262 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



flowering plants. In the same way each colour should be 

 spread throughout the border in such a way that perfect 

 harmony prevails. Of course, if half-a-dozen plants of one kind 

 are to be employed, by all means plant them together in a 

 group, or in two groups, as this is much more satisfactory than 

 dotting them about singly all over the border. Generally the 

 position of the flower-border is against the side of a house or 

 wall of some kind, and when this is the case, it is an invariable 

 rule to plant the tall, vigorous-growing subjects towards the back, 

 reserving the front positions for the dwarf and weakly sorts- If, 

 however, the border is of a good width, this plan ought not be 

 adhered to too strictly. Here and there the tall plants might 

 be allowed to come towards the front, so as to break the 

 formality which otherwise would be evident. 



This naturally leads us to the question, When is the best 

 time to plant ? " And this may be answered by saying that, 

 providing the weather is favourable, hardy herbaceous perennials 

 may be planted any time between ripening their summer growth 

 and commencing to grow again in the spring, though weakly- 

 growing subjects are best left until the last-mentioned period. 

 When once planted, perennials are often allowed to remain 

 undisturbed for years, receiving no other treatment than being 

 dug amongst annually, chopping off portions from the outside of 

 clumps that have become too large, and giving an occasional 

 dressing of manure. More satisfactory results could be obtained 

 in the majority of cases by lifting the plants bodily every second 

 or third year, trenching and manuring the border previous to 

 replanting. The strong, vigorous growers should then be divided, 

 and smaller portions replanted. When the strong growers burst 

 into growth in the spring, they generally produce far more shoots 

 than are required, and it is an excellent plan to thin these out, 

 leaving only a moderate proportion. They will well repay for 

 this judicious thinning by a prolonged period of flowering and 

 also by producing flowers of better quality. 



Staking and training are operations that require to be seen 

 to in good time, and, in performing these, the peculiarities of 

 the individual plants must not be interfered with, all tight lumping 

 must be avoided, and the stakes must be placed so as to be 

 hidden as much as possible by the foliage. Cleanliness must 

 always be aimed at, for nothing detracts more from the general 

 beauty of the border than ■ weeds. These must have no quarter, 

 and, at the same time, flowers and foliage that are decayed and 



