THE HARDY BORDER 



and herbaceous plants will do fairly well in a 

 soil of only moderate richness, but they cannot 

 do themselves justice in it. They ought not to be 

 expected to. To secure the best results from 

 them — and you ought to be satisfied with noth- 

 ing less — feed them well. Give them a good 

 start, at the time of planting, and keep them up 

 to a high standard of vitality by liberal feeding, 

 and they will surprise and delight you with the 

 profusion and beauty of their bloom. 



Perennials will not bloom till the second year 

 from seed. Therefore, if you want flowers from 

 them the first season, it will be necessary for you 

 to purchase last season's seedlings from the 

 florist. 



In most neighborhoods one can secure enough 

 material to stock the border from friends who 

 have old plants that need to be divided, or by 

 exchanging varieties. 



But if you want plants of any particular color, 

 or of a certain variety, you will do well to give 

 your order to a dealer. In most gardens five or 

 six years old the original varieties will either 

 have died out or so deteriorated that the stock 

 you obtain there will be inferior in many respects, 

 therefore not at all satisfactory to one who is in- 

 clined to be satisfied with nothing but the best. 



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