Oe TT ES St 
4 THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
single or double varieties, in pink, blue, 
or white—except that the double white is 
now impossible to obtain. It is one of the 
beautiful things that there is reason to fear 
is lost to us for ever. Hepaticas may not 
flower the first season, as they dislike being 
disturbed, but they are worthy of patience 
and watching, and when they do flower the 
reward is great. The fcliage, too, is of 
considerable decorative value. This plant 
is more suitable for beds and borders of 
perennials than for the wilder portions of 
the garden. 
There are many among us who have 
fallen under the fascination of the Irises, 
or, as we like better to call them, Flags, 
and like to have them with us from tne 
first-flowering variety to the time when the 
‘last fades on its uprightstem. Some of the 
early-flowering kinds are the dwarfest; 
perhaps we can find none more beautiful 
or flowering at a more acceptabie time than 
the Iris primula. Its dark, rich purple 
tones make a grand bit of uncommon color 
in the spring garden, and the bulbs are 
very moderate in price, a few shillings a 
thousand only. — 
Some half-shady place may well be 
planted with the Lily of the Valley. It 
loves such cool, quiet haunts, and even a 
small clump is covetable property. These 
flowers are among the many that become so 
much more beautiful when planted in such 
a position. J remember seeing a great 
clump of these Lilies growing in a neat and 
precise border of perennials one day last 
spring; and thought of a picture that 1 
had stored in memory of ‘ilies of the 
Valley that once I had seen growing in a 
elump of Lilac bushes, Those Lilies had 
quite a different and a far more beautiful 
effect than those that grew in the border, 
by reason of their surroundings; and men- 
tallv I registered a vow that never would I 
grow Lilies of the Valley in a perennial 
border. 
Another order of spring-blooming plants 
of great value are the Alliums, with their 
blue, white, mauve and_ rose-colored 
blossoms. 
his bulb is very seldom grown in ordi- 
nary gardens, either in town or country. 
But it is quite hardy, and reproduces itself 
in an astonishingly rapid manner. It is a 
delightful subject for a shrubbery border, 
and especially if the border in question 
should slope to meet the sunshine. 
If we would seek still further to search 
for spring blossoms that are seldom grown 
——and there is a great charm and interest 
in so doing—we may delight ourselves by 
planting now the old-fashioned Blood Root 
(Sanguinaria canadensis) with its white 
blossoms and graceful habit. 
I have drawn my pictures as well as I am 
able, with the hope that they will en- 
courage the novice to go forward with the 
joyful desire and intention of forthwith 
possessing himself of a beautiful spring 
garden. 
I would add that in dealing with bulbs, 
even more than is the case with other 
plants, it is well to take time by the fore- 
lock. I cannot help but feel that those 
bulbs, and also, of course, other plants that 
are given a long period in which to grow 
before they are expected to flower, must 
[ene eee rea BY RN eh BRAT Teron 
benefit by it by displaying a greater vigor 
and luxuriance of growth and blossom. I 
like to know that the balbs, and more espe- 
cially the small, early-floweriny varieties, 
are safely in their places under the svil. ‘Lo 
ensure being able to do this bulbs should 
be ordered early in the season as delay in 
delivering often occurs. 
There are other plants beside bulbs that 
make our spring gardens teautiful, and 
these also must have attention at our hands 
during the autumn. Seedlings of Myosotis, 
tufted Pansies, and Polyanthus should now 
be moved to their flowering quarters. Like 
the bulbs, many of these spring-flowering 
perennials flourish and flower luxuriantly 
under deciduous trees. So few people seem 
to realise this; we see formal beds and 
borders planted with tkese things, while all 
the time they are far fitter subjects for the 
wilder portions of the garden, except, per- 
haps, the tufted Pansies. Let thvse who 
wish for really artistic gardens plant their 
Forget-me-nots and Polyanthus, and many 
other spring-flowering subjects, with regard 
to their setting, with a due sense of the fit- 
ness of the-plant to the position chosen for 
it, and they will find new pleasure and 
delight in their gardens, new possibilities, 
and new scope for their energies. 
LAYING OUT A GARDEN. 
