HARDY HERBACEOUS PERENNTALS. 107 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



HARDY HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS. 



Herbaceous perennials include those hardy plants, the 

 stems of which die down at the approach of winter, or 

 earlier if they have completed their growth ; the roots 

 being hardy, they remain in the same place for several 

 years in succession. Plants of this class were formerly 

 more popular than they have been of late years, the taste 

 for brilliant bedding effects having caused these former 

 favorites to be neglected. Recently the taste for peren- 

 nials has revived, and while they cannot serve as substi- 

 tutes for what are known as bedding plants, they are ex- 

 ceedingly useful for those who wish to have flowers with 

 but little trouble, as most of them can remain for three 

 or four years without requiring any other care than to 

 keep them clear of weeds. When the clumps become too 

 large they require to be lifted, divided, and re-set in fresh 

 soil. For the best results it is advisable to re-set most of 

 them every third year, while some may remain in place 

 indefinitely, taking care to give them a yearly manuring, 

 as the vigorous growing ones soon exhaust the soil imme- 

 diately around them. In setting out these plants, the 

 taller growing kinds should be placed at the rear of the 

 border, or in the center if the bed is to be seen from both 

 sides, while those of the lowest growth are to be placed 

 at the edge, and those of intermediate size are to be 

 placed between. A proper selection of these plants will 

 give a succession from early spring until frost stops all 

 bloom. Many of these perennials are unchanged from 

 their natural state, but bloom in our borders just as they 

 appeared in their native woods and hills in different parts 

 of the world, and seem to show no disposition to "break" 



