Border
Read about Border in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Border. In gardening practice, the term "border" is employed to designate definite strip-planting on the margins. The margin may be along the boundary of a yard, park or other area; close about a residence or other building; or a parallel of walks and drives. In all these positions, the border becomes a part of the artistic landscape plan. In some cases borders are designed separately as flower-garden or ornamental features, as margins or boundaries of an avenue of sod or of a formal walk. The border derives its value from its relationship as well as from its intrinsic character. It is a conception of boundaries and inclosures, and consequently is part in a design of open centers and good lawns. It develops mass effects rather than the detached and spot effects of lawn beds and of single planting; and it derives much of its pleasing result from its length, distance and perspective. The border may be permanent, comprised of hardy plants; or it may be a bedding form of gardening, using temporary subjects; or it may have a framework of hardy material, with inter-planting of bulbs and annuals and greenhouse plants. Borders are often designed to carry and emphasize one idea,—the idea of larkspurs or of hollyhocks, for example; and in such cases the dominance is secured by similarity, and repetition of one plant-form. These borders, when well made, are most effective; but they do not cover the entire season unless expensive efforts are made to replant with other things as soon as the desired effects are passed. Figs. 594- 596 show the placing of borders in recognized landscape plans; and Fig. 597 suggests how a mixed hardy border works itself out. Fig. 598 shows the emphasis of a single strong plant-form set against a border rather than to be placed alone in the lawn without background or support. L. H. B. The hardy border. The hardy border has assumed a new relation to ornamental planting within recent years in America. Once only occasional, it now forms a dominant part of many gardens previously given up almost entirely to the display of greenhouse plants or tender annuals. Properly designed for a specific purpose, it is capable of giving a maximum of pleasure for a minimum of effort and expense. Now that plants, especially American native plants, are coming to be valued for their intrinsic beauty and interest rather than for their rarity and cost, the hardy border is a more personal and individual expression than some other forms of garden effort. The informal hardy border is often the most charming, and nature has provided us with many roadside or meadow-corner examples of exquisite beauty. Such a border may change not only with the day but almost from morning until afternoon during the luxuriant June weeks. It may follow the chromatic balance of the season from the brightness of spring hues through the cooler tones of summer until the rich tints of the autumn asters and goldenrods blend into the warmer colors of the aftermath that remains to enhance the effectiveness of the winter's snow in making the border a continuous pleasure. This informal planting can be handled with individuality and changed to suit knowledge, circumstance and surroundings without destroying its charm. The wild things that are picked up— let us hope without ever exterminating a plant colony anywhere—in a day's woodland ramble, belong in this informal border. Often the border is built around or with reference to some essential tree or larger shrub, as a rugged old pine, or a picturesque clump of lilac, or a mass of rhododendrons. It may combine shrubby, herbaceous and bulbous plants to advantage. The formal hardy border has been exemplified in some notable New England gardens. It is usually formed with masses of similar plants—as a long strip of delphiniums, a great body of aquilegias, serried rows of phloxes, or lupines,—and at times is effectively combined with architectural adjuncts in the so-called "Italian" style, or with evergreen trees of formal or clipped outline. But the "barbered" formal border is passing, and even in the best American example of a formal hardy garden, made up of various borders, the edging of the daintily informal evergreen pachysandra gives a note of variation that is significant and pleasing. The hollyhocks, foxgloves and similar treasures of all gardens are indispensable in the formal border to carry line and give contour and mass. In one notable example, the background of a succession of fine hardy borders is a clambering mass of Crimson Rambler roses hanging over a great wall. In the conventional hardy border, the shrubby plants are used less freely than the herbaceous perennials, and the bulbs still less freely, as yet. The shrubs, if selected properly as to character, eventual height, color, time of bloom and effect of foliage, may well form a framework in which to set the higher colors of the composition supplied by the herbaceous plants—the peonies, iris, gaillardias, veronicas, and the like. Or it is practicable to build the border entirely without shrubs, depending only on the masses and forms available in the plants that die to the ground each winter. With the increase in variety of herbaceous plants now commercially available everywhere, a very delightful and continuous succession of bloom may be had. The bulbous plants—of course as fully herbaceous as any, but distinguished in trade parlance by their "onions" instead of roots, and their different dormant conditions—should come to more importance in the hardy border. They give colors, forms, fragrance and effects unique to the class. The popular conception of "bulbs" has centered around tulips and hyacinths, the so-called "Dutch" bulbs, but the various narcissi, the scillas, snowdrops, anemones, and especially the lilies, are more adapted to the permanent border than these. The narcissus, for instance, in several largely grown forms, adapts itself to both the informal and formal border plantings. Combined with iris and lilies, and using certain of the late-flowering tulips, effects as permanent as they are pleasing are now produced, and at little expense. The fancier of rare things may indulge himself according to his resources with the newer and more unusual forms: there are narcissi in commerce at $60 each and $5 is cheerfully paid for a gladiolus bulb. While the nature of hardy garden flowers, with the relief of varied green foliage, seems to make agreeable a heterogeneous color-combination, yet more pleasing pictures are painted in harmonizing or properly contrasting hues. 