208 OLD-FASHIONED GARDENING 
planted with few kinds. Mixtures were practically 
unknown—unless possibly mixtures of colors—and no 
suggestion of carelessness was allowed to creep in, in 
any except the gardens of the “foreigners” away south. 
Partly this was because of the taste of the times, 
and partly it was owing to the high esteem in which 
the gardener held his favorites. They were not han¬ 
dled in the careless fashion which we to-day, who have 
the world’s flowers in our dooryards, may assume with 
them. Nay, they were treated with elaborate respect, 
and guarded and hoarded even as gems and gold. For 
finer bulbs special beds were reserved; and for these, 
edgings of boards were preferred, so precious were 
they considered. 
These board edgings were always recommended as 
being the very best of all. Boxwood was next in 
favor, but the old idea being to protect and definitely 
lock up each floral compartment, an actual little wall 
was more satisfactory than even the stubby, resistant 
box. Board edgings were most carefully constructed 
and set in place upon the ground, after the latter had 
been worked deep and fertilized and made ready. 
Directions for their making say that boards of 1 1-4 
inch stuff, 5 inches wide, were to be cut the requisite 
length and fitted even and true at the corners, accord¬ 
ing to the design, by the carpenter. To the inside 
of these, short posts or stakes sharpened slightly at 
