FOR THE HOME BEAUTIFUL 155 



Today the phlox is one of our showiest flowers, 

 but the heads should never be allowed to go to 

 seed as this is apt to spoil the display by the pro- 

 duction of ugly magenta shades produced from 

 the self-sown seed. 



Last of the season, during October and Novem- 

 ber we may have blooming in our border the 

 anemone or windflower, stokesias, tritoma pfitzerh 

 or red hot poker plant, as well as some others, and 

 now a showy display such as the chrysanthemum, 

 queen of all late garden flowers, only can afford, 

 a wealth of wonderful bloom in a great array of 

 bright colors, and remaining with us to the very 

 end of the blooming season. 



For winter protection the perennial border re- 

 quires a light mulch that however should not be 

 applied too early; mid or late November in this 

 latitude will be found to be about right. 



Too heavy a mulch would tend to start plant 

 growth too early with the first warm days of 

 spring, and this growth would be apt to be dam- 

 aged by late frosts. 



The mulch should be raked off and removed 

 gradually, over a period of a week or ten days 

 so that any growth that may have started may 

 gradually become hardened instead of chancing 

 the possibility of the plants receiving a shock by 

 the removal of all the covering at one time. 



During the season all dead stalks, spent flowers 



