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NATURALIZED PERENNIALS In larger yards, where it is not always possible to take care of and maintain the entire space, it is rather practical to allow certain of the hardy perennials to become more or less naturalized in a bit of grassy meadow. This may be only a few feet square, or it may cover an acre or more. Under such conditions these plants are allowed to fight it out with each other and with the grass which may be present. Very interesting effects may be obtained in this way. The writer had the occasion recently to see a mass of sweet rocket (Hesperis) naturalized on a hillside where they had survived over a period of eight or ten years.

Directly below them on the same hillside were great masses of perennial pea (Lathyrus latifolius).

For such uses we may adopt our native roadside flowers such as the wild aster, the goldenrod, the ironweed, and others. - In addition to these the following will be found able to withstand the competition:

Achillea millefolium Asclepias incarnata Asclepias tuberosa Aster eroicoides Aster novae-angliae Campanula rapunculoides Campanula tracheliurn Chelone lyoni Chrysanthemum leucanthemum Cichorium intybus Coreopsis laneolata Helianthus Hemerocallis fulva Lilium canadense Lilium tigrinum Lythrum salicaria Monarda didyma Monarda fistulosa Oenothera f raseri Physostegia. virginica Echinacea purpurea

Common yarrow Swamp milkweed Butterflyweed Heath aster New England aster False rampion Coventry-bells Pink turtlehead Oxeye daisy Chicory Tickseed Sunflower Tawny daylily Meadow lily Tiger lily Purple loosestrife Oswego beebalm Wild bergamot beebalm Common sundrops Virginia false-dragonhead Hedgehog-coneflower

Ground- or soil-cover plants. Practically every home has places here and there around the grounds where it is either not practical to have grass or because of other conditions. In such places as these low-growing creeping perennials may be used instead. Some of these plants are discussed more or less in detail under "Banks and Terraces," but there are many situations even more important than banks and terraces where these ground-cover plants can be used.

Some of these spots are beneath old shrubs where the bare ground is rather unsightly, beneath the dense shade of maples and beeches and other dense-foliage trees, on the narrow strip between the drive and the sidewalk, on the odd corner by the kitchen steps, on the narrow strip between the house foundation and the walk along the side of the house, on the ground below newly planted shrubs and evergreens, especially in- front of the house, on either side of the front-walk steps where there is a bank or terrace, along the grape arbor, and on similar sites. All of these may be greatly improved by the use of these groundcover plants. They may be evergreen or they may be deciduous.

If the site is beneath trees or shrubs where the roots are in competition, it will pay to prepare the soil adequately by spading to the depth of eight or ten inches and incorporate either rotted barnyard manure or a mixture of peat moss and a complete chemical fertilizer with the analysis of 4-12-4. Also thoroughly water the soil to get the plants established. Although they may be planted at any time, early spring planting may be slightly more desirable because of the opportunity for them to become rooted before the hot summer.

For ground-cover plants in shady places the following will be especially satisfactory:

Ajuga Duchesnia indica Pachysandra Sedurn ternatum Veronica filiformis Vinca minor

Bugle Mock-strawberry Japanese spurge Mountain stonecrop Trailing speedwell Periwinkle

Of these the Ajuga will probably be the toughest and most satisfactory under adverse conditions.

If the spot is not shady, any of those suggested for banks and terraces may be used.

In walls. The modern vogue for so-called dry walls is giving the opportunity for the use of a number of very interesting perennials. These dry walls are nothing more or less than stone or brick walls, which have been laid up without the use of mortar or cement. The soil back of the wall and in the openings left in the wall affords conditions for the growth of a number of plants. If you have a bank or terrace, here is an opportunity for a rather unusual garden. It also gives the rock-plant enthusiast a rather safe place for growing many of his gems. It is essential in building such a wall that the fill in back of it be a good garden soil.

You will be delighted with some of the following plants:

Aethionema pulcbellurn Aubrieta deltoidea Campanula garganica, Campanula muralis Hypericurn repens Sedurn dasyphyllurn Sedum middendorfianum Sedum sieboldi Sempervivurn arachnoideum Sempervivurn rubicundum Silene alpestris Silene maritima Thymus lanuginosus

Stonecress Aubrietia Bellflower Bellflower St. Johnswort Leafy stonecrop Stonecrop Stonecrop Houseleek Houseleek Alpine catchfly Catchfly Thyme

Evergreens' especially those that have been more or less recently planted with the idea of giving them room to grow are going to look rather lonely unless the ground between them can be carpeted with plant growth until such a time as they will grow sufficiently toward each other. At the same time any planting that s made must be of such a nature as not to interfere with the growth of the- evergreens or to crowd against the sides of them to such an extent as to kill the foliage.

This underplanting among the evergreens can not only serve the purpose of giving a more finished effect but can also be used to supply a certain amount of bloom, especially during the spring and early summer.

If the space between the evergreens were more or less large, you will no doubt want to use the more vigorous creeping plants. If the plants are to be set close together, it may be possible to select some of the less rapid growers. In this latter class the following rather choice perennials may be used:

Helleborus niger Helleborus orientalis Incarvillea Primula japonica Primula veris

Christmas rose Lenten rose Hardy gloxinia Japanese primrose Cowslip

For the other plantings you may use any of those plants recommended for banks and terraces, especially those listed as having evergreen foliage.

In wet or poorly drained places. Quite frequently certain spots in each yard are so low that with every heavy rain they may be submerged. It is either impossible or impractical to drain such spots, in which case the logical solution is the use of those perennials that will withstand wet soil. These are usually those plants, which are normally found growing under such conditions:

Asclepias incarnata Chelone lyoni Eupatorium perfoliatuin Helenium. autumnale Hibiscus moscheutos Iris pseudacorus Lilium superbum. Lobelia cardinalis Lysimachia clethroides Lythrum. salicaria

Swamp milkweed Pink turtlehead Boneset Common sneezeweed Common rosemallow Yellowflag iris American turkscap lily Cardinalflower Gooseneck Common purple loosestrife

In dry places. Fortunate indeed is the homeowner who does not have a few spots where the sun beats down so hard that the soil becomes so dry that most plants have difficulty in growing. In places such as this it is necessary to get an early start, such as early fall planting, to enable the plants to get thoroughly established before the dry season. In addition to this the moisture should be conserved as much as possible by surface mulch consisting of a layer of straw or peat moss. For plants for such situations we again select those we find growing wild under such conditions, either in this country or in some other country. Quite often they are plants with long taproots reaching deep down into the soil, where there may be a greater amount of moisture. For this purpose we may use:

Asclepias tuberosa Baptisia tinctoria Callirhoe involucrata Coronilla varia Euphorbia corollata Euphorbia cyparissias Hemerocallis flava Liatris squarrosa Liatris scariosa Opuntia vulgaris Rudbeckia triloba Sedum album Sedum. sarmentosum Sedum spurium Yucca

Butterflyweed Yellow wild-indigo Poppy-mallow Crownvetch Flowering spurge Cypress spurge Lemon daylily Gayfeather Button-snakeroot Indianfig Brown-eyed-susan White stonecrop Stringy stonecrop Running stonecrop Adams needle

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