'The raw scarlet of the oriental poppy or the kniphofia, for example, does not "go" or compose agreeably with pink or magenta phlox. It is well to keep tiger lilies and certain pink hibiscus colors from fighting each other, as another example. Indeed, a fascination of the hardy border is this opportunity to select and combine hues that shall match and succeed each other agreeably. A border is in mind that blended insensibly from deep crimson at one end through white to pink and white to yellow along to orange and scarlet at the other end. There was no clash. It must be said, however, that if the larger and more vividly colored flowers are judiciously placed, the general mixture of blooming plants in a border is wholly agreeable, even as an oriental rug including many hues in small masses is agreeable. Fragrance, also, is a quality to plan for in hardy borders,—here a bit of bergamot in a half-shady corner; there the stateliness and the sweetness of many lilies. The funkia scents the evening air, and the wild rose is as fragrant in foliage as in flower. There is added delight in the odorous quality of certain shrubs. An interesting feature of the border is the seasonal succession of its bloom. It may begin before spring is more than an atmospheric hint, with its hepaticas, certain violets, and the snowdrops and crocuses. After that there need be no flowerless moment until a freeze— not a mere frost—stops the glow of the chrysanthemum and finishes the dainty display of the monkshood. The garden may also continue to please through extended weeks by changing foliage and by bared twigs of bright colors, as well as by glowing fruits that hang, like the barberries, until the next spring signals retirement. A pleasing way of creating hardy borders is by the segregation of genera and families. Iris will cover four months with varied flowers of as varied heights. All the columbines may cover many weeks in time of beauty. A collection of viburnums makes a shrub border of long showiness. Lilies are gorgeous, or dainty; they are short or stately, and they include months of bloom-time as a family. There is great delight in studying plant families grouped in neighborly fashion. The hardy border may endure full sun or deep shade, with all variations between, if its citizens are selected for their adaptability. Some plants of the border need wet feet; others are best, like the moss pink, on a dry and sterile sunny bank. It is this great range that makes the good border so very good, for it reflects the adaptability of nature for thousands of years. The plants for a border are now legion. The nurserymen in these days have considered the needs of the planter, and there is little difficulty in securing what is wanted. Certain tradesmen grow perennials in small pots, available nearly all the growing season. But a personal hardy border can be made with little aid from the nurseryman. The man—or woman—who loves them can transplant hardy plants with success at any time of the year when the ground is not frozen deeply, and such persons find plants in the wild that may be separated without destroying colonies of a kind. There is also the fascinating and inexpensive method of growing the perennials from seed, resulting in more knowledge gained through failures; and in enough successes to furnish plenty of plants to the grower and his friends. The hardy border of the personal sort is a great educator in patience, perseverance and knowledge of plant life. j. Horace Mcfarland. The making of the border. Perennial herbaceous plants should form the major part of the planting in most borders, as these are permanent and eliminate the necessity of replanting the whole each year. Biennials, such as the Canterbury bells and foxglove,—for these are best treated as such,— hollyhocks and sweet williams are an essential that should be provided for in a reserve garden, and moved to the place in which they are desired to bloom as gaps occur. Annuals are necessary, such as mignonette, larkspur, candytuft, asters, stocks and other favorites to help out the display during July and August, for this is a period when perennials in bloom are scarce. There should be a background of shrubs with a group or individual dwarf shrub here and there to break up the flatness, especially in winter and early spring. It is a question whether spring-flowering bulbs are admissible in this type of permanent border. It is better to keep them in a place by themselves for the reason that it is difficult to make changes when the ground is planted with bulbs, and to lift these at stated periods necessitates disturbing all the other occupants. A group of Darwin tulips here and there is much admired and in keeping, but a general planting is better made elsewhere, as under trees and among ferns. A border being permanent, no effort should be spared to prepare thoroughly in the beginning. Deep- rooting plants, as peonies, hemerocallis, delphiniums and columbines, require deep preparation of the soil and liberal enrichment, double-digging or trenching being essential. It is better, if possible, to prepare and plant a portion at a time rather than to plant in a hurry and go over it all again later. If the soil is heavy, add sand and coal-ashes, so that it may be easier to work at all times. If the soil is inclined to be wet, it must be drained to take care of surplus water. A dry soil can be improved by the addition of leaf-mold, and provision must be made for watering in dry seasons. It is not necessary to lay the pipes deep if there is a natural pitch to the land, the water