Borbonia
(named after Gaston de Bourbon, Duke of Orleans, son of Henry IV. of France, a great lover and patron of botany). ORD. Leguminosae. A genus of very ornamental greenhouse evergreen shrubs, natives of the Cape of Good Hope. Flowers yellow, disposed in terminal heads, axillary. Leaves simple, amplexicaul, alternate, exstipulate, pungent. They thrive well in a mixture of peat, loam, and sand, with good drainage. Cuttings, half-ripened, obtained in April, will root freely in sandy soil if placed under a bell glass, in a cool house.
B. barbata (bearded).* fl. sessile, villous on the outside. July. l. narrow, lanceolate, many-nerved, complicated, ciliately-bearded, and very much acuminated; branches diverging. h. 3ft. to 4ft. 1823. B. cordata (heart-shaped). fl., corolla densely villous, with the vexillum obcordate. July. l. cordate, many-nerved, quite entire, glabrous. Branches villous. h. 3ft. to 6ft. 1759.
B. crenata (crenated).* fl. less villous than in the rest of the species. July. l. cordate, roundish, acute, denticulated, many nerved and reticulated between the nerves, and are as well as the branches, glabrous. h.3ft. to 6ft. 1774. (B.M. 274) B. lanceolata (lance-shaped). fl. densely villous. July. l. ovate-lanceolate, pungent, many nerved, quite entire, sessile, glabrous, as well as the stem. h. 2ft. to 3ft. 1752. (L. B. C. 81.) B. ruscifolia (Ruscus-leaved). fl. sparingly villous. July. l. cordate, many-nerved, minutely ciliated, but are otherwise glabrous, as well as the branches. h. 2ft. to 4ft. 1790. (B. M. 2128.) BORDERS, FLOWER. Small beds, or a continuous bed, of greater length than width, skirting a wall or shrubbery, and containing plants of a heterogeneous character. They should be slightly raised above the surrounding level, and thoroughly drained. In the first preparation of the Border, it is most essential to deeply dig or trench the ground, thoroughly incorporating a large amount of well-bodied manure; and if the soil is very stiff, wood ashes or coarse sand should be well worked in with the manure. The best time to plant such Borders is in early autumn or in March.
Where, as is frequently the case, the Borders are only 2ft. or 3ft. wide, not more than two rows of plants, either in groups or singly, will be allowable. The tall plants or shrubs should constitute the background, with dwarfer subjects in front; but formal arrangements must be avoided. The object should be to secure a continuous succession of flowers. This would entail some little trouble at first, which, however, would be amply repaid by results. No hard-and-fast rules can be laid down as to the arrangement of the plants, which depends on individual taste and means; but the best results are obtained when the border is mainly made up of hardy herbaceous perennials, as permanent occupants, assisted by liberal quantities of summer bedding plants, such as Dahlias, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Heliotrope, Tropaeolums, &c., as well as many hardy annuals and biennials. By this means, a very varied and beautiful display may be maintained, especially if bulbs are used for early spring effect, such as Narcissi, Scillas, Snowdrops, Tulips, &c. Of course, the herbaceous perennials should be selected with much care, all weedy subjects being avoided, and variety in colour and time of flowering secured. Anything like a full list of these would occupy too much space for repetition here, but the following will be found very showy and useful: Achilleas, Aconitums, Anemones, Aquilegias, Armerias, Asters, Campanulas, Carnations and Picotees, Delphiniums, Dodecatheons, Doronicums, Fritillarias, Funkias, Gaillardias, Geraniums, Geums, Hollyhocks, Iberises, Irises, Liliums, Paeonies, Papavers, Pyrethrums, double and single, Ranunculus, Trolliuses, &c. BORDERS, FRUIT. These should be well drained, and if not naturally so, the soil should be excavated from 3ft. to 5ft. deep, in order to form a bottom of stones, pieces of brick, clinkers, &c. Where it is convenient, draining pipes should be added, if an outfall in the vicinity can be secured. The base of the Border should be sloped to the front, where the pipes should be laid, and the bottom covered with draining material, thereby effectually preventing the fruit trees rooting deep, which is detrimental to healthy growth. Gross-feeding vegetables or flowers should not be grown on the surface, but shallow-rooting crops will generally do no harm. Many advocate the surface being kept free from crops of any sort, simply letting it be freely exposed; whilst others equally as strenuously condemn this plan. Where necessary, chalk or some other mineral constituent of good soil which is naturally absent, may be added; but much animal manure is rarely required. The depth and width of Border may vary for different fruit trees, but efficient drainage is in all cases important.