J.T.LOVETT. LITTLE JILVEP^.N.J 



Hardy Perennial Plants 



A Modern "Old Fashioned" Garden 



"Intending to devote my 'mellow years' to making a garden, I wish to give my efforts to bulbs and hardy per- 

 ennials — things 'that come again next year' — like dear and welcome friends ; and which carry in addition to their own 

 beauty, a halo of blest associations ; leading us back to our baby days. This garden has been the dream of my life 

 and I mean it to be a place that my children and grandchildren shall remember with thoughts that strengthen and 

 help to higher things; so I put in my idle hours, (mostly those of the night season), in planning my beautiful realm and 

 I find your book of hardy perennials a great help and comfort to me." 



The above is an extract from a letter written me by a beloved companion of my youth who now resides in Alaska. 

 It carries with it the breath and spirit of the old-fashioned garden or garden of hardy perennials, in a way so poetic 

 for so few words, that I venture the risk of incurring her displeasure by printing it. 



There is no disguising the fact, however, that Hardy Perermials are by no means so generally planted as their 

 many merits entitle them to be. In other words, a great many, who might enjo}- these most interesting of all flowers, 

 are not fully awake to their best interests. Aside from lasting endurance. Hardy Perennials possess the valuable prop- 

 erty of succeeding in almost every soil. They can be planted with pleasure and profit in grounds of the most limited 

 extent, ( a few square feet can be made to yield a bouquet every day from April until December) ; and results come 

 so quickly — in a few weeks, at most, from planting. It should not be overlooked that the flowers of a large number of 

 kinds remain in good condition for a long time after being gathered, and their long, graceful stems, together with 

 their delightful fragrance, render them the choicest flowers for decorating the dining table, the parlor and the reception 

 room ; or for adding cheerfulness to the home of the invalid. 



Finally, and best of all — barring the novelties and a few varieties that are particularly difficult to propagate, they 

 are low in price and increase so rapidly that the humblest cottager need not be deterred from planting them. They are 

 truly the flowers for "the million and the millionaire." 



LocATioy. — Hardy Perennials are so democratic in their nature they quickly adapt themselves to almost any soU 

 or situation. However, they should not, as a rule, be planted where water remains near or upon the surface for a long 

 period, during any part of the year; or beneath overhanging trees which produce a dense shade; although there are 

 several varieties which grow and bloom admirably, even in these tr>'ing situations. 



In grounds of limited extent, the boundaries of the lot, Cone or m.ore sides of it) offer the most appropriate locations 

 and afford the most pleasing effects when properly treated. They may also be placed in the comers of the lawn, 

 beside the house, or along the fence, where one is found. Never plant them in formal beds cut in the lawn. The front 



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