PARK AND CEMETERY, 
114 
( 
1 IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATIONS. 
I Conducted by 
■ Frances Copley Seavey. 
Leave the World a pleasanter place than you found it. 
HERBACEOUS PEREXXIALS IX RELATIOX TO HOME 
GROUXDS. 
Herbaceous perennials are indispensable in the 
development of suitable schemes of planting for 
either small or large grounds. Wisely chosen, 
they furnish a running accompaniment for flower* 
ing trees, shrubs or vines, filling out weak places 
in the summer harmony of color, adding grace 
notes that acceptably enrich without destroying the 
unity of the composition, and sometimes nearly, if 
not quite, carrying the full burden of the melody 
GERMAN IRIS. 
and taking their places as integral parts of the 
theme. 
I have always appreciated to the full the beauty 
of Irises, but have this year been especially im- 
pressed by their usefulness. They come when the 
continuity of the hardy flower theme is weakened 
by a falling off in early flowering shrubs and strike 
a strong, well sustained note with their richly or 
delicately colored blossoms, which excel all others 
in classic form and interest. By all means, room 
for the Rainbow Goddess! Iris pumila comes early 
and is always pretty, but to be fully appreciated it 
must be seen in its white and an unusual delicate 
true blue (no purple or violet about it) forms. The 
German Irises seem to fill a long felt want, supply- 
ing color and interest in the interval between 
spring flowering shrubs and roses, while still later 
come the lovely Japanese Irises. Irises are admir- 
able for use in colonies and clumps along the face 
of shrubbery plantations, and are attractive even 
when out of flower for the foliage is good in itself 
and never becomes unsightly, besides furnishing a 
desirable accent by reason of its distinct character. 
Paeonies are equally necessaiy, being even more 
showy in the blooming season, which overlaps that 
of Irises, while their handsome dark foliage is cleafi 
and well preserved until frost and makes an excel- 
lent background for later blooming plants of low 
growth. Nothing can be more effective than a well 
placed mass of carefully chosen paeonies, but great 
care must be taken that no scarlet flower shall clash 
with the rich crimson varieties. An Oriental Poppy 
in line with crimson pmonies is enough to literally 
set the teeth on edge. 
Other perennials that may be classed as essen- 
tial arc Columbines, especially A. coerulea and A. 
chrj santha; some of the spiraias bearing heads of 
feathery bloom in cream or rose color; Achillea var. 
the Pearl; Gypsophilla paniculata; Oriental Pop- 
pies, which are wonderfully effective in both leaf 
and flower; Delphiniums, which agreeably introduce 
desirable shades of blue— a color all too scarce 
among flowers; Hibiscus, which are particularly 
useful on account of coming intobloom in late sum- 
mer; Phloxes in variety, and they are as necessary 
as Irises; Anemones; Tritomas; Asters; Pyrethrum 
uliginosum; Funkias; Eulalias and many others 
that may be chosen to meet special requirements. 
The use of Herbaceous perennials need not be 
limited to the face of shrubbery plantations for they 
are exceedingly attractive in a border by themselves, 
either with a wall or vine covered fence as a back- 
ground. In such locations they should form a bed 
of irregular width, advancing and receding in good 
lines against the lawn; tall growing plants be- 
ing surrounded by those of lower habit so that the 
characteristics of all may be fully developed and 
seen. Such a border should be presentable at all 
times and never be without the interest of plants in 
good bloom. F. C. S. 
Some writer has recently said that if there is a 
melancholy and depressing sight on earth for the 
thousands who are compelled to pass the summer 
in their homes in the city it is that which the ma- 
jority of them behold day after day from their 
back windows. Here and there a yard has been 
converted into a grass plot with shrubs and vines 
and flowers around its borders, and in some cases a 
single bit of such leaven has been seen to pro- 
gressively leaven a whole block. — Ex. 
