CHOICE OF FLOWERS 



In such a case It would better insure their safety 

 If a strip of wire net, such as Is used for fencing 

 poultry-yards, were extended behind each row, 

 and the stalks tied to the wires, to hold them 

 stiffly against the shock of wind and flood. 



There Is another good old grower of our 

 grandmothers' gardens, that we can hardly over- 

 look: the hollyhock. It Is taller than the dahlia, 

 coarser, weedier In Its leaf, and as Its buds open 

 one after another, they shed their petals and go 

 to seed, leaving long spaces of knobbed stalk, so 

 dry and bare In appearance that one Is reminded 

 of the neck of a bantam after a fight with a big- 

 ger cock. Yet the round, sonsle face of this 

 hearty, house-loving, wholesome rustic Is full of 

 cheer, yes, and beauty, too. In Its white and 

 pink aspects It Is refined, even, but the crimson 

 variety suggests the strength of sun and soil, and 

 it seems to have good red blood running through 

 Its veins, In place of sap. I have found that the 

 hollyhock will seed Itself, under certain condi- 

 tions, but Its appearance Is best guaranteed by 

 planting the seed of It In early spring. 



And speaking of color, we ought to make 

 more of the zinnia than we do. It is a highly 

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