Masses of color should be the aim in 
preference to individual plants. 1t would 
be a reflection upon the intelligence of the 
reader to say that the tall-growing subjects 
should be at the back of the bed, so I will 
omit the remark and give the names of a 
few suitable-perennials. At the rear, Cam- 
panula latifolia and C. pyramidalis will give 
dark and light blue shades respectively, 
while ©. p. alba is a fine white variety. Tke 
Asters (Michaelmas Daisies) will also be 
found useful, Amellus major (with a large 
violet-purple flower; Nove Angliw 10seus 
(a delicate white tint), and Vurity (a white, 
of large size), being especially good. The 
first-named will require a position in the 
centre of the border, being of dwarf habit. 
Among the varieties of Helianthus, D. 
Dewar is worthy of mention. The flowers 
are large, bright yellow in color, and the 
petals are twisted like those of a Cactus 
Dahlia, giving the flower a most curious 
appearance. In front of these we might 
plant Campanulas in variety. C. persici- 
folia grandiflora is a large double blue, very 
useful for cutting. OC. glomerata, with 
bluish-violet flowers in terminal clusters, 
has a very attractive appearance, and there 
are also white and pale lilac forms. At the 
end of the border I would plant a Cytisus, 
perhaps better known as the Laburnum. 
_ For the front portion of the border there 
is a host of subjects to select from. We 
might plant a clump of the Red-hot Poker 
plant (Tritonia uvaria). This grows higher 
than the majority of the plants suitable for 
this position in the border, but a tall pillar 
of flowers here and there breaks up the 
level surface, and relieves the sameness of 
the bed, so to speak. The medium and 
dwarf herbaceous Phloxes, both late and 
early flowering, are useful and very effec- 
tive in ciumps. Papaver nudicaule ¢(the 
be 
July 1, 1904 
Iceland Poppy), with its yellow and deep 
orange flowers, makes a grand show, and is 
very useful for cutting. The annual 
Poppies are also of great service in this 
border, and, while speaking of annuals, 
mention may be made of the Antirrhinnum. 
I always have one or two clumps in the 
front part of the perennial border, and if 
the flower-stems are cut off when fading, « 
second show may be expected before the 
season is over. Spircoi palmata, with its 
large, palm-like leaves and clusters of 
crimson flowers, is a grand plant, and one 
well worth cultivating, as indeed are most 
of the Spires. An edging of one or more 
of the dwarf Saxifrages will make a good 
finish-off to our bed. S. aretioides, form- 
ing thick cushions of green, dotted over 
with bright yellow flowers, might be alter- 
nated with S. muscoides purpurga, whicle 
bears countless numbers ot purple flowers. 
S. oppositifolia is of a dwarf, spreading 
habit, and bears flowers of a rosy hue. 
Really, the number of plants suitable for 
the perennial border is so numerous that 
the only satisfactory method of dealing with 
this portion of the garden is to consult the 
catalogue of a reliable nurseryman, and 
select according to one’s fancy. A good help 
in making a selection is to go round your 
neighbor's garden, make a note of what he 
possesses, and then buy—something en- 
tirely different! . There is nothing creates 
an interest in gardening like the possession 
of a uniqne collection of plants. An un- 
common plant is always considered difficult 
to grow by the outsider, and a gardenful of - 
them would have a simply staggering effect, 
and give the owner a wholly undeserved 
character for horticultural knowledge. 
Dean Hole, in his book, ‘‘ Our Gardens,” 
gives a very concise summary of what a 
garden should be—‘‘ There should be more 
grass and less gravel, more flowers and less 
bare soil, more curves and fewer straight 
lines and angles, moie hardy and not so 
many half-hardy plaots, more arrangement 
and less disorder, more shrubs (evergreen 
and golden) to cheer the ungenial day.” 
H. BrencHLEY. 
_— 
GARDEN ACCESSORIES. 
ARCHES. 
The character of many small gardens de- 
pends to a great extent on what I may call 
accessories. Among them, arches must 
always hold a high place. Many people 
will, I expect, by bitter experience, have 
certain climbers, and noticeably Roses, 
refuse to flourish when trained to gal- 
vanised iron or wire-netting. This fact has 
been proved over and over again, so that if 
we decide on having these arches, they 
should be painted, as the evil effect on the 
Roses is thus overcome. 
For picturasqueness, many prefer wooden 
arches. If these are introduced into sub- 
urban or town gardens they should not be 
of too rustic a character, as it is out of 
keeping of the style of the town garden 
generally; but should be made of wood 
that has been sawn up by a carpenter, and 
the arches constructed on the simplest lines 
possible. There is one serious error that is 
often perpetrated in the making of arches - 
they are not made sufficiently high. Both 
