THE MAIN HARDY FLOWER BORDER
The big flower border is about two hundred feet long and fourteen feet
wide. It is sheltered from the north by a solid sandstone wall about
eleven feet high clothed for the most part with evergreen shrubs--Bay
and Laurustinus, Choisya, Cistus and Loquat. These show as a handsome
background to the flowering plants. They are in a three-foot-wide
border at the foot of the wall; then there is a narrow alley, not seen
from the front, but convenient for access to the wall shrubs and for
working the back of the border.
As it is impossible to keep any one flower border fully dressed for
the whole summer, and as it suits me that it should be at its best in
the late summer, there is no attempt to have it full of flowers as
early as June. Another region belongs to June; so that at that time the
big border has only some incidents of good bloom, though the ground
is rapidly covering with the strong patches, most of them from three
to five years old, of the later blooming perennials. But early in the
month there are some clumps of the beautiful _Iris Pallida dalmatica_
in the regions of grey foliage, and of the splendid blue-purple bloom
of _Geranium ibericum platyphyllum_, the best of the large Cranesbills,
and the slow-growing _Dictamnus Fraxinella_ (the white variety), and
Meadowsweets white and pink, Foxgloves and Canterbury Bells, and to
the front some long-established sheets of _Iberis sempervirens_ that
have grown right on to the path. The large Yuccas, _Y. gloriosa_ and
_Y. recurva_ are throwing up their massive spikes, though it will be
July before they actually flower, and the blooms on some bushes of
the great _Euphorbia Wulfenii_, although they were flowers of May and
their almost yellow colour is turning greener, are still conspicuous
and ornamental. Then the plants in the middle of the wall, _Choisya
ternata_ and _Clematis montana_ are still full of white bloom and the
Guelder Rose is hanging out its great white balls. I like to plant the
Guelder Rose and _Clematis montana_ together. Nothing does better on
north or east walls, and it is pleasant to see the way the Clematis
flings its graceful garlands over and through the stiff branches of the
Viburnum.
The more brilliant patches of colour in the big border in June are
of Oriental Poppies intergrouped with Gypsophila, which will cover
their space when they have died down, and the earlier forms of _Lilium
croceum_ of that dark orange colour that almost approaches scarlet.
During the first week of June any bare spaces of the border are filled
up with half-hardy annuals, and some of what we are accustomed to
call bedding-plants--such as Geranium, Salvia, Calceolaria, Begonia,
Gazania and Verbena. The half-hardy annuals are African Marigold, deep
orange and pale sulphur, pure white single Petunia, tall Ageratum,
tall striped Maize, white Cosmos, sulphur Sunflower, _Phlox
Drummondi_, Nasturtiums, and _Trachelium cœruleum_. Dahlias were
planted out in May, and earlier still the Hollyhocks, quite young
plants that are to bloom in August and September; the autumn-planted
ones flowering earlier. The ground was well cleaned of weeds before
these were planted, and, soon after, the whole border had a good mulch
of a mixture of half-rotted leaves and old hotbed stuff. This serves
the double purpose of keeping the soil cool and of affording gradual
nutriment when water is given.
[Illustration: _THE FLOWER BORDER IN LATE SUMMER: YUCCA, HYDRANGEA,
SNAPDRAGON, LILIUM AURATUM AND EARLY ASTERS, WITH GREY FOLIAGE OF
CINERARIA MARITIMA, SANTOLINA AND ELYMUS._]
[Illustration: _THE CROSS WALK DIVIDING THE FLOWER BORDER: YUCCA,
HYDRANGEA, MEGASEA AND STACHYS._]
* * * * *
The planting of the border is designed to show a distinct scheme of
colour-arrangement. At the two ends there is a groundwork of grey and
glaucous foliage--Stachys, Santolina, _Cineraria maritima_, Sea Kale
and Lyme Grass, with darker foliage, also of grey quality, of Yucca,
_Clematis recta_ and Rue. With this, at the near or western end, there
are flowers of pure blue, grey-blue, white, palest yellow and palest
pink; each colour partly in distinct masses and partly intergrouped.
