4 6 
HERBACEOUS GARDEN 
heaps of bran, to be examined with a light in 
the evening. Also by placing empty orange 
or banana skins about (which catch the very 
small slugs), to be carefully examined in the 
morning. Or by the use of a light dusting of 
soot and of lime, or by sprinkling sanitas 
powder at the roots of the plants. Edgings, 
both of plants or box, are apt to harbour slugs, 
and should be well dressed at the roots once or 
twice a year with one of the above. 
If the soil is a heavy, retentive clay, it is 
best to defer planting until the spring when 
making a border for the first time. This en- 
ables the ground to be thoroughly trenched 
and “ thrown up rough ” during the winter, for 
the frosts to break up, pulverize, and sweeten it. 
A hot soil, such as gravel or sand, had better 
be planted in October and early November, 
while the soil is warm enough for the roots to 
take hold and get established. If left until 
the spring, even a short spell of drought, such 
as we often experience in May, would prove 
trying, if not fatal, to a plant whose roots had 
not “taken hold,” and would entail constant 
watering. If you are replanting an old border, 
it means, of course, that a good deal of beauty 
has to be sacrificed. Many flowers such 
as the large white daisies, heleniums, and so 
