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Information
on 50+ Perennials
The new gardener is coming to rely on
perennial flowering plants to a greater extent every
year. This is natural, for these plants to possess qualities,
which enable them to fill satisfactorily almost all-gardening
needs. There is danger, however, that we may select
too many plants of too many varieties and undertake
to care for a larger garden than we can properly keep
in the pink of condition. It is more reasonable to limit
our attention to a few plants and then raise them wisely
and well, rather than to spread our endeavors over too
wide a field, and so, perhaps, reap only disappointment
for our labor.
By limiting our selection of plants and the extent of
our garden, however, we do not fail to achieve beauty
and distinc-tion, for by selecting wisely we can get
a great deal of variety and surely a large amount of
enjoyment.
Where to begin and what to select of a small garden
is no easy task. Every nursery catalogue attests to
the great variety of species offered each described
in glowing terms as most beautiful and quite indispensable
to each and every garden. Who can, name the ten best
perennials or the most interesting twenty-five for his
own garden, let alone his neighbors'? Personal preference
goes a long way in governing selection, but there are
certain other criteria, which will guide us to a fuller
realization of our ambitions. Hardiness and ease of
culture should be taken into consideration. Color, height,
and time of bloom are important, and above all let us
practice restraint, a quality just as desirable in planning
a garden as at a feast. It is far better to have a few
large masses of several good varieties than a mixed
collection of many inharmonious plants.
Important as is this matter of selection, design and
arrangement in the garden itself are equally so. We
must know where we are to plant and how much room we
have before order-ing plant material. Much of the effectiveness
of small gar-dens depends on how well they serve as
elements of decora-tion in the landscape scheme. Growing
plants just for the sake of having them is all right,
but it is horticulture, not gardening. Gardening depends
more on the effectiveness of the display than on the
size and luxuriance of individual plants. We should
be sure, then, that our garden, though small and simple,
is fundamentally well designed. It must have back-ground
and enclosure. It must relate properly to other parts
of the grounds and to the house. It must have balance,
unity of composition, and accent, for a garden is not
merely a collection of flowering plants. It is more
than that. It is an artistic entity, effective for its
purpose just so far as it follows out the fundamental
concepts of design. Luxuriant flowers are only one factor
in its success; there are other considerations of equal,
if not greater, importance.
Having chosen our plants and designed a simple garden
to contain them, our next step is to care for them in
such a way that they will be contented and continue
to grow, blossom, and multiply. In order to achieve
this important end we must know something about the
maintenance of perennial gardens, starting with soil
preparation and fertility and carrying on with the proper
methods and procedure of cultivation, top-dressing,
mulching, spraying, and all the other routine subjects
recognized as important factors in gardening.
With these thoughts in mind the following URL's have
been selected in the hope that those who would garden
expertly may find aid and inspiration which will help
them to additional success.
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