XIV 
HERBACEOUS GARDEN 
mixed border and are quite right there ; and 
bulbs, though not strictly herbaceous, may also 
be effectively used. 
There are very few soils in which more 
than three or four lilies can be grown with 
good result, and these may come into the mixed 
border and they will come up among the other 
things and pass away without leaving many 
blanks. The late Frank Miles, the artist, 
made a very good border in this way by letting 
his lilies grow through the herbaceous plants, 
covering the border with evergreen plants 
like the Christmas roses. Where there is any 
rough ground outside the garden proper one 
may use the coarser and stronger things with 
good effect, such as the Solomon’s seal, the 
everlasting pea, and the oriental poppies, which 
will grow in the coarsest grass. 
Backgrounds to Borders . — The question of 
background is important. People often use 
the yew — the hungriest one could use for 
this purpose. A yew-hedge is such a robber 
that half the gardener’s time would be taken 
up in working against it. I have seen even 
the privet used, and that is the ugliest and the 
worst thing one could think of. The best of 
all backgrounds is a trellis on which one can 
train climbers, clematis, and various beautiful 
