5 
Hardy Perennial Plants 
E VERY garden must depend to a large extent upon Hardy Perennial Plants for its continued beauty and 
charm. Beginning with the first crack of spring, these good old standbys continue in bewildering succes¬ 
sion to display ever-changing aspects of floral beauty. Best of all, these plants are permanent, and, when 
once properly planted, remain year after year, increasing in size and vigor. Thus they confer upon the garden 
an atmosphere of permanence and tranquility which is necessary to the fulfillment of its purpose. 
We recommend all of the Hardy Perennial Plants offered in this section for embellishing your garden beds 
and borders. We have selected these varieties from a much longer list as the best representatives of their 
respective classes. 
Among them will be found an extended group of dwarf and creeping plants particularly adapted to rock- 
garden use, representing the result of long-continued special study and selection. Such plants are indicated 
in this list by a 
The generous, big field-clumps which I send out should furnish abundant blooms the first year, fulfilling 
their purpose in realizing the color schemes already planned and anxiously awaited. 
Arranging and Planting Hardy Flower Borders 
Preparing the Ground. The ground for a Perennial bed should be spaded at least 8 to 10 inches deep, and twice that 
if the ground is at all poor. The best practice is to remove the top 8 inches of ground entirely and spade into the bottom 
of the bed a liberal quantity of well-rotted manure or fertilizer, returning the top-soil after breaking it up very fine and 
mixing with a small amount of some effective artificial fertilizer. This work should be done several weeks in advance of 
planting the bed. 
Planting. A gardener’s trowel is the most practical tool for setting out plants of ordinary size. Before beginning it is 
well to lay the plants on the ground in the bed as they are indicated in the sketch or diagram, and then plant them as 
quickly as possible to prevent the roots from drying out. Always set plants just a little deeper than the old soil-line, and 
make the roots very firm in the ground. Loose planting is the cause of a great deal of loss. 
Arrangement. In planting such borders, always give careful consideration to the height of the plants as indicated all 
through this Catalogue. Tall plants should be kept to the back of the border, those of medium height in the middle, while 
dwarf or smaller plants should be kept in the front. This should be varied a little, so that in some places tall plants come 
in the front of the border, partially concealing some lower plants beyond them. This device is especially effective in straight 
borders, adding a little air of mystery and surprise, such as is accomplished naturally in curved borders. The color of the 
flower is important, and the time of year in which they bloom is even more so. An effort should be made to have a few 
flowers in bloom throughout the border all season. 
Winter Care. A light cover of dry litter, such as grass-clippings, leaves, or strawy manure is very beneficial after the 
first frost has nipped things down in late autumn. If manure is used, it may be raked in the ground in the spring, adding 
a very desirable element of fertility. 
WILLIAM C. DUCKHAM CO. ♦ MADISON, NEW JERSEY 
