Some Edging Plants Worth Trying 
PLANTS OTHER THAN THE COMMON CANDYTUFT OR SWEET ALYSSUM—A FEW 
PRINCIPLES THAT SHOULD GOVERN THE FORM AND COLOR OF EDGINGS 
by Ida D. Bennett 
I T is always a matter of 
economy in gardening to 
make use of low-growing 
plants as edgings to beds of 
taller, more i m p o r t a n t 
growths. This not only makes 
for economy in the use of 
space, but also fills out an 
otherwise uninteresting hiatus 
between the point where the 
taller growths cease and the 
edge of the grass begins, be¬ 
sides covering the more or 
less ungraceful lower part of 
the plants. 
Often very effective color 
combinations are produced by 
the use of a brilliant-flowered 
edging plant in harmony with, 
or in striking contrast to, the 
central motif of the beds. 
Beds of bright scarlet flowers, 
for instance, are greatly heightened in brilliancy by a border of 
white, and beds of soft pinks and rose can be made lovely with 
edgings of lavender of a rosy shade, while yellow best sets off a 
bed of blue flowers. A bed either of strong-colored larkspurs, or 
blue lupins is beautiful when contrasted with a border of yellow 
eschscholtzias. 
No attempt should be made to edge beds filled with recumbent 
or trailing plants, as such an effort would simply result in a gen¬ 
eral mixup. But any plant which grows erect and is not specially 
symmetrical from the ground up will be improved by the presence 
of a small plant about its feet. 
One of the prettiest plants for a planting in partial shade is the 
lobelia — either the Crystal 
Palace, Compacta, Heterophil- 
la, Major, Prima Donna or 
White Gem, which offer a 
choice of a blue, crimson or 
white flower. Usually the blue 
forms will be preferred and 
the Crystal Palace will be 
found very satisfactory. Lo¬ 
belias are very easily raised 
from seed and as the seeds¬ 
men are usually very generous 
with it, a single packet will 
furnish sufficient plants for 
edging several beds. 
The ageratum is another 
easily raised plant, and seed 
sown in boxes in the house or 
in the hotbed in April will come 
into bloom in June. One must 
be sure, however, to secure the 
seed of the dwarf varieties as 
the taller-growing varieties 
are very straggling and un¬ 
satisfactory. Little Blue Star 
is the most dwarf of all, rarely 
exceeding four or five inches 
in height and producing very 
freely great quantities of 
bright blue flowers. Cope's Pet 
is a fine, light blue, very desir¬ 
able, but the white ageratums 
are seldom satisfactory, as the 
color is not clear and discolors 
in the sun. x\geratums will do 
well in almost any soil or situa¬ 
tion. 
Sweet alyssum is always 
popular and makes a lovely 
edging where a trailing or 
creeping plant can be used. It 
is a rapid grower and is in¬ 
clined to get beyond bounds, 
which is the worst that can be 
said of it. It is lovely for a 
border around a lily-pool and 
for the rockwork. Seed should be sown where the plants are to 
remain as they do not bear transplanting well and are apt to be 
lost if moved from one place to another. 
One of the prettiest edging plants is the Beilis or English Daisy. 
It will grow anywhere, in sun or in shade, and any soil seems to 
suit it. It may be readilv grown from seed and may be increased 
by root division, but as it self-sows freely one is apt to have an 
embarrassment of riches in a season or two. All single-flowering 
plants should be discarded as soon as they identify themselves, 
and all double forms showing a yellow eye and flowers double to 
the center retained; in this way one preserves -the quality of the 
flowers and secures an edging that is uniform in effect. 
Drummond’s phlox is always 
a substantial asset in the gar¬ 
den. The manner of growth 
and height of the plants is de¬ 
sirable, and the richness and 
variety of the colors make it 
especially sought after; it is 
possible to find a color in this 
flower that will harmonize or 
contrast favorably with almost 
any color scheme. For beds of 
blue flowers there is a most at¬ 
tractive buff or white. For 
scarlet flowers the phlox offers 
the most brilliant of scarlets, 
and for dark red flowers there 
is a deep rich red phlox. Seed 
may be sown in the open 
ground in May or, for earlier 
bloom, in the hotbed or flats in 
the house. Transplant when 
danger of frost is past to the 
permanent location. They are 
(Continued on page 370.) 
Candytuft, which with sweet 
alyssum is one of the com¬ 
monest white edging plants 
Sweet alyssum is the most popular of all, blooming steadily until 
after frost. Use flower edgings for flower beds, foliage edgings for 
non-flowering groups 
Tiarella—the native foam flower 
—gives an eight-inch height 
of its bloom in May and June 
(353) 
