Evening star., 1951-04-01

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which can be properly prepared.
The choice Of the plants to go
into the perennial border will de-
pend on ID the season Of bloom
desired-spring. summer or fall
displays: CD the size Of the bor-
lder, because strong growers can
mot well be used In limited space:
(3) whether the bed is to provide
cutting material or be a decorative
feature, and "a whether the area
lis sunny or shady.
Many people plan their vaca-
ltions so as to be away from WASH
lington during the heat Of the sum-
Imer, consequently their flower
borders should be selected pri-
Imarily from those plants which
flower before the middle Of June
or in late summer and early fall.
The spring border will be en-
Ihanced with q number Of early
spring Towering bulbs and the fall
border will include q suitable Sc
lection OF cErysanthemuns.
Grouping for Effect.
The small border viii for the
most part be filed with the less
Vigorous growers. the background
need not be 50 high (most tall
plants take too much room) and
the variety will need to be re-
|stricted. Most borders, to be ef-
|fective, should have several plants
Of kind grouped together to pro-
|duce a reasonably showy display.
Cutting flowers are not always
suitable for border use II 1t is to
contribute to the landscape in
terest. On the other hand, few
backyards are large enough to-
provide cutting beds and land
scape paintings. Because this is
true, the selection for the border
should be restricted to those kinds
which will best serve both pur-
poses. The daffodills can be inter-
planted with ANIMALS. glads may
be tucked In between the chrys-
anthemum plants, etc.
The sunny border should not in
clude shade loving plants such asl
primroses and spiderwort. Con-
versely. she shady border will notl
contain iris (tall-bearded), phlox,
chrysanthemums and other sun
lovers. By a proper selection of
plant material the shady border
may be just as interesting as the
sunny border. but the choice
should be made before buying.
In planting. as was mentioned,
1t is well to use groups OF plants
three. i've or more-to provide
an appreciable showing. This isl
a general rule and there are ex-
ceptions. One well-grown clump|
of day-lily, tall-bearded iris. AM
Oriental poppy or a peony will
make an effective display. How
ever, columbine. snapdragons
alyssum. the Japanese anemone.
dwarf iris. lilies. etc., should be
planted with three or more inI
a grouping.
Edging Plants.
While the taller plants should
obviously be placed at the back
of the border with lower growers
in the middle and dwarf or lowI
growers in the foreground, it is
well to provide a continuousI
edging plant as a finishing touch.
Unfortunately. few perennialsl
make a good edging and many
gardeners employ annuals for this
purpose. The dwarf-growing bar
berry. the woodyherb, Germander, ;,
dwarf iris and several other
perennials may be used effectively
for this purpose.
The spacing Of plants in the
perennial border is important, butt
can only be mentioned here. Allow
ample distance between the plants
to permit cultivation. feeding,
spraying or dusting and for access
for cutting. Crowded beds are
usually neglected. Close planting
restricts the circulation of air, aI
condition favorable to the devel-
opment Of disease and the multi
plication Of insect pests. The ac-
tual spacing can be obtained from
the plant grower or some good
reference book op perennials.
Some strong growers, such as dayI
lilies, may need 3 or 4 feet, while
primroses do well 6 to inches
apart. The tiny chrysanthemum
plant you set out in the spring
needs 18 to "a inches-that is. If
you pinch the top two or three Ii
times during the spring and cause
it to bush out properly. II