HARDY FLOWERS 



79 



force of the wind, otherwise fragile flowers will not be very lasting. 

 Most perennials enjoy a medium light loam. 



Preparation of Soil 



As with annuals, but perhaps more so with perennials, the soil for 

 borders should be deeply and thoroughly prepared; two to three feet 

 is i)one too deep, for plants must remain in one place for a long time. 

 In the case of Peonies it is detrimental to move them often and it is 

 frequently two years, and in some soils three years, after moving a 

 Peony plant before it blooms normally. Manure and a complete fer- 

 tilizer should be well worked into a new border. All perennial borders 

 profit by an application of bonemeal, hardwood ashes and sheep manure 

 every year or two. Perennial borders which have been flowering year 

 after year and to which much manure has continually been added, be- 

 come somewhat sour and an application of slaked lime every two years 

 is very beneficial. Many of the perennials do not attain their proper 

 maturity before the Winter when they have been excessively fertilized 

 and forced into continued sappy growth. They then suffer from cold. 

 All soils for borders should be loose, so that they can be easily kept 

 stirred. Soils are made light or loosened by manure, sand or fine coal 

 ashes. Clay soils surely need some such treatment. 



Planting 



A rule which has been given in setting perennials is to put them 

 a trifle closer than half their height. For example. Columbine grows 

 two feet tall; for good clumps place young plants one foot apart. This 

 rule will not apply in subsequent years, for as the plants grow they 

 must be thinned out. A good liberal planting is always the better plan. 



Plants should usually be set a little deeper than they were when 

 growing in the nursery. Care must be exercised not to bury them too 

 deeply, however, for some perennials, as Violets and German Iris, are 

 almost surface creepers. In placing the perennials in the soil, spread the 

 roots symmetrically ; do not wad them and cram them into a little hole. 



Spring Planting 



The planting of perennials is best done in Spring when the tops 

 aie just about to start into growth. There is danger in planting when 

 the soil is too moist, especially in clayey soils, which if they become 

 caked are difficult to pulverize during the whole growing season. 