The colouring then passes through stronger yellows to orange and red.
By the time the middle space of the border is reached the colour is
strong and gorgeous, but, as it is in good harmonies, it is never
garish. Then the colour-strength recedes in an inverse sequence through
orange and deep yellow to pale yellow, white and palest pink, with the
blue-grey foliage. But at this, the eastern end, instead of the pure
blues we have purples and lilacs.
Looked at from a little way forward, for a wide space of grass allows
this point of view, the whole border can be seen as one picture, the
cool colouring at the ends enhancing the brilliant warmth of the
middle. Then, passing along the wide path next the border the value of
the colour-arrangement is still more strongly felt. Each portion now
becomes a picture in itself, and every one is of such a colouring that
it best prepares the eye, in accordance with natural law, for what
is to follow. Standing for a few moments before the end-most region
of grey and blue, and saturating the eye to its utmost capacity with
these colours, it passes with extraordinary avidity to the succeeding
yellows. These intermingle in a pleasant harmony with the reds and
scarlets, blood-reds and clarets, and then lead again to yellows. Now
the eye has again become saturated, this time with the rich colouring,
and has therefore, by the law of complementary colour, acquired a
strong appetite for the greys and purples. These therefore assume an
appearance of brilliancy that they would not have had without the
preparation provided by their recently received complementary colour.
There are well-known scientific toys illustrating this law. A short
word, printed in large red letters, is looked at for half a minute. The
eyes are shut and an image of the same word appears, but the lettering
is green. Many such experiments may be made in the open garden. The
brilliant orange African Marigold has leaves of a rather dull green
colour. But look steadily at the flowers for thirty seconds in sunshine
and then look at the leaves. The leaves appear to be bright blue!
[Illustration: _THE EAST END OF THE FLOWER BORDER: LILIUM LONGIFLORUM,
ECHINOPS, PURPLE CLEMATIS, CAMPANULAS PYRAMIDALIS AND LOCHIFLORA,
FOLIAGE OF SEAKALE, SANTOLINA AND CINERARIA._]
[Illustration: _ELEVATION: HEIGHT-LINE OF BACK PLANTS._]
[Illustration: _PLAN OF THE MAIN FLOWER BORDER._]
Even when a flower border is devoted to a special season, as mine is
given to the time from mid-July to October, it cannot be kept fully
furnished without resorting to various contrivances. One of these is
the planting of certain things that will follow in season of bloom
and that can be trained to take each other's places. Thus, each plant
of _Gypsophila paniculata_ when full grown covers a space a good four
feet wide. On each side of it, within reasonable distance of the root,
I plant Oriental Poppies. These make their leaf and flower growth in
early summer when the Gypsophila is still in a young state. The Poppies
will have died down by the time the Gypsophila is full grown and has
covered them. After this has bloomed the seed-pods turn brown, and
though a little of this colouring is not harmful in the autumn border,
yet it is not wanted in such large patches. We therefore grow at its
foot, or within easy reach, some of the trailing Nasturtiums and lead
them up so that they cover the greater part of the brown seed-spray.
Delphiniums, which are indispensable for July, leave bare stems
with quickly yellowing leafage when the flowers are over. We plant
behind them the white Everlasting Pea, and again behind that Clematis
Jackmanni. When the Delphiniums are over, the rapidly forming seed-pods
are removed, the stems are cut down to just the right height, and
the white Peas are trained over them. When the Peas go out of bloom
in the middle of August, the Clematis is brought over. It takes some
years for these two plants to become established; in the case of those
I am describing the Pea has been four or five years planted and
the Clematis seven. They cannot be hurried, indeed in my garden it
is difficult to get the Clematis to grow at all. But good gardening
means patience and dogged determination. There must be many failures
and losses, but by always pushing on there will also be the reward
of success. Those who do not know are apt to think that hardy flower
gardening of the best kind is easy. It is not easy at all. It has taken
me half a lifetime merely to find out what is best worth doing, and a
good slice out of another half to puzzle out the ways of doing it.
