PLANNING THE FLOWER GARDEN 195 



do not surrender to heat or drought, and smiling beds of 

 pinks and verbenas. 



In the next place, select plants so as to have a constant 

 succession of flowers all the year round. 



Winter and early spring flowers. White hyacinths, 

 jonquils, sweet violets, and Japan quince bloom early in 

 the year. Then, when the red maple begins to glow in 

 the woods, come the periwinkles, the early narcissus, 

 daffodils, spireas (bridal wreaths), and the blue hyacinths. 

 With March, the early lilacs and the late spireas begin to 

 open their eyes. April brings, along with dogwood, red- 

 bud, and haw blossoms and wild azaleas in the woods, a 

 troop of early roses, the wistaria, snowball (Fig. 128), 

 white iris or flag, and some of the lilies. On through May 

 and June the bright throng comes trooping by. 



Flowers for the hot dry season. During the hot months 

 of midsummer and early autum, nature generally calls a 

 halt to this gay procession, and so the gardens must be pro- 

 vided with plants that are hardy to sun and drought. For 

 this purpose choice lies between ever blooming roses, holly- 

 hocks, larkspurs and mallows, four-o'clocks, phlox, " snow- 

 on-the-mountain," bear's grass, Spanish bayonet, " old 

 maids" and "bachelor's buttons," " black-eyed Susans," 

 and the whole great sunflower family. 



Fall and winter bloomers. In our climate, many of 

 the summer flowers linger into late fall and early winter. 

 This is especially true of the roses. The chrys an'the mums, 

 too, linger till long after frost ; the verbenas and scarlet 

 sage and the canna last late into the year. The fall 

 months are brightened by the yellow and brown of the 



