HARDY FIELD-GROWN PERENNIALS 
According to Webster, Perennial means unceasing; 
enduring, and an Herbaceous Perennial is a plant whose 
roots live on from year to year, but whose tops, not 
being of woody tissue, die down each fall. The tops 
grow up again from the living root each spring and 
make rapid growth to the natural height. 
The plants in this class are all hardy, easy to grow, 
require little care and bloom freely. They improve 
from year to year, as the root system gets stronger. As 
each variety has a fixed time for blooming, it is possible, 
by careful selection, to have perennials that will furnish 
flowers for out-door decoration and for cutting all 
through the season, and of all colors. 
No other class of plants gives us such a variety of 
beauty and fragrance at so low a cost and so little labor; 
no other class can be utilized in so many places, because 
there are suitable varieties for all sorts of situations— 
wet, dry, or shady. 
We suggest below several different uses to which 
perennials may be put: 
In Shrubbery —When shrubbery is young and small, 
use perennials freely to fill the spaces. When the shrubs 
cover them or crowd them, perennials may be moved to 
another place without loss, when they become dormant 
in the fall. They should be used, too, in front of the 
older shrubbery beds, wherever there is room. In these 
places single plants may be used to advantage. For in¬ 
stance, a brilliant pink or scarlet phlox is very effective 
Use of Perennials 
The new pleasure of rock gardening is being enjoyed 
by garden lovers everywhere. No other garden enjoys 
such wide fx)pularity. 
The use of rocks and certain types of dwarf-to-medium 
height plants offers a wide range of possibilities in color 
effect and variation. Moreover, the rock garden allows 
its builder full play of imagination and invariably 
stamps his character and taste. 
A Natural Slope —Presents the ideal location for a 
rock garden. If there is no outcropping of stone, these 
may be supplied and with a little care and study, be 
made to appear entirely natural in their position. This 
type of garden affords full view of the plants. Difference 
in grades of adjoining property lines or along front en¬ 
trance walks may be terraced to make very satisfactory 
rock gardens. The garage frequently stands on ground 
which is higher than the normal level of the property. 
This condition also presents a good possibility for the 
rock garden enthusiast. 
Rockeries —This type of garden is an oval or round 
mound of earth and if care is exercised in the placing of 
rocks it can be made to look very natural. The top of 
this mound should not rise to a peak but should flatten 
out and j)ermit the retention of moisture. 
Wall Gardens— Present unlimited possibilities for 
the ingenuity of the builder. If the wall is being built 
with the idea of a garden in mind, soil pockets should be 
made during the construction. In old established walls, 
the rock garden plants may be accommodated in pock¬ 
ets prepared by the removal of an occasional stone and 
refilling with good soil. 
Location —In selecting the location of the rock gar¬ 
den, the natural background and blending into sur¬ 
rounding landscar)e should be considered. A rock garden 
is most successful when the main feature “fits” into the 
background and the whole picture is naturally framed 
when showing against the green of a shrub, or peeping 
out between the shrubs. 
In Beds —Oblong or circular beds of perennials of 
different sizes, colors and times of blooming, are very 
effective. They should never be planted in the center of 
the front yard, but along the sides, and in the corners. 
In the back yard it is sometimes permissable to have 
center beds, if the location calls for it. 
As Hedges— The larger perennials are very effective 
as'hedges, especially for summer homes where winter 
beauty is not considered. Where used as hedges the 
lines should be straight, of course, and it is better to use 
two varieties of plants at least, to get a longer blooming 
period. A row of Delphiniums, with a row of crimson 
Phlox in front of it, for instance, makes a beautiful 
hedge, or Blue Bird Flower with scarlet Phlox. 
As Borders of Drives and Paths —Perennials are 
charming when used as borders of paths and driveways. 
Here, combinations may also be used, and it is not neces¬ 
sary to choose the high plants. Or a single variety may 
be used, if one is selected with a long blooming period. 
The Gaillardia, for instance, will bloom all summer, and 
it makes a beautiful path border, striking and showy. 
For Cut Flowers —Where there is room it is well to 
have a corner where perennials may be grown for cutting 
for the vases in the house. A selection of freely blooming 
plants of various colors may be selected that will 
furnish blossoms all the season. 
in Rock Gardens 
with well chosen Ornamentals. Drainage must be con¬ 
sidered carefully for although rock plants like moisture, 
they do not tolerate “wet feet.” 
Soil —Soil conditions for rock gardens are fulfilled by 
ordinary garden loam mixed with small stone chips and 
leaf mold or peat moss. The soil must not be heavy 
(clay) but should work into the pockets between stones 
easily. 
Care —Certainly the rock garden requires no more 
and often less attention than other types of gardens but 
in order to lavishly throw out its color and splendor in 
the intensity of its original plan, some care and atten¬ 
tion to its requirements will be well repaid. 
Placing the Rocks —In placing rocks, it is well to 
observe that in nature, usually more than half the rocks 
which jot out of the surface are underground and that 
the veining runs in a general horizontal direction. After 
the rocks have been placed on solid and substantial 
footings, the soil thoroughly rammed into all crevices 
and adequate provision made for drainage, we are ready 
to plant. 
Placing the Plants —It is well to use the taller 
plants as accent pf)ints and set the dwarf and creeping 
plants in between them. Aside from this general rule, 
the location of plants is a matter of j)ersonal taste and 
judgment. 
We feel that the building of a rock garden should be 
encouraged wherever the grounds in question are ar¬ 
ranged so that one is feasible. It need not be large. 
Even a small rock garden offers a new and tremendously 
interesting field for the garden enthusiast, for it offers 
plants which do not grow to good advantage under 
ordinary garden conditions. Unusual plants, many of 
them very small, will yield an interest to the p^int 
where the rock garden is very apt to become the princi¬ 
pal attraction in the entire home planting. 
