IN MY LADY'S GARDEN 



ever, handsome scarlet varieties. Erigeron speciosum, too, 

 is a very useful plant, forming masses of bloom for many 

 weeks, these bright mauve daisies appearing again in the 

 autumn, if the plant is cut back as soon as the early summer 

 bloom is over. 



Helenium grandicephalum striatum flowers late in the 

 autumn also, and this plant is then most decorative, pro- 

 ducing large quantities of golden yellow blossoms striped 

 with crimson and brown, which are invaluable for cutting, 

 for their rich colouring and light form make them very 

 effective. This plant will thrive in any fairly good soil, 

 increasing yearly till a large clump is formed. It is best 

 propagated by division in the autumn or the early spring. 



The perennial poppies are most satisfactory plants ; the 

 dwarf Iceland varieties, in creamy white, yellow, and orange, 

 providing plenty of cut flowers early in the season, whilst 

 the coppery apricot tint of Papaver pilosum makes it one of 

 the best of decorative flowers. In cutting the blossoms, 

 however, it is necessary to be beforehand with the bees, for 

 they quickly find out and fertilise the blooms, when the 

 petals will drop in a few hours. Poppies, for this reason, 

 are best picked in the bud just as the colour shows through 

 the opening calyx. They will then stand well in water for 

 several days, opening their petals without difficulty if placed 

 in a sunny position. The enormous blossoms of the Oriental 

 poppies (Papaver orientale) are magnificent in the garden, 

 though not suitable for cutting. They form grand masses 

 of colour if left alone (except for the usual spring mulching), 

 as all poppies object to the disturbance of their roots, and 

 take some time to settle themselves in the soil. 



Pinks, dainty in form and deliciously fragrant, are always 

 popular, whether of the pure white varieties (such as Her 

 Majesty and Mrs. Sinkins) or the laced pinks, Old Chelsea 

 and Bertha, in shades of pink and red ; of which the new 

 variety, Ernest Ladhams, in blush-rose with a crimson centre, 

 is one of the best, with flowers as large as a fine carnation. 

 These plants, long neglected except in the white forms, are 

 now again becoming better known ; and they should be in 



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