GARDEN HELPS. 229 



ers, people here seem to like best, but some of the pink varieties can hold 

 their own well. Valerian, or garden heliotrope, is sweet, as its name 

 betokens, and pyrethrum, or "painted daisies," give one of the showiest 

 gardens of the whole year. After being cut they sometimes become quite 

 languid on a warm day, but I am always sorry when their season makes 

 its adieu. 



Mention should surely be made of the flowering trees and shrubs, apple, 

 plum and cherry blossoms, lilacs, honeysuckles (the least satisfactory for 

 decorations), bridal wreath and mock orange, all have their place in a 

 garden flower business. 



Iris is lovely for decorative purposes, both in and out of the garden. 

 Peonies speak their own praises. There is a steady demand for marguerites 

 and their successor, Shasta daisies, throughout the summer. Sweet william 

 is reasonably well liked, but it can easily glut the market. Oriental poppies 

 are gorgeous and will hold up for a day or two after cutting. Perennial 

 larkspur is a standard crop, and we are coming to like the annual. Lichnis 

 is worth growing because it furnishes a good red for Fourth of July, if for 

 nothing else. 



Sweet peas when they behave well run into money quicker than almost 

 any other flower, but they are mighty notional, and if weather conditions 

 are not to their mind they are not slow in complaining. One always needs 

 a good supply of madder, meadow rue, gypsophila (annual and perennial), 

 and flowering spurge. All will serve in turn. 



Gaillardia for a general purpose garden flower is scarcely excelled. It 

 begins blossoming in June and yields heavily straight through to freezing 

 weather in November. It is an excellent keeper and is bright and decora- 

 tive. Coreopsis is a standard yellow. Achillea at its best and when massed 

 fills many of the requirements for a standard white. 



Pinks and forget-me-nots make the dantiest bouquets imaginable. 

 Mignonette is popular, fully as much perhaps for the associations connected 

 with its name as for its own quaint worth. Shirley poppies make a beauti- 

 ful garden, and, like the Oriental poppies, will serve in the house for a day 

 or two. Snapdragons can be used extensively if you can make them grow 

 freely- — likewise garden lilies. 



Gladioli should have successive crops all summer and fall. Cosmos is a 

 standard. Everybody knows what asters may or may not be. Golden glow 

 can be used in moderation — some of the best sunflowers quite extensively. 

 Dahlias are more or less satisfactory as cut flowers. Autumn daisies 

 (pyrethrum uglinosum) are especially fine for showy big decorations. 

 Bollonia also has a place. Zinnias, marigolds, wool flowers and mourning 

 brides (scabiosa) are excellent fall bloomers. Michaelmas daisies are inter- 

 esting and sometimes are of use. And for winter keeping, straw flowers and 

 Chinese lanterns have everything their own way. — Sabra M. Ellison, 

 Okipee Farm, Minneapolis. 



