IN MY LADY'S GARDEN 



the garden, making a grand show of colour just as other 

 blossoms fail us. The white cosmeas are charming every- 

 where, and the crimson and pink varieties look well in 

 groups by themselves ; they are extremely useful for table 

 decoration (as a change from the ubiquitous chrysanthe- 

 mum), glowing under artificial light in a wonderful way, 

 but it must be confessed that they are not in a good " day- 

 light " tint, for they approach too nearly to that terrible 

 shade magenta to harmonise with any other red or pink 

 blossom. But white cosmeas, mixed with Kaffir lilies, and 

 set off by the exquisite carmine-yellow and green foliage 

 which the strawberry-bed just now produces, can scarcely be 

 excelled for colour and grace, whilst neither of these flowers 

 are by any means common. 



Eupatorium odoratum, with fragrant fluffy white blossoms, 

 is a useful winter-flowering plant of easy growth, which we 

 find very decorative in the conservatory, for there are not 

 many white blossoms of light effect at this time of year to 

 group with the massive spathes of arum lilies and the 

 gorgeous carmine bracts of the poinsettia. This eupatorium 

 (an American cousin of our native hemp agrimony) is not 

 quite hardy, but it is one of that valuable group of winter 

 flowers which do best planted out in a rich border during 

 the summer, and give no trouble at all for half the year. 

 Amongst these plants are several salvias (splendens, rutilans, 

 pitcher i, &c.), as well as arum lilies, all of which should be 

 placed in well-prepared soil in the kitchen garden in May, 

 potting them up again in September for the winter. When 

 the blossoms of the eupatorium are over the plant should be 

 somewhat severely pruned, still keeping it under glass well 

 syringed, but not over-watered at the root until new 

 growths appear, when it may be repotted, shaking out 

 about half of the old soil, and placing it in a smaller pot 

 than before, with a rich compost of equal parts of loam and 

 dried cow manure. At the end of May the plant should be 

 turned out of its pot into the open border, and the only 

 attention which will be needed, both by eupatoriums and 

 winter-flowering salvias in summer, will be to pinch out the 



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