MICHAELMAS DAISIES 



Early in September, when the autumn flowers are at their finest, 

 some of the Starworts are in bloom. Even in August they have 

 already begun, with the beautiful low-growing Aster acris, one of the 

 brightest of flowers of lilac or pale purple colouring. From the time 

 this pretty plant is in bloom to near the end of October, and even later, 

 there is a constant succession of these welcome Michaelmas Daisies. The 

 number of kinds good for garden use is now so great that the growers' 

 plant lists are only bewildering, and those who do not know their 

 Daisies should see them in some good nursery or private garden and 

 make their own notes. As in the case of Phloxes, the improvement in 

 the garden kinds is of recent years, for I can remember the time when it 

 was a rare thing to see in a garden any other Michaelmas Daisy than a 

 very poor form of Novi-Be/gii, a plant of such mean quality that, if it 

 came up as a seedling in our gardens to-day, it would be sent at once 

 to the rubbish heap. 



When the learner begins to acquire a Daisy-eye he will see what a 

 large proportion of the garden kinds are related to this same Novi-Be/gii, 

 the Starwort of New England. The greater number of the garden 

 varieties are derived from North American species, but they hybridise 

 so freely that it is now impossible to group the garden plants with any 

 degree of botanical accuracy. But the amateur may well be content with 

 a generally useful garden classification, and he will probably learn to know 

 his Novi-Be/gii first. Then he wiU come to those Novi-Be/gii that are from 

 the species /c^vis, rather wider and brighter green of leaf and only half 

 the height. Then, once known, he cannot mistake Nova-Ang/ia, with 



121 Q 