In addition to these three plants that I grow over one another I am now
adding a fourth--the September-blooming _Clematis Flammula_. It must
not be supposed that they are just lumped one over another so that the
under ones have their leafy growths smothered. They are always being
watched, and, bit by bit, the earlier growths are removed as soon as
their respective plants are better without them.
Then there is the way of pulling down tall plants whose natural growth
is upright. At the back of the yellow part of the border are some
plants of a form of _Helianthus orgyalis_, trained down, as described
later at p. 69. But other plants can be treated in the same way; the
tall Rudbeckia Golden Glow, and Dahlias and Michaelmas Daisies. The
tall Snapdragons can also be pulled down and made to cover a surprising
space of bare ground with flowering side-shoots.
[Illustration: _GOOD STAKING--CAMPANULA PERSICIFOLIA._]
[Illustration: _CAREFUL STAKING--THE LATER MICHAELMAS DAISIES._]
As it is still impossible to prevent the occurrence of a blank here and
there, or as the scene, viewed as a picture, may want some special
accentuation or colouring, there is the way of keeping a reserve of
plants in pots and dropping them in where they may be wanted. The thing
that matters is that, in its season, the border shall be kept full
and beautiful; by what means does not matter in the least. For this
sort of work some of the most useful plants are Hydrangeas, _Lilium
longiflorum_, _candidum_ and _auratum_, and _Campanula pyramidalis_,
both white and blue, and, for foliage, _Funkia grandiflora_, _F.
Sieboldi_ and hardy Ferns.
An important matter is that of staking and supporting. The rule, as I
venture to lay it down, is that sticks and stakes must never show. They
must be so arranged that they give the needful support, while allowing
the plant its natural freedom; but they must remain invisible. The only
time when they are tolerated is for the week or two when they have been
put in for Dahlias, when the plants have not yet grown up to cover them.
Michaelmas Daisies we stake with great care in June, putting in some
stiff branching spray of oak or chestnut among the growths and under
their fronts. At the end of June we also nip the tops of some of the
forward growths of the plants so as to vary the outline.
There are two borders of Michaelmas Daisies, one for the earlier sorts
that flower in September and the other for the October kinds. They are
in places that need not often be visited except in the blooming season,
therefore we allow the supporting spray to be seen while the plants are
growing. But early in August, in the case of the September border, and
early in September in the case of the one for October, we go round and
regulate the plants, settling them among the sticks in their definite
positions. When this is done every atom of projecting spray is cut away
with the _sécateur_.
I hold that nothing unsightly should be seen in the garden. The shed
for sticks and stakes is a lean-to at one end of the barn, showing to
the garden. The roof had to be made at a very low pitch, and there was
no roofing material suitable but galvanized iron. But a depth of four
inches of peaty earth was put over the iron, and now it is a garden
of Stonecrops and other plants that flourish in shallow soil in a hot
exposure.
To prevent undue disappointment, those who wish for beautiful
flower-borders and whose enthusiasm is greater than their knowledge
should be reminded that if a border is to be planted for pictorial
effect, it is impossible to maintain that effect and to have the space
well filled for any period longer than three months, and that even
for such a time there will have to be contrivances such as have been
described.
It should also be borne in mind that a good hardy flower border cannot
be made all at once. Many of the most indispensable perennials take
two, three or even more years to come to their strength and beauty.
The best way is to plant the border by a definite plan, placing each
group of plants as it shall be when fully developed. Then for the first
year or two a greater number of half-hardy annuals and biennials than
will eventually be needed should be used to fill the spaces that have
not yet been taken up by the permanent plants. The best of these are
Pentstemons and Snapdragons, the Snapdragons grown both as annuals and
biennials, for so an extended season of bloom is secured. Then there
should be African and French Marigolds, the smaller annual Sunflowers,
Zinnias, Plume Celosias, China Asters, Stocks, Foxgloves, Mulleins,
Ageratum, Phlox Drummondi and Indian Pinks; also hardy annuals--Lupines
of several kinds, _Chrysanthemum coronarium_, the fine pink Mallows,
Love-in-a-Mist, Nasturtiums or any others that are liked.