garden. It is possible to have a garden peopled entirely with 
plants having flowers of blue, or white, or yellow, or any other 
color found in the plant world. It is possible to indulge in care- 
fully wrought-out color schemes, or to ignore these artistic con- 
siderations altogether and simply have a riot of color kaleido- 
scopic in effect. The garden may be planted so as to be at its 
best in spring, summer, or fall, or an all-the-year garden ma} r be 
planted. Those who are regularly away from their garden during 
a part of the year will, of course, limit the plants to those kinds 
that bloom during the time that they are in residence. Another 
of the advantages connected with cultivation of hardy plants is 
the fact that, given fairly favorable conditions, they may be left 
unattended during part of the year without much injury. 
A background is desirable in most cases. This may consist 
of tall growing shrubs or a creeper-clad wall. A border should 
never be planted, however, in such a situation that the flowers 
are robbed of moisture and food by the rapacious roots of trees. 
In the small garden there is often very little choice as to back- 
ground, the party fence frequently being the limiting factor. In 
such cases the aim should be to make the best of a bad job and 
endeavor to clothe the fence with suitable climbers which will 
hide its usual ugliness. 
Plants of a kind should be massed together in irregular drifts 
as much as possible. This applies especially to small growing 
plants whose beauty is often lost if dotted singly throughout the 
garden. The grading of the plants as to height should not be 
too rigorous. A more artistic effect is obtained if some of the 
taller plants are brought toward the front of the border. This 
will provide variety in the skyline of the border and obviate the 
effect of a regular, monotonous slope from back to front. 
The distance allowed between the plants in the border is de- 
pendent upon their habit of growth. Three or four feet is not 
too much for some of the stronger growing subjects, such as 
dahlias, while the smaller plants can often be spaced as closely 
together as six inches. The whole of the area devoted to the 
border should be filled with plants. In connection with this point 
a distinguished horticulturist once said that “the garden might 
just as well be occupied with flowers as with weeds — when the 
border is well filled with desirable plants there is much less 
chance for the weeds to flourish.’’ 
Work in the perennial garden after it is once established 
consists of: keeping down weeds, maintaining a surface mulch 
to conserve moisture, thinning over-abundant growth, providing 
suitable support to such plants as need it, fighting insect and 
