Their shade discourages weeds and conserves moisture, the main purposes of cultivation. Usually two complete and thorough cultivations of a larger border, one in early spring and an other in late summer, or possibly early autumn, are sufficient. Of course, the edge and foreground, especially if bulbs and annuals are used, will need more work, but these areas are easily reached. To make cultivation easier at the rear of the wide border, place a few flagstones through it to walk on.

They will never be noticed. Anyway large, well-established plant groups will stand considerable walking among them, even without your using stones. Ordinarily you will not ex pect to use the border for a supply of cut flowers.

The most effective way to display flowering plants in a border is to have the lowest in front, next to the pathway or lawn, and gradually grade up to the tallest in the background. Where the border is faced on both sides by a pathway, or there is a pathway on one side and open lawn on the other, the tallest plants should be in the center and the lowest along both edges. (Plate 13.)

Although such an arrangement seems obvious, it is not al ways carried out. Sometimes it is necessary to stand on tiptoe to admire a low-growing plant tucked in among taller ones. Sometimes, of course, this was not the way things were planned. Plants, supposedly low and compact, on occasion become giants. Stray seedlings of phlox and other tall peren nials have a knack of developing unnoticed among low-grow ing clumps. It takes character to remove these, but removed they should be. You can console yourself that most of them would not come true to color and would only mar the effects you have so carefully planned.

The best way to design wide borders is to divide them into five or six longitudinal strips, varying in width according to the type of plants they will contain. These strips, like lines on a musical staff, are the frame on which the theme of the garden is set down and developed. (See lists of plants by height, page 104 ff.)

Edging Strip

Since most early-blooming plants are low and late ones tall, these strips may be identified by height and by principal season of bloom. The first or edging strip, will contain low compact plants, mostly spring and late-fall blooming. Select them for compact habit so that they will maintain definite slines for the garden pattern. Let the width of this strip be 12 to 15 inches. Use candytuft, Polemonium reptans, Scotch pinks, cushion asters, coralbells, hardy alyssum, and armeria. Avoid sprawling Phlox subulata, cerastium, and such annuals as petunias, verbenas, or trailing nasturtiums.