The American Botanist 



VOL. XXVIII AUGUST. 1922 No. 3 



Fringing the stream at every turn, ' 



Swung lom the waving jronds of fern: LIK!;.'.RV 



From stony cleft and mossy sod NISW VOKjv 



Pale asters sprang and goldenrod. BOTANICAL 



— Whittier. (iAKDEN 



OLD GARDEN FLOWERS— III 



The Monardas 



'V J O matter what other treasures the old-fashioned garden 

 -^ ^ might possess, it was never complete without its clump of 

 bee-balm {Monarda didyina). Though tucked away in some 

 remote corner, the glowing scarlet of its blossoms served to 

 light up the garden as few others could do ; in fact, this plant 

 seems especially designed by nature to grow in masses against 



a background of other vegetation and to be endowed with 

 sufficient color for all. More permanent than the scarlet 

 salvia, more amenable to cultivation than the cardinal flower 

 and unsurpassed in brilliance of color by either, it is a most 

 satisfactory addition to the garden beds and borders. Even 

 when not in flower it has some claim to our attention for its 

 leaves, permeated with a warm, aromatic oil afford a pleas- 

 ing fragrance that serves to distinguish it from others of its 

 class as the fragrant balm. 



The species of Monarda that have been taken into our 

 gardens have been little changed from the wild state, with 



