of good gardening as he 

 understands them. In a gardener's border plants are grown for 

 the perfection of the individual flowers rather than for their color 

 mass, which is so essential in the ornamental border. Thus 

 we have two different ideals, both good enough in their own 

 way, but not compatible. The ornamentalist is painting a picture 

 with the ground for a canvas and the plants as pigments, and 

 must not only have a feeling for color and form, but must know 

 the habits of plants, how they can be grown under unnatural 

 conditions; and what species will thrive in close association. 



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