Planning Your Perennial Garden 
The number of perennials which may be grown in your garden 
is limitless, as far as variety is concerned. How many you grow 
and what varieties you grow will depend entirely upon your interest 
in perennials and your likes and dislikes for coloring, ete. 
The present trend in perennial growing is to grow a number of 
different sorts in informal beds or along the shrub border and in- 
clude’ only a few which are classed as rare plants. Perennials, or 
plants which live for more than one year, are very essential on the 
grounds of anyone who likes color all through the different seasons. 
They may be planted in beds, in wide borders, in front of shrubs, 
around a pool, and the lower growing or dwarf sorts are widely 
used for rock garden planting. They may be planted in rows in a 
small garden for cutting purposes. They may be used singly but it 
is recommended that they be planted in clumps or groups of from 
three to twelve plants of a kind, as a mass of color is much more 
effective than would be the case where only a single plant is used. 
Most perennials need a sunny location although some varieties 
will grow in semi-shade. Perennials should be kept well away from 
the roots of trees as they rob them of food and moisture. Be sure 
that the bed or ground that you are going to plant perennials in is 
well drained, as perennials will not stand a lot. of water remaining 
upon the surface of the ground for long periods of time. The soil 
should be made loose to a depth of 1% to 2 feet, with a plentiful 
supply of fertilizer thoroughly mixed into the ground when it is 
spaded up. If the soil is clay that becomes extremely hard during 
the summer season it would be well to throw out the top six or 
eight inches of soil and mix with this a liberal amount of peat moss 
or other commercial humus before putting it back into the bed and 
proceeding with the planting. Perennials like a porous soil in which 
they ean throw out their roots. The soil in which perennials are 
planted should be kept rich at all times. Many of the plants are 
shallow rooted and are not able to send out their roots in search 
of new food supply. 
Perennials may be planted in the fall as well as in the spring 
with certain exceptions. Iris should be planted any time during 
early spring or fall. Peonies are best planted in September or April. 
Oriental Poppies are dormant in late August and should be trans- 
planted at that time. Otherwise, perennials can be planted as other 
nursery stock, either spring or fall. When the plants are received 
from the nursery, unpack and plant them at once if possible. Those 
which cannot be planted at once should be heeled in moist soil and 
kept well watered, both roots and tops. 
In planning a perennial planting, lay out the space you have 
available for them on a piece of paper and spot in the taller growing 
sorts for background. Then select the plants for the border and 
jot them on your layout. Fill in with the medium tall growing sorts 
in the center of the bed. Select and plant for color display so that 
you do not have two kinds of perennials with the same color of 
blossoms beside each other. Variation in color in a perennial bed 
is one of the most essential points of beauty. 
Many types of perennials will. do better if frequently trans- 
planted, that is, about every third year. This is especially true of 
the Coreopsis, Gaillardias, Shasta Daisies and other varieties which 
have dense foliage just above the ground. The plants should be re- 
moved from the hed and torn into several divisions, and these divi- 
sions replanted, the same as new plants. Iris also does better if 
transplanted occasionally. 
y to the suecessful 
growing of perennials and may be summed up as follows: 
Good, well drained, rich soil in a sunny location. 
Plant with crown or eye of plant just barely below ground level. 
Plenty of cultivation of beds to keen the soil loose and mellow. 
Keep the. beds thoroughly soaked during dry weather. 
Frequent fertilization to produce best growth and bloom. 
Keep blooms cut off as they begin to fade and the blooming 
season of all sorts of perennials will be greatly lengthened. 
A few wood ashes worked into the soil around Delphiniums is 
advisable for best growth and bloom. 
In climatic and soil conditions where the ground heaves with 
winter freezing and thawing the beds should be thoroughly 
muleched in late fall. 
If these simple rules are followed and proper care is exercise] 
in selecting the varieties for your plantings, there is no rea- 
son why the average gardner should not be a sunecessful 
grower of perennials and enjoy their beauty all through the 
season. 
There are only a few simple rules necessary 
Chieago, Ill.,-May 26, 19-41. 
Richards Gardens, Plainwell. Mich, 
Gentlemen: The remainder of my order (baby Phlox) came to- 
day. Just want to tell you that we were delighted with all the 
plants, and feel we were well taken care of. both as to quality and 
quantity. Everything growing fine.—Mrs. John Bingham 
9 