then being turned off late in the year and the pipes drained for safety. Faucets should be so placed that 50 feet of hose will water any part that needs it; thus the outlets may be 100 feet apart. The grouping of plants in a mixed border is governed by the width and extent of this border. In large, wide spaces, ample groups of each plant are necessary to secure the desired effect and to avoid "spottiness." Large-growing permanent plants, as peonies, boltonias, heleniums, rudbeckias and even silphiums and late- flowering asters should be planted at the back; in front of these, the phlox in separate colors, or at most two colors together that will harmonize, German iris in masses of one or more colors, bleeding heart, campanulas, Veronica subsessilis, monarda, oriental poppy, columbines, pyrethrums, perennial candytuft, and, in front of these, the usual dwarf edging plants, as arabis, alyssum, the Carpathian harebell, shooting-star, erysimum, Tunica saxifraga, geum, Heuchera sanguinea and others. If the border is narrow, individual treatment must be followed to secure a greater variety, and it is always permissible to add the old favorite sweet- smelling plants and herbs, such as balm, thyme, lemon verbena, southernwood, rosemary, rue, marjoram, borage and fennel, and some sweet geranium. All these give interest when flowers are waning, and call up associations helping to take the memory back to old friendships. A border of this kind will need the addition of annuals to take the place of the earlier flowering plants that are past. Seeds of mignonette may be sown in the place where they are to flower; snapdragons may be raised in frames or hotbeds and set out among other plants that are passing; the scarlet salvia may be put where its color will not clash when in flower; gladiolus may be set out in groups of one color; Hyacinthus candicans looks well in fall when planted at the back; in fact, the mixed border of today should contain every desirable plant that has either sentiment or blossoms — possibly both—to recommend it. Lilies often do well in partially shaded situations in which moisture is sure and leaf - mold has been added. They should never be treated to manure. They are best seen when planted in masses sufficient to make a display in their season. L. auratum never lives long but is good for a year or two; L. speciosum is a better lily to keep; the tiger lily always remains with us as do also L. umbellatum, L. Hansonii, L. Thunbergianurn or L. elegans; and great results are expected from the new Chinese L. myriophyllum and others of recent introduction. The flower-stalks of lilies should never be pulled up in fall, but cut off at the ground. It is a protection to the heart of the bulb to let the stem remain. Perhaps the most important detail of the management of the border is that of protection in winter. The border should be protected and nourished at the same time; this is possible when a quantity of well-decayed manure and leaf-mold is available for a top-dressing, preferably after a little frost has penetrated the soil. This can be lightly forked into the soil in spring, but a spade should never be used except when making changes. The great charm of this form of gardening is, after all, the necessity of change from year to year. It must not in any sense be considered changeless. Some plants will outgrow their allotted space and must be restricted, biennials will die out and need replanting, some color scheme may be wrong and need alteration, other really good things will need to be divided and replanted, and in this way the interest is kept up by the taking of notes through the season for reference at the planting-time; and this is best done after the fall rains in September and early October before the soil loses its warmth, root-action being rapid then, and the roots soon become established before winter. There is always enough to do in spring, and changes in the borders left for that time are often made at the sacrifice of the display due in summer-time. Much misconception was the result of the term "perennial border." The plants were not all permanent, and the display was not continuous. Out of it has been evolved a much more satisfactory thing in that it calls for endless study, a greater variety containing all the good things, and the possibility of change each season as fancy dictates. In wide borders especially, it adds greatly to the effect to plant some dwarf-growing shrubs near the path, such as Lemoine's deutzia and philadelphus, some specimens of the new choice lilacs (double and single), Daphne Cneorum, the dwarf flowering crabs like Malus Toringo and M. Ringo. These are all very beautiful and stand close inspection. The shrubs may be so arranged as to form bays for groups of plants, either for certain seasons or color effects, and if there is a tendency to outgrow the situation, pruning judiciously will help if done directly after the flowering season is past, with no sacrifice of bloom, always taking care to keep the individual shape of each shrub. Shears must never be used on shrubs, but shorten-in the longer shoots with a knife. The Japanese iris, if used in the border, must be planted near water so they can be frequently irrigated in dry times or failure is sure to ensue. They are semi- aquatic and will take much nourishment also. The German kinds require a warm sandy soil, and a dry time in late summer suits them well. They are also best transplanted in September before the heavy rains, as root-action begins at this time and they become .reestablished before the winter sets in. Borders need constant care in summer to keep them trim and clean. All seed-stems and dead flowers should be removed, tall-growing plants staked up with neat stakes, and, above all, plants grown in reserve to take the place of such as are dying out after blooming. There is no more interesting phase of gardening than this, because it calls for care and study all the time, year by year, and our failures of this season are with us to profit by during the next.
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