THE FLOWER GARDEN IN AUTUMN. 155 



and the little Dorset Heath, and the Irish Heath in its purple and 

 white forms. 



Among the half-hardy plants of the garden perhaps the first place 

 belongs to the Dahlia, which was always a showy autumn flower, but 

 of late has become more precious through the beauty of what are called 

 Cactus Dahlias, which are so much better in form and colour than the 

 roundheaded Dahlias. 



The hardy Fuchsia is in the warmer and milder districts often 

 very pretty in autumn, especially where it is free enough to make 

 hedges and form large bushes ; but in cold and midland places the 

 growth is often hindered by hard winters. Gladiolus is a splendid 

 flower of the south, but coming more into a class of flowers requiring 

 care, and if they do not get it soon disappearing, liable also to disease, 

 and, on the whole, not so precious as showy. The last few years 

 have brought us magnificent varieties of the Cannas through the 

 crossing of some wild species with the old Hybrid kinds. Unfortun- 

 ately, although in warm valleys and under special care here and 

 there they do well, our country is not generally warm enough to 

 show their fine form and colour as in France and Italy. 



The addition of Lilies to our garden flora within the past generation 

 has had a good effect on the autumn garden. Where the finer kinds 

 are well grown, the varieties of the Japanese Lilies, 

 Japanese Lilies, with their delicate and varied colours, are splendid 

 autumn flowers for the open air. The Anemones, 

 usually flowers of the spring, come in some forms for the autumn 

 garden, particularly the white and pink kinds. The handsome 

 Bignonia, or trumpet creeper, is precious on all warm soils, but 

 generally it has not done so well with us as in France. Several kinds 

 of Clematis come in well in autumn, particularly the yellow and the 

 fragrant kinds. The Pentstemons are handsome and very valuable in 

 warm soils and districts where they may live out of doors in winter, 

 but in London districts they are not so good. A splendid autumn 

 flower is the Cardinal Flower, and happy should be those who can 

 grow it well. It fails in many gardens in loamy soil, and where there 

 is insufficiency of water, being a native of the bogs, and thriving best in 

 moist and peaty soil. A number of fine varieties have been raised, and 

 are brilliant in suitable soils ; but without these they are best left alone. 

 These are extremely effective in autumn, and in warm soils they 

 are often among the handsomest things, but, not being northern 

 plants, are unable to face a northern winter. 

 Torch Lilies. Happily this is not so with the beautiful new 

 Water - Lilies raised by M. Latour Marliac, 

 which are hardy in the open air, even with such weather as 

 that of the early part of 1895. Though perhaps the best bloom 



