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$a Above all else, the garden is a place for flowers. Part of this display is provided by roses, climbers and flowering shrubs and trees plants which produce woody stems and so form the basic up- right skeleton of the garden throughout the year.
But in practically every garden we ask for more. In tiny plots there is just not enough space for an adequate range of shrubs to give floral colour from early spring to late autumn. In large estates there is a need for flowers which cannot be met by woody plants alone. There are bright spring carpets to provide, beds to fill, rockeries to clothe and borders to furnish. For all these uses, from filling tiny cracks between paving stones to displaying plate-sized blooms against clipped hedges, we turn to the herbaceous group of flowering plants. These are the annuals, biennials and perennials which die down in the winter, disappearing beneath the soil outdoors or waiting indoors as plants, bulbs or seeds until the garden awakens in spring. The purpose of this book is to provide information on the selection, care and propagation of this vast range of plants -the garden flowers.
and blues of clumps of Daffodils and Crocuses growing in the grass or underneath trees. A little later the flower beds produce their spring livery- the biennials such as Wallflowers and Forget- me-nots and bulbs such as Tulips now burst into bloom. The rockery is also bright in April with its sheets of Aubrietia, Arabis and Alyssum saxatile - many gardens are aglow with flowers in spring. but early summer is sometimes a rather barren time. In midsummer we see flowers in their full glory the border displays its perennials in tiered rows, with Delphiniums and Achillea at the back, Campanulas, Phlox and Shasta Daisies in the middle and Pinks, Catmint, Geum, etc at the front. In contrast to this informal muddle of perennials in which flowers come and go at various times, there are the summer beds now rid of their spring Tulips and Wallflowers. Here we find the fussy and formal lines or blocks of half hardy annuals which were bedded out in late May or early June. Yellow French Marigolds and multicoloured Snapdragons are used to break up the pattern of red, white and blue - Geraniums (or Salvias), Alyssum and Lobelia. Autumn is the time for Chrysanthemums, Dahlias and Michaelmas Daisies - reds, yellows and mauves before the flower garden goes to sleep.
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