the flower buds are showing; the result of this stopping is a much 
denser mass of bloom. 
One of the contrivances that I have found most successful is the 
pulling down of tall plants to take the place of others that have gone 
out of flower. The fine Sea Hollies (Eryngium oliverianum) and the 
biennial E. giganteum have lost the beauty of their wonderful metallic 
colouring of blue steel and silver by the end of July, while peonies 
only last through June. At the back of the wide border where these 
are grouped in the middle space, there is a patch of Helianthus orgyalis, 
a plant that, if left to its own way, would not be worth having in the 
garden, for it is tall and lanky with only a wisp of yellow bloom at 
the top. But we pull it down as soon as the flowers in the middle of 
the border are over, and spread its many long stems in fan shape and 
almost horizontally, about two feet above the ground. The effect 
of this, as with many other plants, is to induce it to throw out 
flowering shoots at nearly every axil, so that in the late summer 
each bare rod becomes a wand of pale yellow bloom and the whole 
space covered again with a flowery mass. Delphiniums are out of 
bloom by the end of July; they make such a quantity of seed that 
to save them from this exhaustive process the flowers are cut as soon 
as the best of the bloom is over. This leaves leafy stems four feet or 
more in height. A Clematis Flammula is planted just behind and is 
trained to come over the Delphinium patch. It does this most 
satisfactorily; the fast-growing shoots rest on the tops of the cut 
Delphinium stems and are further supported by any desirable ad- 
justment of the stiff branching spray that held up the Larkspurs. 
Early in September the space of some three or four square yards, 
that two months earlier was a glory of pure blue spires, has become a 
dense cloud of foam-colored, sweet-scented bloom. At the other 
end of the border, where there is again a group of Delphinium, the 
mantling plant is a white Everlasting Pea, which is trained over the 
cut stems in the same manner. 
The strong perennials that are the main occupants of the border will 
all be well grown by the end of May when we put out the tenderer 
plants. Any gaps, or places purposely left, will then be filled with 
Dahlias and Pentstemons, Cannas, Snapdragons, French and African 
Marigolds, and any other tender plants or half-hardy annuals; but 
there will still be something- to be provided for; this is to have reserve 
of plants in pots. There are such plants as Clary {Salvia Sclarea) 
which are of large size and much beauty in the end of June ; but when 
the best of the bloom is over the considerable space they occupy is 
wanted for something to succeed them. They are easily raised from 
seed and should be treated as biennials. It is a good plan to have one 
or two in some reserve place where they are likely to sow themselves and 
6 
