102 
THE AMATEUR’S FLOWER GARDEN. 
dead and dry leaves of trees, as the wind disposes them, for 
they always gather about the crowns of herbaceous plants, 
to help them through the winter. 
After winter comes the spring, and then the gardener 
will carefully dig the border, and chop up the roots of peonies, 
and stamp down with his foot the pushing crowns of ane¬ 
mones, and by a most unavoidable accident chop up a few of 
the phloxes. We never suffer the herbaceous border to be dug at 
all, except to prepare it for planting in the first instance, or for 
needful repairs afterwards. Periodical digging, “ as a matter 
of course,” such as the jobbing gardeners designate “ turning 
in,” has for its sole object the destruction of plants; but 
that object is disguised by describing the operation as 
“ making things tidy.” When you are tired of herbaceous 
plants, let the jobbing gardener keep the border tidy, and 
you will soon soon be rid of the obnoxious lilies, phloxes, 
ranunculuses, anemones, hollyhocks, pseonies, and pansies, 
without the painful labour of pulling them up and burning 
hem. 
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