PLANTING HARDY FLOWERS. 



2 45 



daffodils, tulips, lilies, gladioli, and others, which gain much in effect when mingled 

 with the fresh green of the herbaceous plants. Some care is required in doing this, as it 

 is easy to fall into the error of so placing these early or late plants that they are screened 

 from view by others in leaf only. 



The colours, again, require careful consideration. Some prefer to have a number of 

 plants of one colour and blooming at the same time, but of various shades together ; 

 others arrange the colours so as to contrast strongly, and others, again, so plant the 

 flowers that in one portion of the border throughout the year the same colour is seen. 

 Thus snowdrops would be followed by white crocuses or arabis, which, again, would be 

 succeeded by, say, anemone sylvestris or a white aquilegia or candytuft, followed succes- 

 sively by Lilium candiclum and Anemone japonica alba. To many, however, a change 

 would be more welcome, especially if the border is one not having a straight line but of 

 irregular outline, where the constant appearance of blue or white or pink in one corner or 

 part of the border might become wearisome. Nothing affords greater opportunity for the 

 exercise of individual taste than planting such a border, and the only other point 

 regarding colour which may be mentioned is to take care that any two flowers near each 

 other, and flowering at the same time, do not produce an unpleasing effect from the way 

 in which their colours fail to harmonize. An instance may be given of this by mention- 

 ing the difficulty of producing harmonious effects where Oriental poppies are associated 

 with scarlet or crimson flowers. 



Another change from former practice in planting hardy flower borders is that of the 

 space between the flowers. At one time the plants were placed at regular distances from 

 each other, and the space between kept, or supposed to be kept, free from weeds or other 

 plants. A great change has been made in this, and now there are few vacant spaces in 

 the border, as it is carpeted with low-growing annuals, myosotis, dwarf campanulas, and 

 others, through which the taller plants rise. This is generally more beneficial to the 

 flowers than having them surrounded by bare soil. These remarks upon the subject of 

 arrangement are, as will be seen, more by way of suggestion than intended to deal with 

 a wide question in tedious detail. In order to secure the most effective results a border 

 of 10 or more feet wide will be found more suitable than a narrower one, but so great a 

 width cannot always be had, and on account of this and for convenience of access to the 

 plants considerably narrower borders have to be laid out in many gardens. 



Though wide borders are desirable, they should be accessible from both sides, in 

 order that (when not carpeted) the Dutch hoe may be used between the plants for pro- 



