Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-04-27
gadigs' Column.
HARDY HERBACEoUS PEREN-
MAILS


they would like to have more plants
in the garden, but they do not have
much time to cultivate them, and
tender, bedding plants cannot be set
out in the cold climates until the last
of May, and as soon as the frost
comes they are gone, and the next
spring the work has to be done all
over again. Perennials can be had
in bloom nearly two months sooner,
and when they are at once set out IN
a well prepared bed, will continue to
show their cheerful faces year after
year provided they are divided every
two years, and some well-rotted ma
nure dug in the bed when the plants
are diyeded. Perennials look best
when grown in bed by themselves,
or mixed with hardy bulbs like snow
drops, narcissus and others. A long
border next a fence OF driveway,
suits them well. Something is al
ways sure to be in bloom from early
spring until late frost. Those of US
who can remember back thirty or
more years, can recall the time when
hardy perennials, small shrubs, and
few hardy bulbs were all we had
to depend on for our flower gardens.
This was before the days of the bed
ding plant craze, ribbon borders,
mosaic gardening, and the massing
of color now so common in fashiona-
BILE gardening.
There are still some gardens where
these old-fashioned plants are left,
but as general thing, they are put
in out-of-way corners Gf allowed at
all,) and bedding plants reign in
their stead. One can get good
deal of satisfaction out of bed Of
perenniaIs if rightly selected. They
increase in size and beauty year af-
ter year. You will have all you
want, and some to give your less
fortunate neighbor.
Look at the variety there is in
hardy phloxes alone. P. subalata
and alba (the old moss pinks) bloom
very early; then the taller kinds be-
gin the last of June, and some are in
bloom when frost comes. They
have great heads of bloom that last
for weeks; by cutting the flowers as
soon as they fade, side shoots will
come out and flower.
Miss Robinson has very large
heads of the snowiest white, Miss H.
Hope, white. with pink eye, Alphonzo
Kari is deep crimson. One dealer
in his spring catalogue, mentions one
hundred and twenty-f four varieties
The old scarlet peony has been i'm
proved, and now we have many
shades of pink, crimson, buff, ant
white. Aquilegias, or columbines
have been greatly improved; nev
varieties have been introduced, lik,
chrysantha, yellow, and glandulosa
blue and red. The campanulas, fox
gloves, sweet william, iris have beer
improved. A bed of the latter o
different varieties will be in bloom
from May until August. Two earl
blooming perennials are dielytr
spectabilis, or bleeding heart it
sometimes called. 1t is one of tn
earliest as well as most graceful Q
plants it can be taken up in a pc
in the fall and easily grown as
house plant, if kept in cool room
Astilbe Japonica will bloom at tn
same time can also be grown in tn
same manner for house plant; il
tiny white feathery flowers make
pleasing contrast to the bright pin
hearts of the dielytra. The perez
NAL peoples must not be left out {
our bed. The foliage is pretty, au
no flower can compete in color wit
them,- gorgeous is the only VOL
that will apply. Flowers measu
five inches across with a black blott
at the base of the intense scarlet pc
ais. Only in bloom few week
but will come up year by year. The
is an orange vatiety. Then the da
lilies (Funkia,) larkspurs, achillea
spireas, and hosts of others.
dubious plants the tritoma, or 7
hot poker plant it is called in sol
places, grows about three feet hi
and has great spikes of reddi
orange flowers in September that IL
until frost. Hyacinthus Candida
is fine dubious perennial that has
tall spike of white flowers, and
very snowy. California Hibiscus
very snowy plant; throws up ste
stems IN the spring, and blooms fro
July until frost. Flowers like a S
gle hollyhock, the size of SIN
teacup, pure white with a crims
centre;--a very snowy and hal
plant.
There are hardy grasses, that
worth growing everywhere. Fri
thus Ravenna, tall reed-like or
with handsome gray plumes on it
the fall. Eulalla Japonica Varieg
looks like big striped grass;
pretty feathery heads in the fall t
will mix with ferns for your ros
Eulalia Japonica Zebrina is curl
grass striped across the leaf, Civ
it very odd look; a large clump
it is very snowy. Mixed with
other hardy plants it looks we'll,
set ia a bed by itself; it has