58 



The Perennials 



HOW. WHEN. WHAT TO PLANT AND THEIR CARE 



A perennial plant is one wliich i- liai.lv . It .li. ,!,,« n will, the approach of Winter, reappearing with theeoniingof 

 Spring to again bloom forth in grcuii i piotiHion :ui.l « iih .mMcI vi^jor. This, the nature of perennials, is usually understood, 

 but it sometimes hai)pcns that th( \ an- plaiiK il w it li i li<- inisconcept ion that when once planted thev are perfectly able to 

 take care of theniscK'cs inr all tmif \< a rt'siih. wc witness a rather emphatic demonstration of "the survival of the 

 fittest." In your hanlx Ijoidcr • ihc Int. si " nnisi \<r kept within its allotted bounds and divided as often as necessary 

 if you wish results frum the i imrr plain iim. 



Strong-growing kiii.l> 1, l'lil.,\, H.ilionia, Achillea, Hardy Aster, Chrysanthemum, Rudbeckia, etc., should be 

 taken up every seccin'l >■ n ami |ilanii'il in renewed soil; Japanese and German Iris, Poppies, Hemerocallis, 



Funkia and .so on, evei v ilni.l \( ar, and the smaller growing; kinds as often as their condition warrants it. 



HOW TO PLANT 



In the pre])aration of the border the soil should be dug to a depth of eighteen inches— more if it is iiraetieable — and the 

 soil well pulverized and enriched with well decomposed stable manure, to which a good sprinkling of coarse bone meal might 

 be added to advantage. The preparation should be completed some time before the arrival of the plants, permitting 

 the soil to become somewhat settled. 



With the plants on hand, the surface can be loosened up with a rake and the i)laiits sp.iced dut properly before any 

 planting is ;iUenipted. The actual arrangement of the groups must, of course, be a matter ol pi r^imal laste, hut the matter 

 of height should be kept in mind. Keep the tall-growing kinds in the rear or liackground. tape rniii the i)lan1 ing down to 

 the foreground with the dwarfer kinds, avoiding a stilT, unnatural arrangement by departing I'nini this rule, i)ermitting an 

 occasional group or plant to stand clear of its neighbors. The Paony makes an excellent specimen plant for this purpo.se. 



Planting can usually be done with a trowel, making the holes huge enough to reciMve the j)lants comfortably. If 

 dormant, the plants should be set just deep enough to (■()V(>r the crowns. Pot-grown plants should be set deep enough to 

 cover the ball of soil from one lo il.rve inrj,,-. a.-. ui .lmi; to i h.'ir si/e. 'i'lii'soil, when repl.-iced, should he well firmed, forming a 

 slight depression or saucer an. uri. 1 ea. l, plani lu n lam Milii.-ic.nt uat<T. whicli should l)c applied gencrnuslv but not ( no forcibly. 

 In a day or two the sm-face shi.ul.l be >titlicieni Iv drv to permit raking level, when each plant siioiild get a final firming. 



